Be Patient
People often approach HR Manager in the case of an emergency or if they would like to share their grievances. They want somebody to listen to them and help them solve their issues or problems. I completely agree that there are times when we don’t have solutions to every problem. However, as an HR professional our role becomes that of an agony aunt who lends her ears patiently and fully responds to their questions. This helps in building faith and confidence among people and eventually lead to winning their hearts.
Be Consistent Always.
One thing that people seem to value the most in their HR Managers is consistency & knowing where they stand. Employees specially don’t like HR Managers who are moody & unapproachable. Of course, if you’re going to be consistent, it would be better to be approachable all the time rather than prickly all the time.
Don’t have your favourites.
This is linked to Tip 2. Treat everyone the same, don’t have favourites. Or, more specifically, don’t be perceived as having favourites. Perception is reality, as they say. This is particularly true in management, when the people you manage may interpret your actions is ways which surprise you. You need to be particularly careful to be seen to be treating everyone equally. For example, when allocating work, allowing time off.
Don’t shout, swear, or have tantrums.
Just because you’re an HR Manager, it doesn’t mean you’re no longer a human being. You will still have frustrations and things will tax your patience. But you need to manage your emotions. When you’re an HR Manager, people are watching your behaviour. They expect you to be a role model in many ways ( see Tip 5 }. And they want you to behave consistently ( see Tip 2 ). One of the sacrifices you make when you’re an HR Manager is that you can’t just behave exactly as you want, you’ve got to think about the impression you’re making on other people.
Treat People Equally.
Be a role model for the behaviour you want from others. I’ve worked with two types of HR Managers. One type saw it as a responsibility, they were the ones who would turn up early and leave late when necessary, who would always be there when difficult things had to be done. They lead by example, they showed the behaviour they expected from others. The other type seemed to think that, now they were HR managers, they had ” made it “. In other words, they could pass on all the pressure ( and the unwanted tasks ) to other people. If you want the people who work for you to behave in a certain way, model that behaviour yourself.
Don’t join in Gossip.
Like it or not, if you’re an HR Manager, you represent the organisation you work for. You’re a leader, a role model ( as I mentioned above ). People don’t expect to see you joining in gossip ( and certainly not starting it ). If you hear other people gossiping, about the organisation or about the people in it, don’t join in and don’t encourage it. Be as open as you can with people, let them know what’s going on and what’s planned so there’s less space for gossip. But it will still happen, it’s pretty much human nature, just don’t be a part of it.
Similarly, don’t criticise other people publicly.
There are times, as an HR Manager, when you should keep your opinions to yourself. Never criticise someone who works for you in front of their colleagues. You may be tempted to let people know if you actually agree with their comments, but in the long run it tends to undermine your authority and respect.
Show Respect for others
Since I’ve mentioned respect, as a general approach, go for being respected rather than liked. Respect other people’s thoughts and opinions and in return you will gain their respect. Most people I’ve come across prefer to work for someone they respect. They don’t necessarily have to like their bosses but they do need to respect them in order for everyone to work together well. How do you get respect? By doing some of the things I’ve already mentioned - be consistent, treat people fairly and equally, show that you’re prepared to behave the way you want others to behave, etc.
Don’t try to be ” one of the gang “.
This is one of the hardest things for a new HR Manager to work out, how to walk that line between being ” friendly ” and being ” the boss “. As I’ve said, aim to be respected first. People are looking for a lead from you, they know you’re the HR Manager and not ” one of the gang “. They expect certain things from you. Of course you should be friendly and approachable but accept you’re not just one of the team, you’re a leader.
Don’t be too Emotional
One of the things that I have noticed often is that HR Managers tend to be emotional at the time of decision making. They sometimes keeps human concerns over the organizational goals. I don’t disagree that as an HR manager you should’nt be sympathetic towards your people however keep in mind that we work in an environment where proper balance needs to be maintained between the organizational objectives and people’s expectations. Tackling situations or issues emotionally might lead to wrong decision making.
