Busting three HR myths to improve your workplace impact

Human resources is perhaps the most misunderstood department of any organisation. And through murky misgivings, it’s no wonder a glorious array of myths and assumptions are flying around the place for HR professionals.

Most people enter the workforce with a vague idea of what HR is; it hires and fires people, and likes to police those doing something wrong. But HR does far more; it cultivates skills, provides opportunities for development, supports health and well-being and strengthens workplace policy. 

Unfortunately, those responsibilities are not often well explained. In some cases, the HR team is so small it’s lumped in with another department, lost in the shuffle. So let’s change that and dispel some big myths about human resources. Hello Leaders wants to help our HR leaders recognise where improvements can be made on how workers view the benefits of human resources.

HR is focused on people getting fired, not hired

Recruitment is a critical part of success – you have to get it right to create a great work culture and give your consumers the best possible experience. But for the most part, employees tend to think HR is focused on firing people, not hiring them. It’s because of the deep-rooted myth that the presence of someone from HR means an employee has done something wrong and is about to be fired.

Now, that’s far from the truth, especially in modern-day business where employers are not so cutthroat. Additionally, HR typically doesn’t have the power to terminate contracts; senior management does. But it does hurt HR’s image as the department usually acts as the messenger because there’s a need for effective communication, conflict resolution and emotional support when an employee is let go.

Therefore, it’s important for human resource professionals to actively maintain a positive presence throughout the business. You can do this by:

• Being visible and accessible at all times with an open-door policy for concerned staff to come and talk to you. 
• Reassuring staff about your role and abilities through weekly or fortnightly emails promoting key services or advice.
• Offering training and development resources to encourage staff growth.

Human resources are the police force

If you ask anyone who’s had a negative run-in with HR, they think the department’s only role is to catch employees doing something wrong. But if you asked the average HR worker if they enjoyed reprimanding employees who receive complaints about their behaviour, chances are you will hear a big ‘no’. But it can be tough to overhaul those negative assumptions.

A good HR department creates a positive work environment where staff can freely express themselves as individuals. That’s why policies are in place; to protect everyone from harm or abuse. So as you would know, it’s all about maintaining safety by monitoring the workplace. You’re there to make sure the minority who can push boundaries are not impacting enjoyment for the majority.

You can break down those negative myths by keeping open channels of communication regarding policies by:

• Recognising negative incidents is a balancing act between reprimanding an employee and encouraging them to return to HR for support in the future.
• Providing a learning experience where staff recognise what’s gone wrong, rather than feeling like they’ve been punished with no positive outcome.
• Listening to employees, providing perspective and giving them future learning opportunities.
• Unless bad behaviour persists, avoid applying pressure on the employee; instead, support them and encourage improvement.

There’s no investment in the individual

As alluded to in the previous myths, many employees feel like HR is focused on the company itself and not individual employees. This means they believe human resources wants to protect the company at all costs, isn’t interested in helping employees solve problems and only wants to make life difficult.

Again, these serious misconceptions often result from poor communication and office gossip. So it’s essential to give your employees a clear understanding of HR responsibilities from day one and reaffirm your presence in a positive manner:

• Showing you’re actively involved in creating a positive work environment by promoting work events, socialisation and team-building activities.
• Remaining approachable by supporting employees with questions and concerns. Give them the opportunity to learn from experiences, rather than answering with jargon that won’t solve an underlying problem.
• Navigating the company-individual divide by actively being involved with other departments. Work together to build great teams through recruitment, facilitate shared team bonding experiences and show you are available when good happens, not just the bad.