In the last few months, we have been extremely busy helping our clients with all kinds of employment relation issues, processes, and advice. Most of them have been tricky, and in some cases, we have had to call on our problem-solving skills, which is what I love about HR and its function. We get to use all our expertise and experience in different ways to help our clients work through their HR and people issues. For example, I can give advice on a performance issue, run a restructure process, build a performance appraisal process, and then give business advice and be an ear to someone for stuff that is happening outside of work. All of those scenarios have a process attached to them.
When people ask me why I love HR, I have a simple response – that it is about following process. That may sound dry and plain, but at the heart of all employment issues – and when and why they go wrong – is because the process wasn’t followed and communicated effectively. As a result, people become disgruntled.
When HR isn’t a part of your job, and you are leading a business or team, or when you have to move fast on HR issues, you may not always think about the process or the possible consequences. Although, at some level, you instinctively know that you should be following a process.
Our function and how we help our clients is all about risk mitigation and getting an outcome that will help the business move forward, but also ensures that we treat people with dignity. There are some processes in our legislation that we don’t agree with, but we must follow the process. If you find yourself working through or about to work through a tricky HR situation, please don’t second guess yourself, pick up the phone and talk to your HR person and make sure you have a plan and process to follow. When you do not follow the process, it could be an expensive outcome.