I was catching up with some friends earlier this year on family, politics, and the economic outlook. Lots of cheering and laughter was going on, with some celebrating new members of the family, a new car, a new house, etc. until the topic of work was brought up. The laughter suddenly stopped, and the setting turned more somber.

One by one started lamenting, that what used to be a lively work setting with lots of trust, is now a whole new environment altogether: new rules and regulations placed, mostly revolving around one’s daily working activities, reports to be submitted weekly or even daily, but most ridiculously, with one having to report using the format of fifteen-minute blocks! But is it effective or just pure micromanagement at its finest? Mind you, most of them are at the mid-management level and have been with their organization for a good number of years.

Naturally, the conversation led to people bashing management and HR departments receiving the most wrath! Getting called names like bosses’ order-takers, good-for-nothings, among many others. Secretly, sometimes I am guilty of this myself! There seems to be some secret code of ethics in the Business Development/Sales function, to always be at war with others? *shrugs*

But let’s look at things constructively. HR professionals play a valuable role in safeguarding the wellbeing and interest of all employees, professing to have the best interest of all employees at heart. Somehow, they are also always the first in line to face the barrage of new ideas of procedures. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s almost impossible to change the bosses’ minds, especially in traditional companies. But that doesn’t mean your HR department has not tried. They might have actually “softened” the initial idea, which could have been a sucker punch! Not forgetting, what’s enforced applies to them as well.

Sadly, with lofty ambitions combined with awkward positioning and generally lack of actual authority, it is not difficult to comprehend why 80% of employees find it difficult to place their trust in their HR departments and probably still a long way to go when it comes to earning the employees trust, with some not even bothering to report their concerns.

While all of this is most definitely shameful, it should not reflect the HR profession in general. Without a doubt, there are thousands of HR professionals out there doing their best to watch out for their employees. However, the fact of the matter remains: without the support of senior management and business leaders, it is impossible for the HR department to function towards its actual intention. 

Ignoring HR can lead to disconnection and cost organizations!

The HR department and its representatives act as a link between the leadership team and staff on the ground. In a perfect world, employees should have no trouble reaching out and communicating their concerns to the HR department. However, the HR department is often seen as a last resort for most employees. This is because most employees often view the HR department with distrust and instead choose not to deal with them.

Consequently, any underlying issues often get swept under the carpet and ignored by all parties. As seen in my mates’ scenarios, unsurprisingly, the nonsensical reporting had led to mass resignations. Employees don’t leave just because of an incident. They leave due to pent-up frustrations because they could have voiced out, but their concerns were not seriously considered. It is already challenging and pricey to find a replacement for any position, let alone in the masses and there is no guarantee new hires will not leave for the very same reason if things remained status quo.

Therefore, it is essential for leaders to recognize the importance of HR management at a strategic level. Instead of relying on intuition and hearsay, leaders need to be able to access hard data to make an informed decision. This is why the organization needs reliable software like Cadena’s HRM Series 5, where such data can then be collected, consolidated, and acted upon by the HR department and members of the leadership team.

HR Management is crucial to employees’ retention

The landscape of employment is changing and employee mobility is on the rise, organizations will soon be hard-pressed to retain their top talent. While employers may lament about the lack of loyalty in the new generation, the fact of the matter is that employees are not given the right motivation to remain loyal.

Rather, unfortunately, employers often overlook reliable and loyal staff members. Such workers are usually taken for granted and even sometimes inadequately rewarded for their efforts. This could be due to inadequate performance rating systems or internal politics or favoritism being the most common of them all.

As a result, the lack of recognition often results in said employee and HR trust becoming disengaged and frustrated. With time, a competitor will likely swoop in and entice them with promises of a higher salary and better job prospects.

Hence therefore Cadena’s HRM Series 5 is what your organization needs to study all aspects of an employee’s performance in detail while utilizing a 360-degree feedback loop that collects feedback from all relevant stakeholders. This ensures that performance reviews are comprehensive and accurate.

HR is vital to an organization’s branding and image

In today’s competitive market, the employee experience has become increasingly prominent over time. The employee experience focuses on what a member of the organization sees, feels, and hears throughout the course of their career.

These experiences shape the employee’s perception of their employer for better or worse. Ideally, you’d want your employees to have a favorable impression of your organization or department. 

Employees who’ve had a positive experience with the organization are more likely to recommend its products or services to their friends and family. Alongside this, with sites such as Glassdoor and LinkedIn, employees can leave reviews of their time with your company.

A positive review would encourage talented candidates to seek employment whereas a single negative review can severely impact your employer’s branding. The above situation shows us why it’s crucial for HR professionals to address employee and HR trust deficits. 

With Cadena’s HRM Series 5, your team will be equipped with the right tools and skills to transform your department. By doing so, your organization will be able to bridge the gap between both leadership and rank-and-file staff members.

Thankfully, with a change of topic, the rest of the night ended in a much lighter tone with every one of us going home high and happy. Today, few of them have moved on from their ex-companies for a better structured one and are to date, much happier.

www.cadena.com.sg www.cadena-hrmseries.com | ASEAN Payroll and HRMS software on the cloud by Cadena International|