Befriending HR

A tribute to all the HR practitioners who tirelessly take care of their people. Published in my column in Manila Bulletin a few months back.

Before I got involved with the fascinating world of Human Resource Development, I used to think of HR as simply a department that monitored my attendance, processed some paperwork, handed out my pay-slip and organized the once-a-year sports fest.

But after learning the ins and outs of HR in the process of professionalizing our company structure some years back, I witnessed firsthand its critical impact on companies and people. I got a glimpse of how good HR practices can significantly make employees happier and how it can give harmony to the workplace. This prompted me to seek out and learn with other HR practitioners. It made me appreciate what HR is all about.

You see, HR is a major part of everyone’s work-life. Whether you are job seeking, already employed, moving up the ranks or moving on, you will encounter and need the assistance of the Human Resource Department.

For many jobseekers, the HR professional or Recruitment officer is the gateway to getting employed in a company. In a way, we hold the power to getting you through the door as we are the ones who filter resumes, set interviews and process hiring. We also are the ones who will orient you and help you get settled in as soon as you get hired.

Once employed, the HR department overseas many other functions. Yes, we monitor your attendance in order to process your pay slip. We do the paperwork and documentation needed by the company and we organize employee events and teambuilding activities.

But that’s not all that we do, HR also plans, seeks approval and organizes training development programs. We propose and manage benefits and everyone’s favorite leaves. We monitor performance so that deserving employees get promoted. We even pick out uniforms to make you look cool and chic (or otherwise, depending on our taste). We make sure that policies are followed so that the workplace can run smoother. We also have to do the difficult task of disciplining and apprehending violators of company policies and carry out the emotionally-driven episodes of resignations and terminations---it’s a tough job but somebody has to do it.

With all the HR tasks at hand, one would think that HR professionals have super human abilities to make all of these happen. But to be honest, we are more like supermoms---normal people who have to juggle and work very hard to make the people we are caring for, happy and satisfied.

And like supermoms, things can get overwhelming since many HR departments have minimal staff. Yet, HR people work very hard to do all of these things because we know that it will help the company and employees. We know that we have to take care of these necessities for you, so that you can go out there, face the world and focus on your work. And that at the end of the day, you will feel secure knowing that your benefits are processed so that you can take care of your families back home.

After doing all of these things though, many HR practitioners feel unappreciated and unrecognized. During HR Club Philippines’ regular meet ups and the HR seminars that we conduct at Businessmaker Academy, participants would often share issues and difficulties in getting support for their initiatives from both management and even employees.

For instance, after going through hundreds of resumes, conducting interviews and finally hiring and orienting a new employee for a certain position, their heart would break when after just a few months, the employee decides to leave.

Or after toiling for hours to prepare a Performance Appraisal Form, they would get frustrated because some managers would take forever to answer and submit these.

Or after going through hoops to get management to approve and provide budget for training, there are some employees who act lazy and unenthusiastic about the training.

These are just some of the many heart aches of many HR practitioners and that is the reason why we established HR Club Philippines. Aside from providing HR education, we wanted to provide a support-group for HR practitioners. As one member dramatically pointed out, “Araw-araw, kailangan natin alagaan ang mga empleyado natin, pero paano naman kami, sino ang mag-aalaga sa amin?” (Everyday, we need to take care of our employees, but what about us? Who will take care of us?)

And so, I am here writing some insights about our “dakilang” HR people (dedicated HR people). I’m here to tell jobseekers, employees and employers that the HR people we rely on to make our work-life happier and more rewarding need a boost too. Just like everyone, HR people need to feel inspired to continue doing what they do. They need to feel appreciated and recognized for their hard work.

The best way to do this is very simple. All that’s needed are words of encouragement or some deed that says “Thank You”.

Since HR people pretty much assist and have an influence in getting you hired, getting you acquainted with the company, developing you, managing your compensation and benefits and overseeing your career growth, it would be great to show HR that you care too and that you appreciate them. So befriend your HR---it’s the wise and right thing to do.

About the Writer

Jhoanna O. Gan-So is president of Businessmaker Academy and the managing director for HR Club Philippines. Her company conducts seminars on Business Management, Human Resource, Sales and Marketing Courses. They have also recently launched the INSTANT HR TOOLKIT, a service that provides HR practitioners with over 100 ready-to-use downloadable, customizable and printable HR manuals, contract, letters forms and templates. To know more about HR seminars that they offer, you may visit www.businessmaker-academy.com or call (632)6874645. To know more about the Instant HR Toolkit and the HR club, you may visit www.hrclubphilippines.com. You may email your comments and questions to: mbworklife@gmail.com

New Workplace Trends & Technology

[Manila Bulletin WORK LIFE Column: published November 4, 2009]

Last October 22, I attended the 3rd HR Philippines National Convention where my good friend, business partner and Chief Training Consultant, Cindy Sajwani, gave a talk on “New Trends in Training & Technology.” There were about 700 HR practitioners who were present in the convention and discussions centered mainly on HR 2.0---how advancements in technology are redefining the workplace.

The convention confirmed the general feeling of today’s many Business and HR practitioners: that the world is changing and it’s doing so in a very fast pace. And as the business climate of today transforms significantly, so too are the prevailing culture and experiences in the workplace.

Technology is rapidly moving and it is up to you to ride on it or be left behind. Whether we like it or not, we need to be able to adapt in order to survive and even thrive. Here are a few workplace trends that you should prepare yourself for:

Millennial Invasion
Born between 1980 to 1995, “Millennials” are a new breed of workers who are rapidly taking over the workplace. They were raised by doting parents who told them they are special. They are tech savvy and have been exposed to all sorts of gadgets. They are very hard-working but they don’t necessarily adhere to strict and formal etiquette or policies that do not make sense to them. If you belong to an older generation, are you ready for this new generation? How do you deal with them and how can you ensure that you do not become obsolete?

Computer-Wired Workplace
Gone are the days of the typewriter, OHP projectors and Polaroid Cameras even though we may miss them. Nowadays, if your company wants to stay competitive, you should at least have a computer and DSL in your office. When our company invested in providing computers to all of our employees, we saw their productivity shoot up. More importantly, it empowered our employees so much so that they have all become single business units in themselves. The question is, how computer-wired is your workplace? Is it important in your line of business? And if you have a computer, are you maximizing its use?

Work Anytime, Anywhere
Laptops and the Wifi access in malls have allowed our management to work away from the workplace. Wherever I am, I can still monitor and communicate with my co-workers because aside from mobile phones and emails, we have an online forum and knowledge management system to keep track of all our business discussions, decisions and work progress. Not a lot of companies do this yet, because of the perceived high-cost of hiring an IT guy to set this up. But to be honest with you, it’s quite simple to set this up yourself. Just because, you are not an IT person, doesn’t mean that you cannot integrate technology to your work life. If we were able to do it, so can you.

Social Networking
Is facebook, friendster and multiply allowed in your workplace? If so, are you using it for business or for pleasure---be honest?! In our company, we do allow facebook and other networking sites because most of our clients communicate with us using those mediums. But I must admit, monitoring these activities is a bit challenging and it poses as a big temptation and interruption of work, sometimes. It definitely has its advantages and disadvantages. I believe that allowing its use is a prerogative of management. It depends on the nature of your business and the culture of your company. In your opinion, should your company allow employees to have access to facebook and other networking sites? And if you are allowed to access these, can you honestly say that you can use it for business purposes only and not abuse it?

Online Learning & Webinars
Company Trainings are not just focused on Instructor-led seminars anymore. Nowadays, a new training methodology is being utilized because many companies cannot afford to gather all their employees in one venue all at the same time to attend a seminar. A new trend is emerging in the form of Online Learning & Webinars. In our company, we use webinars for New Employee Orientation. Since new employees are not hired all at the same time, it becomes very tedious for management to keep on giving full Employee Orientations every time a new employee comes in. The solution, Interactive Orientation Webinars whereby employees learn about the company through an interactive multimedia and online quiz. The experience is quite fresh for many people and this makes it a little bit more exciting for the new employees. Have you experienced learning from webinars?

Online Resources
As technology speeds up the business process, so too are the demands of work. Years ago, it took weeks to come up with a project proposal, contract or report. Now, we are expected to deliver these within days or even a few hours. Work life can get really overwhelming. Luckily, technology also provides a solution through Online Resources. The internet has a lot of free stuff. All you need to have is the patience to sort through all of these. There are also products for sale out there that are useful. For instance, HR practitioners can now rely on www.InstantHRToolkit.com which provides them with over 100 downloadable, customizable and printable manuals, contracts, letters, forms and templates. Gone are the days where one has to create a document from scratch. There are shortcuts available and all you have to do is know how to use these online resources.

New Technology poses a lot of promising advancements in the workplace, but with it comes challenges. If used properly (just like what we have done in our company), it can truly make the workplace productive; if used unwisely, it can give you a lot of headaches and problems too. The important thing is to prepare yourself and dare to embrace change a little, because like it or not, it is transforming the workplace now.

Jhoanna O. Gan-So is the managing director of HR Club Philippines and president of Businessmaker Academy---a training company that offers public seminars on Human Resource Management, Business Skills and Internet Marketing. They also hold training programs for corporate skills training, as well as develop interactive webinars for corporations and institutions. To know more about these organizations and the seminars they offer, you may visit www.businessmaker-academy.com and www.hrclubphilippines.com or call (632)6874645. You may email your comments and questions to: mbworklife@gmail.com