Five Things HR Pros Wish Manager Knew

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Jacqueline Breslin in Human Capital Management

I ran across this article about what teachers really want to tell parents and it inspired me to write something similar for our profession. Leave a comment below and let me know if you agree or have another “wish” we should add to our list.

1. You are HR too

A manager skilled in human resources is a great asset. HR can’t, and shouldn’t, be everywhere. A manager who understands the company’s policies and basic labor laws, and deploys policies effectively, is helping your company mitigate risk. If you’re a manager and you don’t have a basic understanding of your company’s policies, I strongly suggest you get up to speed quickly. Make sure everyone is reading—and rereading—the Employee Handbook at least once a year. If managers are unfamiliar with basic labor laws, promptly get them training. At TriNet, we call our training session “HR 101”. It covers important HR information a manager needs to effectively manage the HR components of the employee life cycle, from interviewing a job candidate to exiting an employee.

2. People leave their managers, not their jobs

Time and time again exit interviews show the strong influence managers have on their direct reports’ workplace experience. That’s a lot of pressure! Those same exit interviews also talk about how the small stuff really matters. It’s interesting how many times employees have told me their manager rarely greets them, says thank you, recognizes them for a job well done or shows any interest in the person they are. These employees end up in the HR Department discussing how they are ready to move on to the next opportunity.

Managers are under an immense amount of pressure and sometimes fail to pause. As you rush from the elevator to your office answering emails on your smartphone, thinking about the conference call that’s coming up and the meeting after that, take the time to put down your phone and say a genuine, “good morning” to your team. Manage virtually? Take five minutes on Friday afternoon to place a call to a member of your team. Tell them “thank you” for the great work they did. This will take very little time and will be incredibly meaningful to them.

3. You are the ambassador of rewards and recognition

Perhaps your company has a few rewards programs that are growing dust on the company intranet? These programs tend to be launched by HR with a lot of fanfare and then get forgotten as deadlines and to-do lists take precedent. Challenge yourself to maximize these programs, whatever they are. Submit the name of your direct report, colleague or peer that helped you beat a deadline, provided great customer service or found a solution to a challenging internal problem. What if you don’t have a reward program? Start your own. A thank you email to someone’s manager, a gift card for a cup of coffee or lunch on you qualifies as a “program”. A great side effect of recognizing others is it makes you feel better too.

4. You are a manager 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

HR professionals navigate and mediate a number of workplace concerns that stem from something that happened outside the workplace but directly impact the office environment. From the holiday party, a team building offsite or post work cocktail hour, what happens at these events does not stay at these events. Having fun with your team is important. All the policies that dictate professional behavior, protect against harassment and promote safety are likely relevant and need to be followed even if you are not on-site in the office. You are also setting the example in these situations. Your professional tone, alcohol consumption, optimism about the company’s future, is being carefully observed by your team. Please, celebrate and enjoy time with them, but remember: you are still at work.

5. Know when to punt to HR

The employee that comes to you complaining of discrimination, the explicit email that gets forwarded to you inadvertently, the candidate that reveals a medical condition in the interview process… these are all occasions when it’s important to immediately involve your HR pro. Don’t try to investigate a workplace issue on your own. HR and their trained investigators are there to manage this process and have your best interest in mind.

HR is your adviser, sounding board and a champion of providing a workplace where managers can do their best work. Utilize HR for these reasons and you’ll be one of our favorite colleagues to work with!