Seven statements an HR manager should never make

You are the HR Manager of your company. An employee sitting across your cabin comes and expresses his displeasure over the decision to transfer him to a different branch, which is far away from his home. You ignore his apprehensions by saying “This is how it is done in the organisation”.

With these few words you have made your employee feel that he is perhaps not the priority of the organisation. In the opinion of Ruchi Awasthi, Director – People Success, Shipsy, employers should make the working environment more inclusive and welcoming for all employees. There’s a reason why HR leaders are called ‘Human Resources’.

“Don’t make employees feel like they are not a part of the company with statements like “We have thought this through and this is the decision we have taken”. Shooting their ideas down with statements like “This is how it is done in the organisation” is also an unhealthy practice,” Awasthi says.

Awasthi opines that disagreements are okay but one should never discourage employees from speaking their mind. Conflicts can be the first step towards innovation.

As ‘People Managers‘, it is very important for HRs to convey the right intent of the organisation to the employees so that the comments do not hamper their morale and the feeling of ownership.

Giridhar GV, Executive Vice President – Global Human Resources, HGS, says, “Providing timely, clear and authentic communication helps in creating a workplace that is built on trust. Organisational changes are a norm in today’s world. One of the key ingredients among many others, while managing change, is effective communication, and HR needs to own this.”

Here are some more statements an HR manager should never use:

‘You don’t need to know the ‘why’ of this decision. You just need to execute’

According to Puja Kapoor, Global HR Director, OLX Autos(OLX Group), this perhaps is the biggest disservice a leader can do to people and especially an HR leader.

Kapoor says ‘why’ brings purpose, cause and the reasoning to execute plans with the right intent and accountability.

The clarity of ‘why’ has the ability to raise the bar of outcome and generate unconditional motivation.

‘I know the HR network well. I know the companies you applied to’

There will be times when you get to know that one of your employees is looking out for another job. You might know that they are applying to other companies and sometimes, you might even know the names of the companies. Sanjay Sunku, Chief of Strategy and People, DrinkPrime, says, “You shouldn’t ask them anything about it.”

“As an employee of the company, they will reach out to you if they decide to submit their resignation,” Sunku says. “They trust you and you shouldn’t break their trust by asking questions about the job opportunities they are looking for.”

‘If he/she wants to leave and is a top performer let the business take a call. We are here to hire’

In a contrasting situation, HR leaders should also avoid not caring about resignations.

Nikeeta Gupta, HRBP, Razorpay, is of the opinion that HR professionals are accountable not only for employee hiring but also for employee retention.

“It’s imperative for them to understand the reason behind employee attrition and partner with businesses for their retention,” Gupta says.

‘We will be in touch’

During the hiring process, many times candidates who are not given proper answers are left in a lurch.

Srinidhi Dasaka, Head of HR, Keka, says, “I think HRs should stop keeping candidates on the edge during the hiring process. Statements like ‘We will be in touch’, ‘We will update you soon’, ‘I don’t want to take too much of your time’, etc not only demotivate applicants but simply waste a lot of their valuable time.”

‘I have done your background check. I know everything about your performance in the company’

As an HR professional, conducting the background check of a potential employee might be your company protocol. There is nothing wrong with the process as well.

But Sunku of DrinkPrime says that once the candidate has joined your company, you should not be telling them anything about it.

“If you were not happy with their performance, you should not have hired them. You should not hire them and later threaten them with the information you have,” he says.

‘I can’t help you due to the company’s policy’

According to Gulneet Chadha, Founder, GC Consulting, don’t tell your employees you can’t help due to the company policy in their critical situation.

“Policies are made for people and not the other way round,” Chadha says.

Chadha further says that HR leaders should also avoid saying that it is a management decision. HR leaders are a bridge between the employer and the employee and they equally own responsibility for any decision.

Your manager can’t be biased

Folks often look at HR as the ears who can listen to their grievances or feedback in an unprejudiced manner. When an employee comes up with the issue of a biased boss, HR leaders should not disregard the apprehensions.

Gupta of Razorpay says that there is often an opportunity in such cases for both the employee and the manager to learn each other’s way of working and HR acts as a bridge in such a situation.

Hence, listen to the employees patiently.

When employees bring to the HRs such issues, they are sometimes side-lined with statements like, “You don’t need to understand why we’re doing it this way” and “You need to trust that your leadership will always do the right thing.”

HRs should avoid statements like the above as no employee wants to feel like a sheep. They want to feel like a part of the larger community and add value to the organisation with their ideas. Their suggestions may not always work, but HRs should listen to them patiently and have a good conversation even if the final answer is a ‘no’.