Most people know that Human Resources is the department of an organization that deals with the hiring, administration, and training of personnel. But Human Resources is much more than that and can play a significant role in a company’s perceived safety, fairness, equality, and inclusiveness; all actions that have a direct impact in a company’s culture.
Communication
Human Resources is responsible for creating, implementing, and training of company policies. The way in which policies and company rules are communicated can be detrimental to a company’s culture, so it is important that policies and rules are easy to understand and can be communicated in a way that the message is clear.
When communicating with the team, HR needs to be empathetic to the situation without forming biases. There are times where a new policy that is implemented may need a more empathetic tone or more background context so the team can understand more easily.
In cases where Human Resources may be investigating a sensitive allegation, it is important that we as representatives of the company and its people remain calm, honest, and empathetic toward all involved.
We understand that there are rules and they must be followed, but let’s not ever forget that we are here to protect employees and in any situation communication is key to helping resolve any issue.
Social Changes
Now more than ever Human Resources teams need to keep up with social changes to ensure that we can truly have a safe space for everyone. Diversity and inclusiveness goes beyond having a certain percentage of women in the company or people of color. It’s about understanding how our society is changing and how we are helping our business evolve and “get with the times.”
No company wants to end up on the news for outdated practices or a sexual harassment lawsuit It is our duty as HR professionals to stay on top of changes in society and how people expect to be treated. Develop and introduce training to educate our teams to ensure we have warm and welcoming workplace for all.
Generational Changes
Between Baby Boomers, Generation X-ers, Millennials, and Gen-Z-ers, the workforce generational gaps can sometime present challenges as work styles, traditions, and expectations differ. Human Resources can help bridge the gap between generations by fostering a culture of respect and understanding. Providing training on communication styles and habits that can be tied back to company values can help bring the team together.
Demand for Growth
Culture continues to be a key determining factor in a company’s ability to attract new talent and retain its current team. HR is under increasing pressure to manage and foster their company’s culture, that is why it’s important to have HR work closely with departmental heads to understand their needs, identify potential weaknesses, and provide support through training, mentoring, and education.
Conclusion
Overall, as HR professionals we need to be aware that our roles can help influence our company’s culture in a variety of very impactful areas. We are “the people’s people” in the company and should be more in tune with what is happening outside our books of rules—pay attention to politics, social, and economical trends that can bring drastic change into our places of business.
Being aware of those changes, implementing policy and training whenever needed can have a great impact on how a company’s culture evolves in times where we are seeing major changes in our industries.
