Human Resources is probably the one department globally that faces the brunt of rumors, biases and misunderstandings in the corporate world. Let’s take a moment to nullify some common misconceptions:
HR Myth #1 – HR’s job is to distract you from work:
HR’s main agenda is solely to help you be in your element at work. HR does, from time to time, check in on employees, but this is for your benefit – not theirs.
HR Myth #2 – HR’s role is to build a company culture:
Heavily influenced by the thought processes, values and work behaviors of the C-suite, the genesis of culture can be found in the way the workforce collaborates and communicates harmoniously with one another at work. HR may be a company culture champion, but all employees – especially leadership – build company culture.
HR Myth #3 – HR reads your emails and official chats:
Human Resources as a department does not read your private emails and one-on-one official chats on Slack, MS teams or other channels regularly. True – they have administrative privileges to engage in such monitoring, despite not being owners of these channels, but unless it is for an investigative purpose, HR does not engage in those activities regularly.
HR Myth #4 – If HR is in the room, someone is getting fired:
Employee termination is just a slice of the varied functions of HR. Moreover, unless directed by the top executives, Human Resources professionals typically do not have the power to enforce disciplinary or discontinuation actions. HR is typically present in such activities or discussions from a compliance perspective.
HR Myth #5 – HR exists for those who don’t get to be in finance, marketing or sales:
HR exists for those who long to be efficient people professionals holistically. This includes in the front-end and behind-the-scenes. Moreover, in recent years HR niches like change management, D&I and L&D are luring people to practice the profession.
HR Myth #6 – HR can give you a raise:
A good HR department ought to run audits and ensure there aren’t any unlawful discrepancies between those with similar job roles and positions. It is also important to make sure that the pay aligns with the company’s overall compensation policy and adheres with the reward process. Sadly, though, they cannot ‘give’ a raise.
HR Myth #7 – HR’s job is mostly administrative:
It is true that HR requires documentation (albeit digital, with HR tech software), policies and clear procedures. But that does not make its functions purely bureaucratic. While their one role is to protect the organization by ensuring document-directed processes are followed efficiently, their other role is implementing theory to practice by making flexible working, employee engagement and remote management a reality.
Axis HR Solutions can help your organization realize its full potential by bolstering, supplementing, or supporting existing HR infrastructure – or – by delivering your human capital success through being your HR department. Find out more at www.axishrky.com
