HR - "Hired to Relax" ?!

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These are not random words, but terms that employees believe can best describe their HR. Every person views an HR professional with their own rose/jade tinted glasses. Each tint adds to the day-to-day ecstasy and agony of every HR professional. An HR is perceived to be a creature as mystical as the Unicorn as many are yet to unearth what an HR actually does.

A friend of mine who had recently joined the corporate world was surprised to hear that I was going to visit an employee who had met with an accident on a weekend. According to her brand new colleagues, HRs were glued to their seats and were as elusive as the blue moon. When I was once working at home post-work hours, my cousin touted that I am probably the only HR who works this hard. I have been thoroughly nonplussed by these responses and have wondered whether to laugh or cry about them.

A common misconception at the new age work-place tends to be that an HR is Ms/Mr goody-two-shoes who has to be nice irrespective of the circumstances. It is a forgotten fact that HR has to be just. Their decisions are based on facts, policies, and laws, not on their personal whims and fancies.

Some instances shared by fellow members in the HR Community from different companies are so hilarious that one would end up in tears! It would really result in the person wondering whether he is experiencing ecstasy or agony. An employee refused to travel to a different branch of the company in the same city as his mother forbid him from traveling. She was concerned about the well-being of his son. Another instance shared was where the employee requested a Mumbai local train compartment to be booked by the company on a daily basis to felicitate smooth travel for its employees! How else can the Company show that it cares for its employees! An employee stated that he was depressed as he did not get a prize for the patriotic singing competition conducted for the Independence Day celebrations! Finally, last but definitely not the least, an employee blamed the HR for a twig falling on his hand from a tree within office premises.

There are definitely equal if not, more highs of being an HR professional. Being able to make a difference in someone’s life is a feeling that is infinitely more pleasing than mere job satisfaction. Creating a conducive work environment, providing immediate solutions to manage crisis situations, saving someone’s life by ensuring immediate medical measures, are just a few ways in which the profession gives you something much more than money. It adds meaning to life and makes you feel like a better person.

All in all, it’s a roller-coaster ride and definitely an experience you would not want to miss for anything else in the world!!