HR to be blamed or helped?

Some employees in most corporate will have to toil a lot for their growth. From the employee’s point of view, everything is fine as they are doing their job well, contributing and are also adding values to the organization. But still they are not finding any hope. Unfortunately, such employees also do not have the courage to experiment with their life in other corporate. Hence they would continue in the same organization. Should they suffer, suffer and die or who should be blamed for the above and how they can help?

The function which is solely and squirrelly blamed for the above is the HR function in the corporate. In single man owned organization, blaming anyone will be meaningless as every one has to dance to the tune of the owner to keep their dancing going.

How HR is responsible for the above in such organization? Why HR should be blamed for some inefficient (not fit for promotion) employees who could not secure promotion or growth in the organization in tandem with time.

In real sense, the inefficient (unfit for promotion) employees are nothing but the products of the organization. The organization has decided to be inefficient by calling some of its employees unfit for promotion and not acting upon them by enabling them suitable for promotion. Are they not interested in knowing why he or she remains unfit for promotion but still they worth continuing in the same organization?

How someone is good at their work but not good for promotion.

A shark in an aquarium never grows big. When someone keeps the shark in the aquarium should know this. How much ever they feed the shark, the growth remain determinate. This is how the fate of some employees who perform well but will not qualify for promotion. A shark in the aquarium never knows that it is living in the aquarium. It never struggle for its survival. It doesn’t either know it has the ability to grow very big if it were in ocean. Is it not so strange that, a well performing employee is not good for promotion? What is the role of HR? Does HR only have the responsibility to inform the employee that he is not eligible for promotion however he will be rewarded by other means?

When a performing employee is told about this, how would be his/her performance in future? How the peer group will view this? Will such situation create a good culture or will upset the culture of the organization?

A plant in a pot will have stunted growth how much water or manure one may put. This is how the HR culture in most organization. The people may be given good increments but no promotion. It means, they remain in the same pot with more water and manure but no opportunity for growth.

HR should create freedom and space for people to grow and blossom. Every employee should find a place for him/her and so is their role for the corporate. HR may say that the organization is very fair and is an equal opportunity employer. It is not enough to preach, but the employees need to feel and believe. If the employees are not concurring to the apostles of the HR, HR is not doing their job well.

In real sense, the HR should be at par with the employer as far as their conduct with the employees in the organization is concerned. Unfortunately, HR in most organization pleads to their employees not to air their views publicly in many meetings as it may hurt them badly. Unfortunately, HR function struggle the most to hold onto their toe hold space in many organizations than most employees. How such HR function can understand the most important philosophy of corporate governance.

Dr S Ranganathan