As a Human Resources (HR) manager, you have an important role in helping your team thrive. That is why you need to be aware of any potential risks impacting your team. You will spend a lot of time interacting with colleagues and employees, making them feel like they’re always being watched.
Ensure you’re protecting your colleagues as an HR manager without coming off as a control freak. Here are a few ways that an HR manager can use to protect their colleagues.
#1. Listen to Your Colleagues’ Issues
When it comes to workplace matters, you’ll probably need to hear things from a few different sides. You can’t just assume someone is always right or wrong and pass judgment regarding their opinion. Listen only to what you need to know about your colleague and use the information accordingly.
You won’t always agree with other people’s opinions, but you’ll be able to decide how to address them. For example, if an employee has been wrongfully terminated and needs information on their case, ensure that you offer them all the available options.
#2. Educate Your Colleagues on Work Safety
If you have employees working in a dangerous environment, make sure you explain what dangers they may be exposed to and what steps they need to take to keep themselves safe. This is especially important if a toxic work environment has been created, and it’s your duty as an HR manager to help ensure their safety.
#3. Make New Colleagues Feel Comfortable
Not everyone likes change, and they may be afraid of new employees being added to the team. As a HR manager, you can help reduce those feelings by making your new colleagues feel welcome. You should schedule meetings with the new hires to assuage any concerns they may have.
During the meetings, you can ask them questions about themselves and their interests so that they feel more comfortable in their new role.
#4. Know Your Colleagues
You’ll want to take a step back from time to time and think about the kind of person your colleague is. The more you know about them, the easier it will be for you to answer any questions.
Watch out for clues of negative behavior in your colleague: if they are hasty or rude at times, you should probably dig into their personal life. You wouldn’t want a manager who may be having marital issues during work time. On the other hand, people with a balanced personality should give way to those who have been through worse experiences and have had to pick themselves up when they have fallen.
#5. Advocate for the Better Working Conditions
This is one of the most important things that an HR manager should always be doing. This can be done by advocating for the betterment of the working environment in which you are working.
An example would be signing petitions to have a better working environment and encouraging employees to share their experiences with how they like to get treated at their place of work and what they would like improved in terms of good workplace practices.
Conclusion
Human resources managers have many different tasks throughout their day. From hiring new team members to training new employees, HR managers are constantly working to make the team as efficient as possible.
However, most of them get carried by the day and forget to protect their employees from harassment, harsh working environment, or toughness in a crunch. With the above tips, we hope that you have learned a few viable ways that you can protect your colleagues.
