Human Connect in HR for Better Relationships at Work

Overview

Jane was sitting in the window side of the train, about to leave her hometown railway station. Her eyes welled with tears.

She came to her hometown to meet uncle Rex who was ailing. Uncle Rex was a loyal Accountant in their family business, and her father wanted to meet and spend some time with him and hand over some money for his treatment.

Jane saw the station through the rustic grills of the train, the same old newspaper stands waiting for the customers, and the occasional breeze bringing the stinking smell of dry fish. Not much has changed in the railway station.

But the people have changed. When she left her hometown 20 years ago, her gang of friends, her cousins, and relatives all came to send her off. Now everyone is busy in their world. And where are the relationships going? 

Jane knows she will be back in her busy world tomorrow. She doesn’t know what is going to explode in her office.

As she was thinking about her office, her mobile was beeping with a new email, and she felt something was wrong. She clicked open the mail.

Jane was a Project Manager with an MNC, one of the top paymasters, and nothing was lacking regarding employee benefits. They are also known for not being pushy to get work done. 

Jane’s organization was known for its employee-friendly policies. In the last two years, they automated everything from onboarding to orientation to lure millennials into the workforce. The self-service portals ensure minimum interaction, and one need not have to go behind the HR or Managers to fulfill their requirements. It ensured that employees had more time to focus on work and significantly reduced their dependency on peers and managers for mundane things. 

Of late, the attrition has been massive, and not only Jane, but many managers have been struggling to keep up the productivity. Jane decided to meet her friend, Cathy, an HR practitioner. During the conversation with Cathy, Jane realized the following points.

Place human relationships at the center of the workplace

By making human relations the focus of your organization’s management approach, you can successfully create a culture where your employees can thrive. Human relations are vital for developing and maintaining a positive work environment, retaining employees, and boosting productivity.

Relationships between employees and management are important values in any workplace. Human relations include:

• Training employees.
• Addressing their needs.
• Promoting a workplace culture.
• Solving conflicts between different employees or between employees and management.

In a workplace, 93% of information is conveyed through non-verbal expressions. My first tip is rearranging your office space to facilitate and encourage more face-to-face interaction. Don’t make them work in silos. Plan events for them and invite your remote employees, too. 

Employee Collaboration

Workplace human relations constitute a significant part of a business’s work. Employees must work together on projects, communicate ideas, and offer motivation to get things done. Without a smooth and inviting workplace culture, it will be challenging to manage employees. Businesses with pleasing workplaces and well-trained staff are more likely to maintain and attract qualified employees, nurture customer loyalty, and more quickly adapt to meet the needs of a changing marketplace.

Employee Retention

The eminence of workplace relations is critical to retaining your employees. In a high turnover organization, employee retention may seem insignificant, but managers should remember that turnover is costly. Every new joiner requires considerable time and energy in their recruitment and training.

Besides, managing old employees can be challenging, mainly if they are not engaged. Ensuring quality employees are interested in and engaged in the business requires patience, compassion, and flexibility. However, such activities can make the business more financially sound.

Motivation and Productivity

Workplace relationships offer a source of employee motivation critical to sustaining productivity. Employees who are interested in their work and the well-being of other employees are more productive than those who are not. The productivity results are obvious financial dividends to the company, as it can get more done in less time with fewer costs. Building relationships by recognizing an employee’s value to the company and a concern for their needs often goes a long way.

Nurturing Employee Creativity

To sustain in the modern business environment, quick product development is key as one needs to meet the ever-evolving consumer needs. In some industries like technology, for example – employees’ ability to develop practical and innovative ideas is often the differentiator between the entire company’s success and failure. Employees’ creativity often depends on their ability to communicate with other employees and share ideas. Without quality workplace relationships, employees are less likely to be able to develop and share the solutions that a business needs to survive.

Most organizations make the mistake of scheduling events around work. But for employees to come together, you need to weave them around their shared interests. Shared commonalities can bring in relatedness and employee bonding.

Recognize Efforts 

Don’t be frugal when it comes to recognizing their efforts. It’s similar to micro-recognition- acknowledges success frequently, even if small. When it comes from peers and management, employees value it much more than the extensive top-down recognitions. 

Power of Co-Creation

It would work best if you use the power of co-creation. People love to create. Use co-creation as a powerful tool to build relationships. Include your employees in the decision-making process. Listen to them, take their inputs, and value their share information. 

Use Technology to Improve Relationships

A major tip is to use technology to improve relationships. Never try to drive performance at the expense of relationships. It will only give negative results and eat into performance.

The change must start with the leaders. They should create a culture of engagement and human relationships, so employees feel comfortable joining them. To win over the workforce, relationships at work should move to the forefront for organizations to succeed in this highly competitive and fast-paced world.

Organizations need to free up employee time and empower and recognize their valuable work to re-engage an unhappy workforce.