“Fire the HR guy”
As a marketing specialist, I like to to keep tabs on the ins and outs of other marketing entities and competitors. Sometimes I fall into an internet wormhole of reading review platforms. And there was this, staring at me from within a Glassdoor review.
“Fire the HR guy”.
The company can’t change this review, but even if they could, it wouldn’t matter. There are deeper forces at play. An insult like this won’t cause the company to go up in flames. On its own it won’t even ignite a slow burn that fizzles until there’s nothing left. No, this company can undoubtedly withstand a measly negative comment. In fact, it will probably slip by undetected. Ironically, though, it’s this ‘slipping by undetected’ that is parallel to the underlying conflict the review reveals.
In some businesses, problems and conflicts fly under the radar. Or are swept under the rug. They are easily ignored until they impact the right people. The top dogs. Who cares about an issue that only breaks down the workforce on an individual basis?
That’s where I can wrap my mind around a concept that nobody else seemingly can. This is THE HR guy. Probably a corporate leader responsible for the satisfaction and relations of all employees. His faults can’t take down the business, but they surely can chip away at the culture, the morale. And that is so, so important to company success.
It’s 2018. How many times have you heard that, but with a different 4th digit? Times are changing. People are changing. Changing in the way we live, think and react. Work – to young people – is not just a job, a paycheck. It’s a huge portion of life, and treated as a facet of character and lifestyle. Young employees don’t just look out for number one. They have a keen sense of collective happiness. They want to feel secure and valued, and they want those around them to experience the same. When the HR guy breaks down the culture, he pushes the new generation of employees away. When the new generation of employees is pushed away, what is left?
Tradition. Old ways of thinking. Outdated policies and operating procedures.
The company won’t fail because of a bad review. It won’t even fail because of one poor leader in one specific department. The HR guy’s damage to culture slips by, but he alone cannot cause the company to fail.
But it won’t progress. Improvements will inevitably come to a halt. The root of the problem is much smaller than the result.
For one last iteration: HR guy causes conflict→Conflict is ignored→Good culture diminishes→Young generation is unhappy & doesn’t stick around→Forward thinking is lost…
And the company will fall behind.
TL;DR: Keep tabs on the little things that impact the bigger picture, especially the culture and morale.
Jayci Haase 