As the custodians of HR policies and procedures, you would have a thorough understanding of your organisational values, belief systems and experiences. You would also be aware that this know-how can help you shape and reshape your world of work.
But, is there a better way to deal with the most common dilemmas at work?
We invited 4 HR experts to answer this question based on their experiences. The panel of speakers at the webinar (Parichay series) comprised Reena Das (Head HR & IR), Bhadra International, Renu Bohra (CHRO), DB Schenker, S Kumar (Head ‒ People & Admin), Godrej & Boyce and Namrata Dhasmana (Head ‒ People & Culture), Genpact. The speakers not only brought the below dilemmas to the fore but also suggested some best practices for dealing with them.
Employees who are not vaccinated
Are you thinking of bringing your employees back to the office or hosting a team celebration? Think again! If you have people who are not fully vaccinated, there’s a high risk for other employees and your customers. Therefore, a good option is to urge them to take the RT-PCR test regularly, so that they prefer to get fully vaccinated eventually.
Employees with secondary occupation
Assume this: One employee is engaged in social work during weekends, while another runs his father’s business. No doubt both fall under the secondary occupation category. In both scenarios, the HR/management needs to draw the line between what is acceptable and what is not. Asking employees to make an official disclosure is a formal way to get started.
Sexual harassment by seniors
There are instances of women employees being harassed by their senior colleagues. But the former might choose to remain silent due to fear or certain other undisclosed reasons. In this situation, HR must instill courage and encourage the victims to report these issues. Also, they must follow all procedures and investigations before making the recommendations to the management.
Financial impropriety
Should an employer sack an employee who has taken a bribe from a vendor? What about an underpaid worker who has been caught stealing food packets outside your premises? HR should handle this dilemma by thinking beyond the rule books. It’s better to take a pragmatic decision instead of taking action blindfolded.
Termination due to poor performance
Let’s assume that you got a call for background verification of an ex-employee who was an underperformer? Should you say that the individual was terminated due to poor performance? Performance is contextual. The concerned person might flourish in another organisation. So, HR can use discretion in this case and answer accordingly (e.g., He was above average). In more severe cases, like the ones under Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH), zero tolerance is certainly expected.
Conclusive thoughts
Each dilemma can be a learning opportunity. When you encounter and learn to face something new, you get to evolve as a professional. It’s a good practice to consider diverse views of people before finding a solution and arriving at a consensus. This approach should be considered even when creating best practices or formulating new policies. To easen the hurdles and seek the HR software solutions, it's-a-must to have a good HR software system.
