What is HR to the Floating People? (Part -2)

...Do read the part 1 of this article before reading this to understand who is "Floating Population"...

Now the question is 'How HR or People Function is aligning themselves to cater the needs of these floating population'?

First is to know the significant differences or uniqueness of this region (some of them are mentioned above); in practicing HR in this part of the world in comparison to your home country (I'm talking HR-Expats here).

Second is to do a best-suit analysis based on the organizational business need and business attitude, by which I mean as a HR you need to know

WHAT suits this region?

What suits this business?

What is the investor/business-head attitude?

HOW FAR you can go? and

HOW LONG? keeping in mind that in one company/ organization you will encounter employees from more than 10 countries all working on the same project.

Each one in their past experience in his/her home country would have experienced very different HR practice. Your challenge here is to make the analysis and come up with "One-size fits all" practices.

Third is to Explore and Innovate. I intentionally kept innovation with exploring, as this is most critical as a HR practitioner. As you are exploring the differences and new trends time and again in the way of handling things, you need to constantly innovate yourself and the way you do things. This is important to keep you motivated and keep you with the "Survival of the Fittest" attitude.

Remember, your ideas/principles/ may be old, but still an innovative presentation of it makes a definite impact.

Fourth and the most important one is "NOT to hold your grounds", by which I mean, some of the predominant roles and responsibilities of HR practice in your organization may be currently just a data entry, mere admin or paper tasks, handle labor issues and or accommodation issues, to be a 'message' carrier as you are not part of most decisions (predominantly not the good news, as good news will be communicated to the employees by the business heads, and not-so-good news will be communicated through HR), or carry out the decisions already made (without your suggestion/involvement when it comes to human relations), or not finding the space to be a 'change maker' or not able to deliver a 'high-potential' due to prevailing circumstances, whatever be the challenges you face in your role.... "Don't give up". 'Endure with persistence' as you need to first understand HR is not a core support function or an income generating unit, as how the business head perceives (apart from hiring-paying-firing), there is definitely lot more attached to it when it comes to handling humans in a job role.

You can't change the perception on a single day, neither you can advocate policies or principles with a demand to comply. When things work differently, go with the flow but KISS it (Keep It Specific and Strategic). Be adaptable and get to the bottom of all aspect of human management in relevant to your current organization. Bring your point, and explain in a right time... stay focused... don't stay focused on your perspective only, empathize the business head needs, work with them.

One thing surely will happen, if not immediately, due to your timely intervention and your wisdom in handling the human management, you will see a "perspective" change in them. I've seen it in my experience; it does happen with patience and persistence.

Finally, more than just a 'trouble shooter' or 'data handler', be an inspiration to your team and to your employees vertically and horizontally. Remember these two phrases "Action speaks louder than words", "Trust is not created in a day".

You as a HR person should gain trust among all the employees in the way you carry yourself, the way you are standing for them in a right place and advocating for the business need and to the human needs of the organization. For which you need to swim above the current and against the current all the time.

If this profession is your passion, handling fellow humans to be productive and happy at their work place and to the business to succeed (which pays your salary), then you need to be a "seasoned" practitioner.

Given the fact that every one of us spends more than half of our life time in "Work Place" specially the productive hours of the day, we as a HR personnel are their care-takers in the office set up. Our role is to make sure the business runs smoothly in all time. For which the human management is a key factor (as we are not managing machines but humans who are wired of emotions, moods, feelings, egos, self-identities, etc.)

To conclude, I would say HR or People Function practitioners has to play all the family roles in an organization from time to time (sometimes you need be caring like mother, disciplining like father, advocating like a brother, and a moral support like a sister).

At the same time, understand you are also an employee in the same organization. Use your wisdom (applied knowledge with an insight from experience) and understand yourself better to serve others.

We are here to make the people succeed and the businesses succeed, when you help them succeed, you will automatically succeed. The only profession that has exhibited 'paying forward' is the HR profession.

Be happy, not everyone can do what you do!!! It's bliss!

Whatever be your role in HR, I hope these thoughts will help you more in understanding the perspective of this region (from my experience) and lets discuss this together.

I look forward to your thoughts and comments.

Cheers!!!

Edwin Paul Franklin

www.edwinpaulfranklin.com