Article written by: Timmi Mark, EMBA, CHRP, SHRM-SCP, CPHR
on behalf of the Human Resource Management Association of Barbados (HRMAB)
Originally shared: Monday, June 5, 2023
Your HR Manager’s role within an organization is complicated and dynamic. Some view the role as that of a trusted advisor, helping to guide the company and its employees towards success. Others view it as the company hitman and depending on your perspective, your HR Manager can be either.
There will be some employees who will always feel targeted, such as those who are constantly pushing the boundaries, those who feel unfairly treated, those who are not engaged in their work, and/or those who have had a bad experience with HR in the past. However, you should see your HR Manager as an ally with the responsibility of ensuring compliance with laws and regulations (such as the Employment Rights Act, 2012, and the Safety and Health at Work Act, 2005 – 12) as well as your safe haven by being a sounding board and an empathic outlet.
Your HR Manager’s Mission-Critical Role
While your HR Manager is armed with the responsibility of being a trusted advisor to management by protecting and serving the interests of the company, their role also includes creating a positive work environment, providing employees with support and resources, as well as advocating for their needs.
However, employees should not be confused into thinking that their HR Manager’s role is solely to protect and advocate for them, but rather it is to be a conduit used to ensure that employees are satisfied with the company. As a trusted advisor, your HR Manager should be giving performance coaching and feedback to employees and management that is constructive and corrective. Sometimes, these difficult conversations can be viewed as HR Managers being management’s mouthpiece but “the HR Manager is not there to do the bidding of management”, as stated by Mr. Michael Koeiman, Partner at Dentons Delany, while on the topic of dismissals at HRMAB’s Strategic Business Partner Bootcamp held at Sandals Barbados Resort in March.
HR Practitioners = Hatchet People?
This unique position within a business means that your HR Manager is always the “middleman” between
employees and management. While making the opening remarks at HRMAB’s Strategic Business Partner
Bootcamp in March 2023, Minister of Labour, Social Partnership and the Third Sector, the Honourable Colin Jordan,
M.P., stated that some people may even refer to HR Practitioners as “hatchet people” due to their unfortunate reputation of executing on tough decisions and carving policies and procedures at the expense of employee well-being.
Non-negotiable Professional Boundaries
It may be like a knife in the heart for some, but professionally your HR Manager should not be your friend; they should be your partner. When employees see their HR Manager as their friend, they may feel like they can fully trust HR to be on their side in all instances. Therefore, when HR must make difficult decisions that are not in the employee’s favour, they can feel betrayed and demoralized. This is because friendship can create a conflict of interest for HR Managers. Your HR Manager can be your trusted resource and advisor, ensuring that solid professional boundaries are set by:
- being clear in their communication,
- being ethical in their decision-making, and
- committing to be fair and professional in all interactions.
Ultimately, your HR Manager has an exceedingly difficult balance to strike and their success as a trusted advisor versus company “hitman” depends on their ability to build trust and credibility with both the company and its employees. This means cultivating strong relationships but, most importantly, it also means being tight-lipped about even the most basic employee information. By balancing the needs of the organization with the needs of its employees, your HR Manager can help leaders create a positive and productive work environment that benefits everyone involved while maintaining healthy, professional relationships with employees and management.
