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Human Resource Managers are the people in the organization envied by almost all employees. They are presumed to be the most stress-free employees of the organization. They sit in front of their PC, playing with the keyboard, always on the office phones, ever wondered what they might be doing?
This view on the HR manager’s job profile proves the proverb – the grass always seems greener on the other side. What you assume to be the work of HR (just hiring and laying off employees) is just the visible tip of the mammoth-sized iceberg. Yes! You are overlooking the most critical, most stressful, most complex parts of the job profile of the human resource manager.
What Causes Stress To An HR Manager?
What can probably cause stress to the HR manager of the company? All they have to do in a company is play the hire and fire game. Well, my friend, let me ask you a few questions.
- If your salary isn’t credited on time or is credited less than it should be, who do you go to?
- If a colleague is harassing you and is giving you a hard time, who do you complain to?
- If you want to take leaves, who do you submit the application to?
- If you are facing a problem at your workplace, who do you seek guidance from?
- Who do you talk to if you want to leave the organization?
- At the time of leaving the organization, who do you consult for understanding your full and final settlement?
I bet your answer to all of these pictures is ‘duh! My HR manager!’ that itself debugs the myth that an HR has nothing better to do except to hire and fire people. It should, however, be made clear that even the job of hiring is not an easy job. They need to bring in people who do not wreck the peace and calm of the organization. Hiring even one rotten apple will spoil the entire barrel, and the blame of the same will be on the HR manager. If these are not enough reasons to understand how stressful the job of a human resource manager is, here is a list of more.
Too Much Work For Too Little Pay
Some of the tasks that the HR manager has on his plate are far more complicated than we may think it is. They have to go through so many steps just to hire one employee – application, scrutinizing, interviews, background checks, personality tests, secondary interviews, medical history check, references check, etc. Calculating the salaries of the employees is even more difficult without human resource management software. Without this solution, the HR managers have to calculate the attendance for every individual employee, check their leaves, calculate their overtime, and make sure no one is missed out or underpaid which can make payroll very complicated. All these, while keeping the updated, latest labor laws, payroll laws, employment laws, and other provisions in mind. They have to make sure that there is no error and there are no violations of the legal regulations.
It sounds like too much hassle, doesn’t it? Well, these are just two tasks from HR’s bag of work. Imagine having to deal with this, plus the employee grievances, complaints, leave applications, resignations, contract renewals, employee queries, etc. Honestly, just naming these functions is making me feel drained and anxious. They have to deal with these every single day. No amount of pay is enough to compensate for this level of stress. Oh! Did I mention that they have to meet deadlines? Yeah, that too!
They Are Permanently Sandwiched Between Management And Workforce
Human resource managers work for the management for the advancement of the workforce. The higher management and the workforce do not generally have the same opinion. They are the exact opposite of the term ‘two peas in a pod.’ Management cannot understand the problems faced by the employees, and the employees do not understand the intentions of the higher management. In fact, management is considered to be one of the leading causes of stress in the workplace, as claimed by Forbes. Due to this reason, there cannot be direct communication between the two without misunderstandings and friction. HR managers act like an intermediary between the two.
However, their efforts to bring peace to the organization are overlooked by both parties for one very silly assumption – the HR supports the other team. As imbecile as it looks, this is, in fact, true. The management thinks the HR is trying to support the workers and the workers assume that the HR is speaking the language of the management. This mere presupposition makes the HR managers the most misunderstood person in the organization.
If this situation doesn’t sound stressful to you, here is an example. Have you ever sat through lunch or dinner when your parents were bickering? They would use you as an excuse to lecture or taunt the other person. Despite knowing that in half an hour, they will be back to being all lovey-dovey, for that few minutes when you were used as the bipod to shoot savage replies on their opponent, how did you feel? Stressed? Anxious? Regretted joining them for the meal? Imagine feeling so distressed in a few minutes; now you can estimate how the HR managers might be feeling when they face this struggle – Every. Single. Day.
The Cyclone Of Workplace Stress Quashes The Personal Life
If you have been working for a long, have you ever faced the situation where you were in a situation and had to call your HR outside office hours? They listened and answered to you whenever they could. At times, they would hang up or refuse to deal with that drama very clearly. Did you ever wonder that they may have a personal life outside the workplace? They have their family, friends, their own problems to deal with. After handling all these issues for more than 8 hours a day, they too might want to spend some relaxing, happy time with their family.
However, not all employees or the management can be so understanding. HR managers are always the ones who end up with extra office work beyond office hours. This messes with their personal life. The stress at the workplace can cause HR managers to get easily annoyed and irritated at their family members. Stressful work can lead to many personal problems like divorce, separation, miscarriage, or at times, even heart attack. I mean, no organization in the entire world deserves such severe sacrifices on your part.
Ways To Avoid Such Psychological Exhaustion
Having known the hardships of HR, you may now understand how vital an HR manager is for the organization and how many issues he may face daily.Given beneath are a few common ways in which the stress of the HR managers can be reduced:
Confront The Stress
You can meet the HR managers halfway in their quest to overcome stress by acknowledging the fact that such immense working habits cause stress.
The battle against stress is never fought alone. You may need to seek refuge in your friends, family, colleagues, or superiors. In such circumstances, when we stand in denial of their stress, we are taking away their stronghold. You never know when you can make a positive difference in the life of anyone. By blocking the HR managers from consideration, you may be doing more damage than you think.
The notion of stress needs to be made familiar in today’s society. We need to approach stress with open arms. It may not seem like a big deal, but trust me, when people accept that you are facing trouble in coping with things, and instead of giving you a more challenging time, they understand and try to make it easier for you, there is nothing more in this world that you could ask for.
Be The “Nothing, Just Checking In With You” Guy Every Once In A While
Staying alone for a long time with stress may cause the HR managers to feel alone, and this may contribute to increased stress. Every once in a while, it is okay to go to the HR manager and just talk for a few minutes. HR managers may feel refreshed after a few minutes of chit-chat. Besides, you can ask them if they are okay or if their work is alright. Any person will feel cared for and important when they are asked about their day, their work, or their feelings.
At times, they may feel like ranting about their work, and that is quite okay. Trumpeting about their work and work-related problems might assist in taking off the steam, ultimately making them feel relaxed and calm. When all the frustrations are through the way of such blustering, there is hardly anything that can increase stress. In this way, the HR manager can let themself go and eventually feel relieved.
Implementa Il Pomodoro
Francesco Cirillo invented a strategy called the Pomodoro Technique. In this technique, he mentioned that in order to reduce stress and maintain the focus span of the individual, they must work for 20 minutes at a stretch and take a 5 minutes break. He termed this period of 30 minutes as one cycle. He further suggested that after four Pomodoro cycles, the person must take a long 15-20 minutes break.
Although he developed this technique to assist himself in focusing on his studies, this method works for stress management too. The higher management can use this technique to reduce the pressure on the HR managers of their organization. Another approach to reducing stress and has been recommended time and time again is to use the Eisenhower Method to organize your mind about what is truly important.
Cherish Their Hard Work
Experiment this on your mom:
When they are too engrossed in cooking, give them a tiny hug and just say ‘thank you’ not one more word, just thank you; and then observe their face, you will see the brightest smile on their face.
This is how any person would react! Whenever our efforts are appreciated, we feel happy. HR managers are not a different breed. They have the same humane heart as the rest of us. This appreciation technique works on them too. Moreover, you read above how much they actually contribute to the organization’s wellbeing; it won’t hurt you (whether you are the higher authorities, the employees, or the HR’s family or friends) to appreciate their efforts a little.
Take a few minutes to thank them, to tell them how much their efforts mean to you, to your organization, make them realize how valued they are. These steps taken by you would let them know that their hard work is not going in vain. After all, we all need someone to appreciate us, don’t we?
Consult A Professional
It is high time now that we – as a society – start normalizing the consultation of psychologists. No, consulting a psychologist doesn’t mean that the person is a psycho. He may just be in need of some help to reduce the stress that we – as a society – have showered upon them.
If you notice that your HR manager faces problems in handling stress, bring forth a professional in your organization to help your HR managers. These professionals can be a meditation expert or a psychologist. Consulting a psychologist at the right time can assist you in avoiding so many personal and professional episodes that are a result of stress.
Moreover, we all know that precautions are better than cure. What is the use of seeking the help of professionals when the damage is already done?
Conclusion
For any organization, it is necessary to avoid the burnout of their HR managers. As a leader of the organization, it is vital that they realize the relationship between work pressure and the effect that it has on the health of employees. As the workloads get heavier and the hours get longer, the effects of burnout become more severe. And a dent in the health of HR managers is definitely a dent in the output of the organization.
HR managers are like plants for organizations. Take delicate care of them, or the stress-inducing sunlight might wilt it.
