I have been invited to make a speech on the HR Manager’s role as the Employee Advocate.
The fact that I was proposed to speak on that subject was a pleasant surprise considering the fact that all my recent relevant discussions have resulted in HR Manager’s role being associated with business partnership rather than acting as the Representative of Employees or anything else in that matter. I have inquired about it and the comments received are generally “But Employers are the one paying us” (to which I respond to with the argument: “But who generate the revenue so that you could have your salary and a job at all?” Sounds at times similar to the debate of which was before- a chicken or an egg?), “Altruistic is not trendy, it is all about being business savvy in order to be taken seriously”, “Well, we do deal with Employee-related interests, but why to promote it? It comes with the job anyways, nothing special about it!”. This illustrates very well the tone of the responses I have received when I have asked about it and it seems that the role is there without much thought given to it, yet rejected when it becomes an inconvenience or could cause a conflicting situation with the Employer. Since I am a firm believer that there should not be any sides at all (you may call me naïve now!) and it should be “we are in it all together”, then it may be due to the fact that I am working for an Employer that is also the Advocate of Employees in itself, having Employees best interests at heart in order to ensure the organization's long-term success and competitive edge. I must admit that this approach really does work at Employee as well as corporate level, and makes following my conscious at all times even easier!:)
I would be really grateful if you could share your thoughts and experiences (illustrated by real life samples if possible) on HR Manager being an Employee Advocate. Do you believe it is 100% possible and why/why not? What does being an Employee Advocate mean to you and for your role?
Thank you very much in advance for sharing your thoughts and all the best,
Katri
Replies
Hi Ingrid,
Many thanks - I will definitely check it out! :)
Katri, contemplating Mike Collins' discussion initiative 'Are you a boss or a leader?', I discovered an article on Servant Leadership written by Leigh Buchanan, published in Inc.. This in turn referred to a book with the title 'Change your questions, change your life'. Details of both in Mike's discussion trail. Hopefully helpful :) Ingrid