“The Truth, The Whole Truth & Nothing but the Truth”
Human Resources (HR) is like an 8 legged being that seems difficult to wrap your arms around if you do not understand the complexities of employment law and how quickly you can lose control of a situation as a manager. I remember the first time I expressed my interest in HR my Vice President of HR said, “be sure you want to do this, HR is more than a notion.” It took less than 90-days for that “more than a notion” to poke one of its legs out from under the desk like a scary movie. I love working with entrepreneurs, small businesses and those who have an interest in HR from this perspective.
HR is not just memorandums and SOP’s; we deal with the heart of people culture. Not only that, but a visit to HR is also like visiting your doctor, everything is CONFIDENTIAL. In my personal life everything had to be black or white, no in between. In HR there are not only shades of gray but there are yellows, pinks, lime greens…you get the picture.
You had to pick aside.
You must make space for the unknown and you can’t un-see what you just saw.
I was having a cup of coffee with a friend and she said, “I think you need to start telling real life HR stories to get your point across of why people need HR. She’s like me, we both came from big box corporate companies. We now run our own companies and cringe when we hear owners say they don’t have access to HR platforms. She said, “if you tell them what really goes down, the truth, they will understand better what you can do to help their companies.” As we were talking, I started laughing remembering one of the situations I encountered. I just cannot make this stuff up. I don’t know how you feel about telling war story’s but there are some situations that make HR people feel like they are in the trenches…LOL. In HR you are either stepping over landmines or dodging bullets.
Case in point, one Monday morning after having a great weekend I noticed there were pictures on my office floor that had been pushed under the door. No name, no return address, just a picture. In the picture was a “high level” associate carrying a grocery bag out the back of the building. I asked around if anyone saw who put the picture under my door, everyone said no. The next morning, there were more pictures, taken from different angles, of the same person carrying grocery bags out the back of the building. Seemed innocent, but now someone had piqued my interest. I took them to the owner and we investigated. Turns out the other staff members saw the “high-level” associate stealing so they set-up a sting operation to catch the thief in the act (I taught them well). If they had just told the owner the person was stealing, there was a slim chance the owner would not have believed them, so they took matters in their own hands. They needed evidence.
Now listen, please do not set up a sting operation at your job! It could have quickly gone in the wrong direction but because they trusted me, they knew I was going to address it and I did. That’s the thing about good HR people, once we know something, we can’t un-know it. We present the information to the powers that be and let them make the decision. I also need to mention the owner and the “high level” manager were friends…LOL. The owner was so embarrassed, he recused me from doing the termination and did it himself. I told you, I can’t make this stuff up.
Suddenly this coffee cup session became an “Ask HR” round table when someone else asked, “when you are counseling, employees what seems to come up as a common issue?” Without taking a second breath, I said, “Management.” That’s a dirty truth! Like did you not just hear the story I told? Listen, 20 years into the game you no longer fear being penalized for telling the truth. While keeping the identities of all parties confidential, as my friend stated, my stories and experience can help owners understand the why.
Here’s another short story. I had a manager who devised an action plan to force one of their employees into early “retirement.” I’m not sure why the manager thought a) this was a good idea and b) I would go along with it. Let’s discuss the history between the two. They did not see eye to eye and the employee had tenure over the manager. Besides the fact that his action plan was breaking all types of employment laws, violation his Section 7 rights, it was “UNETHICAL.” Yes, the team member was a pain to deal with at times, we all are, but that move could set the company up for negative litigation. Owners, when you are making a decision concerning an employee ask yourself, is the final decision legal and is it ethical. If the answer is yes-yes, feel confident you are doing the right thing. If the answer is yes-no or vice versa, proceed with caution. The other thing is, the manager allowed me to witness firsthand, the culture in their department. So often I see leaders leading with their title verses their ability. That’s the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Having access to an HR professional is like having access to a good attorney. It’s better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them. One of my favorite business owners said, “I might only have one employee but I’m smart enough to know I need an HR person I can hotline.” They were absolutely correct! HR is more than a notion. If you are unsure whether you need assistance or not, feel free to reach out to me at ffconsultingsolutions@gmail.com. I might have some information that will help you decide the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Felisha Ford, CEO & Founder
FF Consulting Solutions, LLC
ffconsultingsolutions@gmail.com
(618) 671-8803
