The Invisibility Cloak of HR: Empowering Employees

Watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the last and final movie based on the amazing J.K. Rowling book series, I marveled at the ‘invisibility cloak’. Time and again, throughout the series, it had added to Harry Potter’s power.

The “power of invisibility” has long been acknowledged and enjoyed on celluloid, from Hollywood’s The Invisible Man in the 1930’s to Bollywood’s Mr. India and most recently through the Potter series.

But think about it: When you move from reel life to real life, invisibility suddenly changes colours to imply insignificance.

I was mulling over this when I was invited by Hindustan Times to speak at Dialogues on the topic: ‘Are employees invisible to the HR? Rethinking tomorrow’s organization!’

I could not disagree more, I thought. I strongly believe that employees can never be invisible to human resource professionals. They are, in fact, the very raison de être of HR.

But I also could not help thinking: Perhaps it is time for HR to become invisible.

Let me explain. I believe that it is high time that line managers assumed responsibility for their team members to become the interface between the employee and the organization. HR, in turn, should step aside and wear the “invisibility cloak”.

In other words, I am not suggesting that the HR become inconsequential. Instead, that is stands as a shadow, providing invisible support to the line manager.

Moderating the discussion, Gautam Chikermane, Executive Editor - Business, Hindustan Times had asked the panel, “Is Human Resource forgetting the human?”

Much as I disagreed, I did understand and respect the sentiment behind the question. So to get a general pulse on the subject, I presented the topic to my social media universe and asked what their questions would be on this subject. Here are some of the questions that came in: Jane Louise McDermott asked “Where should the line be drawn for HR? Where does the ‘human’ in ‘human Resource’ end?” Aravind Kumar wanted to know “What does Talent mean in selection process for HR?” Milind Shrivastava wondered whether “HR management is about managing humans or managing resources.” Ravindra Rajput wanted to find out the steps HR should take to bridge the gap between employee's goal & aspirations and those of organization. And Matthieu Roussel mulled over career management in tough times.

Clearly, HR is caught in the crossfire of a more fundamental problem.

As I understand it, the problem is related to the fact that, with nearly 50 per cent of the world population under 25 years of age, we are seeing an increasing number of Gen Y employees in our workforces. On the other hand, our organizational structures represent another era. They are built on a command and control principle, and do not match the psyche of these young employees any more. Gen Y cannot operate under strait jacketed hierarchies. Trying to fit Gen Y into autocratic structures is like fitting square pegs into round holes.

If we were to draw a parallel with what we are witnessing in our families over the past decade, we would find that almost every household that has raised a Gen Y child, including my own, has undergone a transition as they made adjustments to adapt to the changing winds. Parents have found a new equilibrium at a far more democratic level. No more do you see parents trying to force their will on their children - be it a choice of clothes, courses, universities or careers. Generation Y has been raised as young adults in a transparent, collaborative atmosphere.

Generation Y works well in communities of mutual interest and passion. Yet, organizations are still stuck in traditional autocratic hierarchies. These need to change. Organizational hierarchies should look more like Facebook and less like the army pyramids. We need to inspire today’s young employees like we do our own children by empowering them, collaborating with them, being friends and mentors rather than directors - by ‘unmanaging’ in an environment of trust and transparency.

I truly believe that the next wave of business transformation rests on behavioural change. And as we build tomorrow’s organization we need to deconstruct the increasing complexity - or “dehumanization” - of the HR function.

What is needed is a new culture. As businesses aggressively chase stretch targets to overcome the recent slowdown, it is critical to build an environment that is conducive. We need to rethink archaic structures so that the human is once again seen as taking the centre seat at the heart of business.