Empathy and HR

This cartoon in today’s Times of India made me sad at one level and made me laugh at another level.

Just yesterday I was talking with an old associate and friend about the hypocrisy that exists in the field of HR and how rare it is to find someone who truly embodies the spirit and purpose of HR.

We spoke about the lack of empathy and a transactional mindset I have seen in many so called HR professionals. They are the wrong people in the wrong place for them and yet some of them are so called thought leaders who are invited to speak in conferences and to headlight events. There are enough and more stories doing the round of their corrupt practices when it comes to assigning training engagements.

I have also seen enough and more people headline L&D roles and training organisations that talk big about values but in practice I have seen a total lack of empathy in them.

HR is never about weakness and an all accommodating mindset that compromises on bad behaviour. It is as much about clarity of values that helps people be firm along with being empathetic.

And now to the reason I laughed when I saw this cartoon today.

Just last evening I was checking on an organisation that I was in a way associated with a decade ago in a short lived assignment on leadership development and the Founder’s Mentality.

Off late there is one more re-branding campaign around the founder of the organisation, spearheaded by one of the most respected photographers. This person is constantly projected as the epitome of kindness and empathy but I have also seen the exact opposite of it in him, having worked very closely with him in that assignment.

The funny part was that when I checked their FB page yesterday, his son was talking about how he learnt empathy and kindness from his father, whereas he himself told someone off on the phone back in November 2014 when I was sitting in his office that they don’t want to give any medical insurance to their staff!!

It’s the same organisation where to save on their contribution to the provident fund by reducing the basic pay component, they came up with an ingenious way of giving nearly 50% of the salary in the form of reimbursement for books, journals and newspapers!!

This was also the organisation where the only decent toilet existed in the Chairman’s office. The men’s toilet would remain constantly jammed.

I can go on and on but I have seen that the real test remains in the degree to which I am mindful of two things:

-1. Frederick Nietzsche’s quote: Those who fight the monsters must remain aware of not becoming one in the process. When you stare into the abyss long enough, the abyss stares back into you.

-2. Keep working on straightening the three fingers that might often point back at me.

😌🙏🏽🙏🏽