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Reaching out to employees helps create a sense of community. “It makes a big company feel small—and that’s important,” says Craig Pintoff, senior vice president of human resources at United Rentals, an equipment rental chain based in Stamford, Conn., with 13,000 employees.Yet it has become increasingly difficult for many HR professionals to tend to the “human” part of their jobs as they increasingly are asked to adapt to the latest digital communication tools and tasked with collecting and analyzing workforce data. While those responsibilities are important, it’s also critical to set aside time to connect. That can take a variety of forms, including one-on-one check-ins, town hall meetings and corporate “listening tours.” All can help foster valuable information exchanges and strengthen personal working relationships.United Rentals holds annual town hall meetings with its employees around the country. In choosing locations to visit, Pintoff says, his HR team uses employee surveys as a road map. The team looks to gain insights from people working in the areas with high employee engagement scores, and Pintoff also seeks feedback from those in locations with ratings that indicate there’s room for improvement.“A lot of times, HR is seen as the face of the company,” notes Christine Walters, SHRM-SCP, author of From Hello to Goodbye: Proactive Tips for Maintaining Positive Employeee Relations (Society for Human Resource Management, 2011). Being a good corporate representative requires being available to interpret policies and organizational changes from an employee’s perspective and being a sounding board for workers’ concerns. In-person conversations with employees allow HR to validate whether a company’s messages are being clearly understood. They can also provide channels to counteract the negative effect of misinformation and rumors, Walters says.But just having those talks isn’t enough. How HR responds to, acknowledges and follows up on employee feedback has an impact on employee relations. “One of the keys to our interactions is to take action,” says the Motley Fool’s Burbage. During check-ins last year with new parents returning from leave, one employee expressed interest in having more time off and volunteered to review the company’s parental leave policy. “She took on the project and worked to make sure we are best in class,” says Burbage, who adds that the employee’s commitment led the company to make a change in policy to extend maternity and paternity leave. After New Belgium’s Korenjak learned during a chat that a co-worker was interested in event planning, she was able to get the employee involved in organizing company-sponsored social events. For companies that do business overseas, face time can be a cultural necessity. Relationship-building is a critical component for doing business in many countries, according to Alex Khatuntsev, human resources director at Actelion Pharmaceuticals in Zurich. “People here are quite reserved and cautious when dealing with new people,” he notes, “but once trust is established, the ties are very strong.”A member of the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM’s) Global Special Expertise Panel, Khatuntsev says personal contact between HR staff and employees is a significant factor in creating organizational cohesion. One place where that’s especially true is Africa. “Face time is an important ingredient in the Nigerian and African culture,” explains Nwamaka Ajayi, associate human resources analyst for Chevron Nigeria and a SHRM Global Special Expertise Panel member. She notes that her organization prefers to deliver important messages to its employees face to face through both formal and informal channels. To explain why, Ajayi quotes a popular Nigerian proverb that roughly translates to “Eye contact gives you a better understanding of the discussion.”
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