One of my most commonly used phrases in HR…
“It depends”
And it should be one of yours too
You will be asked
How do I approach this situation?
Should I talk to them about it?
When should I have the discussion?
Can I tell them no?
Should we meet formally about it?
Should I just do the same thing I did with the other person?
What do I do?
The answer is always the same – “it depends”
With HR, we are dealing with humans – unique and unpredictable humans 🤯
We don’t work with predictable systems, data, or products where there is a button to press or a formula to enter to simply fix a problem.
So, when troubleshooting on how to fix a problem in HR, these are the most common two words HR should be saying to a manager.
It depends
📌It depends on the manager and their style
📌It depends on their relationship with that employee
📌It depends on the state of mind of the employee
📌It depends on the set of circumstances
📌It depends on the wider context
📌It depends on the level of risk
📌It depends on the day of the week
📌It depends on what conversations have been had
📌it depends what conversations haven’t been had
📌It depends on what has or has not already been done
So if you are in HR supporting a manager to think of the best way to tackle an employee issue, remember 👉 it depends.
Before launching into giving advice, you should be asking at least 3 questions to better understand the situation
❌There is never a one size fits all solution