INDUCTION -- TIME TO SHAPE -- HR TO LEAD THE SHOW

A driver once told me that as a child when he was drawing water from a common well, the bucket by the mistake of someone who tied a loose knot went down the well and he was threatened by many other users of the well that they would get him beaten by his father and all claimed the drowned bucket to be theirs. The poor driver as a child knew that his angry father would beat him up without enquiry and was worried each time the persons who threatened him interacted with his father. For a week he did not tell his father but spent under fear till the real owner solved the issue. 

The behavior of his father made the boy distrust him for any moral or emotional support especially in a dispute or crisis forcing him to develop a character that was nervous fearful and shy in dealing the unknown. As a driver he always feared quarrel by others who may commit traffic offense.

In another case when I had guests staying with me the boy came running from the ground looking tense and calling his mother. The boy isolated his mother and secretively spoke. The mother gave him a ten rupee note and the boy looking relieved ran back to the ground. The boy had hit the cricket ball out of the ground and the other boy who owned the ball picked up a fight with him supported by others and wanted ten rupees to replace it. Having got isolated he ran to his mother for help and solace. The boy was embarrassed more because he felt that he created a problem at a place where he came as a guest.   The act of the mother was truly ideal as, 'while in crisis rescue' is the best way to build trust, confidence and a sense of belonging.   

The above two incidents may be routine affairs in child upbringing but such experiences have a strong effect in building the personality. The experiences coalesce with the innate nature of the individual be it soft or belligerent and come out through their behavior.  A HR head especially during induction and training has to deal varied personalities developed through wide ranging upbringing models be it suppression due to caste, creed, educational and financial strengths of elders, and quality of parents' behavior as also pampered, fulsome comforted, and carefree who tend to be aggressive or hostile or uncompromising. 

 A submissive person gets more timid when small mistakes are not accepted as normal process but is chided, disapproved or blamed and ends up worrying of committing mistakes or going wrong and not conforming. While inherent personality does not change easily, the attained traits due to past treatment gets changed with positive handling though the process is slow.

During the induction, it is the duty of HR to ensure that the timid focuses more on his inherent strengths which would help him grow confident and the unfriendly learns to treat colleagues with regard. The inhibitive persons would always be hostile secretly and friendly outwardly. They need to be taught to open out so that they don't grow enmity in the mind and cooperate outwardly.   

  

The shaping of new joiners into team members that too when they are fresh from college to focus their energies towards doing work and growing as independent individuals is the basic responsibility of the HR team. If the individual gets an environment where none inculcate behavioral ethics and communication discipline the damage to their personality would be much more as they are no more children and with wages dropping in their bank account they would feel as if the whole world is on their feet and they have achieved their life goal. But this is the beginning of life and that they have to take charge of it to shape their body and mind in the right path to reach their personal goal in life is a lesson HR team has the moral duty to teach without preaching but instill in a gradual hand holding manner.

Building coherence to a bundle of emotions and personalities is the true character of a successful HR.

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