“Impressive!” I say to a graffiti artist who is working on a portrait of a young man under the Friedensbrücke (‘peace bridge’) in Frankfurt. That was last summer. When I come back a week later, I see the finished picture: it is a tribute to the nine victims of the racially motivated attack in Hanau in 2020.
I must admit that the media reports about the attack had not affected me greatly. It was just one piece of bad news in the flood of bad news that we hear and read about every day. But when I looked at the nine faces, everything suddenly changed. I could recognise a personality in every facial expression. With a past and plans for the future. Suddenly, I could feel grief for these nine young people.
Closeness or distance?
And this effect of closeness instead of distance is also familiar to me from my everyday work – in my case, everyday life in the human resources department:
The termination agreement is not negotiated by the employee concerned, but by their solicitor. Despite several phone calls, nothing significant happens. Only when the employee (and former colleague) calls myself and describes their difficult personal situation do I feel compassion, and I successfully lobby the management for improved conditions.
An employee requests a certificate in writing. However, the HR Officer has other priorities at the moment. But when the employee calls and explains why he absolutely needs the certificate by tomorrow, she is even willing to work overtime to issue the document.
The HR Shared Service Centre processes the employment contract change for personnel number 0815. The clerk knows the employee’s name but has never seen him. Internal processes only provide for contact with HR Officers, not with the employees themselves. Is it any wonder that the quality of this Shared Service Centre sometimes leaves something to be desired?
Proximity creates commitment
It is the person behind the facts that creates a feeling in us. In working life, this feeling is primarily one of responsibility. And that motivates us to be much more committed.
So if you want more employee commitment in your corporate culture, ask yourself: does my team even have an emotional trigger to feel responsible? And does it have the necessary resources and freedom to go the extra mile?
Employee commitment doesn’t grow through processes – it grows through proximity. Yet in daily business, that proximity is often lost due to time pressure, structures or limited HR capacity.
What does this mean for your HR work?
If you want to strengthen engagement, accountability and quality in your HR work, an external perspective can be a powerful lever. As a temporary HR partner, I help organisations bring the person behind the employee ID back into focus. Practical, hands-on and tailored to your needs.
Let’s start a conversation and explore where targeted HR support can create the greatest impact in your organisation.
Inken Schneider – TALENT PUZZLE
Temporary HR for the German Mittelstand
e-Mail: kontakt@talent-puzzle.com
+49 151 67337785
COVER PHOTO: own photograph