How to Become a Better HR Person

I use to work for a startup where I did the technical writing, HR work, marketing, and so on. I learned HR from my past experiences at companies with good HR departments and bad HR departments. I did HR work based on a simple belief - If you do what is right for the employee, you are doing what is best for the company.

Instructions

1. Be a patient listener. Many times an employee just needs to express their feelings. Once they have told their story, they feel fine. No extra effort is necessary.
2. Respect your employee's privacy.
3. Don't let your personal feelings control your actions. As the HR person, I had to listen to an employee whom I hated. In fact everyone hated her. However, I treated her with the same respect as I treated every other employee.
4. Listen with an open mind. Relating back to the previous step, even if I didn't like the employee or the employee was previously guilty of the behavior they are now complaining about, keep an open mind. They may be not guilty this time. As the saying states, "Even a paranoid person has enemies."
5. Don't use the rules to avoid doing your job. If the employee has a valid issue, regardless what the rules state, be that employee's advocate and try to change those rules. You may fail, but everyone involved will appreciate and respect your effort.
6. There is no right way to do the wrong thing.