What can be the possible consequences of having a female as an HR head? There are two ways to look at this: The difficulties the female face as an HR Head and the hurdles an employee faces because of having a female as HR. Both of these issues hold especially true for the Pakistani corporate culture; even though we have imitated the western culture to quite an extent.
The first issue relating to the female as an HR exists because HR is such a function where the employee must openly share his/her problems and expect the HR to listen and understand those problems. This can be troublesome for both the parties. Sharing problems means the HR professional must have a relationship built around trust and understanding with the employee and vice versa. Again, this means that both parties should be open to each other. However, in our culture, a female usually avoids such frankness especially in case of male employee. Likewise, some religious or shy employees find it hard to share their views/problems with a female colleague. At the same time, the hesitant behavior of the female also keeps the male employees away.
So the question is, is female the right person for the HR job? While addressing this issue, we must keep in mind the enhanced capabilities of females at say, comprehending the human psyche and being a good listener, for example. Still, the dilemma for a female remains probably because of our social background and culture.
The first issue relating to the female as an HR exists because HR is such a function where the employee must openly share his/her problems and expect the HR to listen and understand those problems. This can be troublesome for both the parties. Sharing problems means the HR professional must have a relationship built around trust and understanding with the employee and vice versa. Again, this means that both parties should be open to each other. However, in our culture, a female usually avoids such frankness especially in case of male employee. Likewise, some religious or shy employees find it hard to share their views/problems with a female colleague. At the same time, the hesitant behavior of the female also keeps the male employees away.
So the question is, is female the right person for the HR job? While addressing this issue, we must keep in mind the enhanced capabilities of females at say, comprehending the human psyche and being a good listener, for example. Still, the dilemma for a female remains probably because of our social background and culture.
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