I have spent a great deal of time writing about the paper trail. My previous two posts discuss steps in overcoming it and building a culture of performance. So often, Human Resource (HR) professionals must provide the legal voice concerning employee issues in the organization.
Human Resources/
HR Laws & Admin
As mentioned previously, overcoming the myth of the "paper trail" requires building a performance culture.
As mentioned in two previous posts, the paper trail seems to be a concept widely understood by individuals in multiple organizations. The concept is a reality for many and represents how the competing interests in organizations can work against the common goal of the company and its employees.
In the fictitious dialogue in my previous post, Bob is the employee. According to Bob's manger, he is not performing to expectations. However, despite the fact that he feels like he has had multiple conversations with him, Bob most likely feels like is his doing a good job. His feeling is probably not the result of an oversized ego; but rather, it comes from a lack of consistent honest performance feedback.
A common misconception with employees and managers is that of the “paper trail.” It is believed that in order to make a termination decision, a manager must create this “paper trail” of documentations until they have enough evidence to satisfy the Human Resource (HR) Department. Unfortunately, this very notion typically brings great frustration to everyone …
Competencies needed for the 21st century human resource professional include expertise and leadership.