Where does the HR executive fit into the issue of political correctness in the workplace?
First, HR executives should be helping to eliminate the need to be hyper-tolerant of under-performers (in the name of not offending them) and should be making sure that clear performance and behavioral expectations are set forth for each position. These expectations should be designed to eliminate gray areas where good versus poor performance is concerned, and should make it easier for supervisors to quickly, professionally and humanely remove poor performers. Second, they should be helping to ensure that a rigorous interview structure is established and followed, one that turns hiring into an elimination process rather than an inclusive process. This is because I believe the No. 1 cause of turnover in an organization is hiring the wrong person to begin with. Third, they should set up stringent, brutally honest employee-review policies that clarify and document performance achievements and shortfalls, and help to ensure that promotions are based on a track record of merit, rather than
