As labor becomes more collaborative, the adequate management of guilt and responsibility in a company has become a delicate issue.
1. The leader is also responsible
When something goes wrong, it is the subordinates who are often held responsible, while their bosses easily get rid of any guilt: HR should guarantee a balance and share responsibility equally.
2. Blaming someone should not be the focus
Guilt makes it difficult to find a productive way to overcome failures and move forward: the message which HR should communicate is that errors are in fact an opportunity to learn. Focusing on blaming and exposing someone in particular could increase their level stress and could limit their ability so learn from experience.
3. Choose reason over emotion
When you want to point out an error it’s not necessary to talk about the person who is responsible, you should rather talk objectively about the facts and the possible outcomes. If errors occur constantly, HR must conduct an evaluation and think about alternative solutions.
4. Share credit strategically
If team members are duly recognized when they perform well it’s easier for them to take responsibility and improve: acknowledgment helps team members to focus on future projects and goals, rather than thinking about past mistakes.
5. Promote communication based on gathered information
HR must generate internal communication channels, such as emails and internal applications, in order to detect errors and shortcomings: rather than blaming employees, HR must understand why mistakes happen and prevent them.
6. Provide solutions
The best way to stop the blaming game is to concentrate on solutions: redesigning processes, modifying deadlines and/or having weekly conversations with your managers about the delegation of tasks, are examples a proactive approach.
