Minimalism is not a trend or style but a lifestyle that is characterized by simplicity and freedom from materialism and attachment. It helps in developing self- restraint and provides an opportunity to reset life and focus on its mission and purpose. While it started with art and moved into the lives of individuals, it is time that minimalism is adopted in our workspace as well. This is where HR Minimalism comes into the picture.
The concept of living with less has still not become a part of the corporate mindsets especially because the idea of success is usually driven by the desire for more. Minimal HR Management can mean freedom from extensive processes and spending too much time on tasks that requires little. Streamlined systems and processes ensure that the HR management spends lesser time in managing trivial issues and have more time and resources to focus on the valuable tasks. By freeing the mind of mentally draining activities, there is so much more that the employees can do.
There are so many HR management concepts going around, that it can get overwhelming, time consuming and even confusing to select one. The best strategies stem from HR Minimalism as they are unassuming, simple to understand and easy to implement.
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In minimal HR management, less is more. Introducing too many initiatives at the same time can be overwhelming for the employees. The measure of a good HR strategy should not be the number of initiatives involved, but how implementable and effective they are. It is also important to understand that what works for a large organization might not work for smaller organizations that get enough interaction with its management and might not need a lengthy HR intervention. Just like individual minimalism, self-restraint is the key in HR Minimalism.
When introducing any people related initiative, it is important to leave some time for acceptance to build a stronger foundation. Unfreezing and freezing of mindsets cannot happen overnight and enough time needs to be allowed for acceptance. When minimal HR initiatives are introduced slowly, they become a practice more easily.
Human Resource management should be about people and hence focus more on virtues like compassion, honesty and mutual respect. No amount of processes and methodology can replace these virtues and they lie at the center of HR minimalism. For the success of any management, these core values must form the organization’s culture and should be bigger than any HR initiatives.
Knowing what people in the organization need is not always science and too much of analytics, data and jargons can only complicate it. HR Minimalism involves use of intuition and reading between the lines. Practices that don’t work must be scrapped without any regret. Minimal HR involves strengthening and reinforcing what works and letting the rest go. Imposing what doesn’t work will only lead to unnecessary and wasted efforts.
HR minimalism does not imply that management concepts are redundant. All it means is that using too many of them can cause confusion and might not always be an effective solution. Correct diagnosis and prognosis are what is required for minimal HR management to choose a simple and specific approach rather than a long list of initiatives.
HR Minimalism make the processes stress free, smooth and organic, while reducing the complexity of elaborate strategies. Simplicity and compassion lie at the heart of minimalist human resource management and works well when implemented simply.
References:
- The Minimalist Mindset for Career and Life Success- Janet, 19 October, 2016
- The Minimalist HR- Inna Jolly, 01 April, 2017
- Less is More: The Minimalist Approach to Success- 01 July, 2019
