The other day Neena had to attend the office leaving her ailing baby at home. Her boss had warned beforehand not to absent herself for the day because they were expecting an important delegation.

Anxious though she was about her baby?s health, she went to work. She could take a day off disregarding her boss?s order to look after the baby but she did not. Instead, she entrusted the baby to a neighbour?s care despite knowing how much her attention and presence as mother would matter.

As Neena was in tears at her desk right from the morning, her colleagues suggested that she ask the boss permission to leave at 14.00 hours to go to the doctor. Meanwhile, the delegation had come and gone.

When Neena approached her boss to ask permission to leave early, he flatly refused. She was told that she has to stay as there might still be work to do. This is one of many sad stories in the workplace that calls for the urgent need for human relations.

That human resources management practice is increasingly becoming important in our complex industrial organisation cannot be taken lightly. It is still a common attitude among supervising officers that kindness and sympathy are counter-productive to good business. They have to be hard on workers to make them work well; they have to watch them constantly and even make surprise visits to see what exactly they are doing at all times. According to a study of people who experienced rudeness at work, conducted by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill?s Kenan - Flagler Business School, it was shown how costly it can be. One in five said they worked less hard as a result of roughness at work and one in 10 spent less time at the office. Nearly half considered changing jobs. Peter Post, a writer and lecturer on business states that being nice is a sure way to be more successful in business. It has real bottom-line dollar value. Human relations thus give workers breathing-space and latitude to take initiatives and give suggestions to improve long-existing abuses or ills. These go a long way in increasing overall productivity at the enterprise.

Human relations as a concept refer to harmonious relations and mutual understanding between workers and supervisors. Instead of a win-lose situation, it is a win-win situation. When workers are given freedom and flexibility in their daily duties and responsibilities, they feel honour-bound and loyally perform their work; some complete their assignments even ahead of schedule. Most workers stop watching the clock once in office. They are prepared to work out of office hours, if required. These people work for their company with commitment, devotion and, above all, a sense of belonging. To come to that, there is need for effective communications among all parties - upward, downward and lateral. This is what human relations really mean.

For an organisation to prosper, human relations and work ethics are vital. Remember your workplace where you spend the better part of the day matters so much for you and your family. Your contribution towards making it a pleasant and worthy place is indeed the surest way to industrial democracy and lasting peace.

<B>Kaviraj SOHUR</B>