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Which is why HR needs and wants to know about all of the incidents or perceived incidents going on within a company. To protect the company from legal action. They do not protect the company by blackballing or firing associates who go to HR with concerns. That practice would INCREASE the risk not decrease it. I can't believe how many people don't understand this.
My personal experience from seein g a dozen individuals going to HR over my career and not seeing one come out positive tells me HR often is incompetent and biased. What they should be doing and what they do is often two different things. Going to HR can get you fired and blackballed throughout the industry. Either unionize or find another job.
I suspect those who think HR is your friend and confidant are the same ones that live in a bubble and think that all former employers will never say anything to the detriment of a job applicant.
In my case, I'm a mid-size business owner knows how things actually work. My HR department takes all concerns big or small seriously. Each are investigated. All have a resolution. Some resolutions are well rec'd by the associate with the concern and others make them angry. Also, for the record, no one in my company gives any feedback regarding former employees other than job title and dates of employment. We do have exceptions. When someone is leaving the company on good terms, we will provide a reference letter. Normally that occurs when someone is moving out of state or when a college intern/co-op finishes their stay with us.
False, the word can spread across the industry. It may prevent you from getting a job at other companies.
i've never worked for a company whose hr department has influence outside of the company; sometimes they have no influence on other companies within the same corporation.
I don't believe that HR is your "friend", but these posts about "HR will never side with the employee" just don't make sense- oftentimes, the reason people go to HR is to discuss another employee. How can HR side with neither side?
Take, for example, sexual harassment. If HR does not take the complaint seriously, it opens up the company to liability. In this case, siding with the complainant is precisely the same as siding with the company (or at least, doing a thorough investigation and siding with the party who was harmed).
The more common example is an abusive boss. The reason people tend to think that HR doesn't take the employee's side is because most complaints to HR just aren't actionable. For example, a boss calls you a bad name or calls you stupid. Bad boss? Yes. Illegal? Depends, but usually no. HR doesn't have to step in because in most "bad boss" cases the company is not exposed to liability.
In short, there are absolutely times where you should go to HR. If your boss grabs your butt or makes sexual or discriminatory comments- yes. If your boss hurts your feelings- no.
I agree. We had some guys at my workplace always talking about telling HR about how the boss was messing up their lives. When job cuts were made, those guys were some of the first to go.
I don't think HR's job is to discipline managers although maybe they have some kind of checks and balances. I think HRs main role is to hire and fire employees and do it legally. That's actually pretty hard by itself. Anything other than that, I leave them alone.
i've never worked for a company whose hr department has influence outside of the company; sometimes they have no influence on other companies within the same corporation.
It is not so much HR as the managers who are subject to investigation who spread the word around. In many industries people shuffle back and forth between different corporations and have many contacts. I have seen two people basically blackballed.
In my case, I'm a mid-size business owner knows how things actually work. My HR department takes all concerns big or small seriously. Each are investigated. All have a resolution. Some resolutions are well rec'd by the associate with the concern and others make them angry. Also, for the record, no one in my company gives any feedback regarding former employees other than job title and dates of employment. We do have exceptions. When someone is leaving the company on good terms, we will provide a reference letter. Normally that occurs when someone is moving out of state or when a college intern/co-op finishes their stay with us.
The difference is, in your case you are the business owner, so quite different situation from what many of us face when working for corporations and the like.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NYCresident2014
I don't believe that HR is your "friend", but these posts about "HR will never side with the employee" just don't make sense- oftentimes, the reason people go to HR is to discuss another employee. How can HR side with neither side?
Take, for example, sexual harassment. If HR does not take the complaint seriously, it opens up the company to liability. In this case, siding with the complainant is precisely the same as siding with the company (or at least, doing a thorough investigation and siding with the party who was harmed).
The more common example is an abusive boss. The reason people tend to think that HR doesn't take the employee's side is because most complaints to HR just aren't actionable. For example, a boss calls you a bad name or calls you stupid. Bad boss? Yes. Illegal? Depends, but usually no. HR doesn't have to step in because in most "bad boss" cases the company is not exposed to liability.
In short, there are absolutely times where you should go to HR. If your boss grabs your butt or makes sexual or discriminatory comments- yes. If your boss hurts your feelings- no.
And if you ever followed any of my past responses to these types of HR threads, you'd realize that in fact I differentiated exactly as you state.
I made it clear before that there are some situations where going to HR is inevitable and necessary, situations where it can't be helped but to involve them such as sexual harassment, racism, workplace violence, things of that sort.
However, it seems as if many people do not get this, and think they can go to HR and vent to them about every little thing that bothers them, like a confidant or friend, and somehow that's going to magically solve problems like one big happy family. A co-worker or manager didn't smile at them. Go to HR. They didn't get free bagels for the week. Go to HR. The supervisor wouldn't let them get off of work for 5 hours so they could get their nails done. HR again.
See what I'm getting at?
There's a right time and a wrong time to involve HR. And the right time is only a fraction of that, for the most part HR is never your friend. Why don't people get this? Why, why do we continue to get people that come on this forum and ask if they should go to HR for the most petty of things?
I could write a whole blog on my interactions with HR. None of it good. There is a reason why this is a common thread on CD.
Wow, I miss the good ole daze when a manager of your potential department interviews you for the position you are seeking.
They see what they are getting, you see what your are getting in to. Very simple. Nu-age HR process is like wading in a cesspool.
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