A competent human resources department is critical to maintaining a functional work environment. They often help with hiring, onboarding, and helping you access your benefits. Though they can certainly be helpful, and most individuals want to be kind and support you, wondering whether you can always trust them is reasonable. Ultimately, Human Resources exists to protect the interests of the company. When your interests don’t align with theirs, it may be time to speak with our San Francisco employment attorney with the Armstrong Law Firm.
The Role of Human Resources
The human resource department has many responsibilities, but the primary objective for most is to protect the company. Generally, this goal means ensuring that leadership complies with labor laws and that employees are treated well. Your HR representative may help you access benefits, provide information about your employer’s EAP program, or fill out forms for medical leave. These tasks can help you feel supported, which is an essential function of Human Resources. However, they should not be mistaken for placing your interests first.
When you engage with HR, some may advise you to compare it to speaking with someone else’s attorney or police. You may engage with them with the knowledge that what you share may be used to the company’s benefit if you are at odds. When problems arise, your human resources department may not be your best advocate.
Red Flags in Your Human Resources Department
HR is an excellent resource for countless administrative things, such as questions about policy or your payroll. In a healthy organization, they may even provide valuable insight and actionable behaviors to help you resolve conflict with managers or employees. While general reservations with HR may be good standard practice, some signs that your HR department may not be trustworthy include:
- High employee turnover can indicate poor management, dissatisfied people, and a hostile work environment
- Employees who are hesitant to take issues to HR, indicating that they may be biased to support leadership or managers
- Unresponsive HR workers may indicate that they are also unresponsive when it matters.
- Inconsistent policy implementation may also be an indicator of disorganization or even bias among leadership and HR
Navigating HR Red Flags
If you notice these indicators in your workplace, you can take action to protect yourself against unfair or illegal treatment. The first step is to follow your company’s policies and procedures, including procedures for requesting leave or accommodations.
Next, protect yourself by documenting interactions and concerns in writing. Try to send things via email whenever possible. This includes following up on phone conversations with an email summarizing them. This can provide valuable documentation if you find yourself the target of illegal practices.
Interpersonal relationships in the workplace can be incredibly complicated, and unfair or illegal behavior can catch you by surprise or seem difficult to establish. If you are unsure how to protect yourself at work, whether it is or proving an Equal Pay Act violation, speaking with an attorney may be your next step. However, an employment attorney may advise against notifying your employer of this decision.