Q&A With Jane: When The HR Is Unresponsive To Employees

Workplace expert Jane Harper says in order to deal with a situation when the HR is unresponsive, you must first make sure that you are heard by your team manager. In this case, the team manager himself is the problem. It is wiser to drop a written complaint about the issue to both so that they can’t ignore it.

I have been working in a multinational company for the past year and a half. This isn’t my first job as I have worked for the past seven years. I am stating this as I know how things work in a professional setup. I am well aware of the fact that the HR at any company is practically the link between the employers and the employees. Issues from both the ends are handled by the HR. This is why it is extremely important for someone at this post to be unbiased and lend an ear to everyone, irrespective of their position. In fact, the HR is the person one goes to in case on any problem at the workplace.

Unfortunately, this is not how it works in my workplace. It seems that the HR of my company has only been hired to give salary to the employees and line up candidates for interviews. The HR never pays heed to an employee’s problems. Earlier whenever I had an issue, I used to approach my team manager about the same. But now when I have an issue with my team manager itself, I have nobody to go to. I feel publicly ridiculed on a regular basis by him even for the smallest of mistakes. It is understandable that it’s his job to correct me, but there is a way to do so. I resent going to work now. I don’t know whom should I talk to.

The HR never pays heed to an employee’s problems.

Answer : HR is Unresponsive To Employees

I would like to begin by pointing out that this individual does not deserve to hold the position of the HR manager at your company. I know it sounds harsh, but it’s true. The HR is in charge of making sure that the employees are happy at the workplace so that their productivity is not hindered. In fact, when an employee joins the organization, it is the HR’s duty to win the trust of the employee. This is in order to make sure that the employee is comfortable in sharing his professional woes with the HR. The company needs to realize that if the HR continues dismissing employees, they will not only lose the productivity but some of them might even step out of the company.

Moving on to your issue, you are definitely in a fix. But I would like to tell you that there is nothing wrong in expressing your concerns. It is your right to do so. The safest way to deal with such a situation is by doing it through email. When you give a written statement, nobody can manipulate your words to use it against you. You must write a polite email expressing your problem and stating how it is adversely affecting your work productivity. Address the email to the HR and manager together. Even if they delete the email, you will have the copy to show it to the senior in case of an issue. If they still don’t respond, it is time to approach the higher authorities.

Q&A with Jane: The brutal and straightforward answers to HR-related queries and concerns. Send in your queries with the subject line ‘Ask JANE HARPER’ at info@thehrdigest.com