In many workplaces, HR is often presented as the go-to department for employees to report problems or concerns. However, the relationship between employees and HR is more complex than it seems. On one hand, HR exists to deal with the people side of an organisation, from recruitment and workplace policies to employee concerns and conflict. On the other hand, HR is also part of the organisation, employed by the same company, and operates within its policies.
When employees come to HR with a problem involving the organisation itself, the question of trust becomes more complicated. A reader's comment on the role of HR summed it up simply: "In life, the one who pays is the one whose interests are represented." This highlights the tension in the HR-employee relationship, where employees may wonder whose side HR is on. However, another reader offered a more balanced view, suggesting that HR has a responsibility to the organisation, but that doesn't mean employees shouldn't feel safe coming to HR.
Trust at work does not necessarily mean getting the outcome you wanted. An employee may report a problem and still receive an answer they disagree with. What matters is whether they believe the process was fair, whether their concerns were taken seriously, and whether the same standards would have been applied to someone else in the same position. This distinction is important, as it highlights the role of HR in creating a fair and transparent process.
The concept of psychological safety is also relevant in this context. Psychological safety is the sense that people can speak up, ask questions, admit mistakes, or raise concerns without expecting humiliation or punishment for doing so. When employees decide whether to speak to HR, they are not only thinking about the problem itself, but also about what might happen after they speak. Will their manager find out? Will their colleagues know? Will the situation affect how they are perceived?
Procedural justice is another important concept in this context. People tend to care about whether a decision is fair, but they also care about how the decision was reached. Was everyone given an opportunity to explain themselves? Were the facts considered? Were the rules applied consistently? Was the person making the decision respectful? An employee may accept a decision they dislike more easily if they believe they were heard and the process was fair.
So, is HR your friend? Perhaps "friend or foe" is the wrong way to look at it. HR is not a personal confidant, but nor should it be treated as an automatic extension of management that employees have to fear. There is a middle ground. An HR professional can care about an employee's wellbeing while still considering the organisation's interests. They can listen to an employee without promising to agree with them.
Ultimately, building trust between employees and HR requires clarity and transparency. Employees should know what happens when they raise a concern, what confidentiality means in that particular situation, and what process will follow. Organisations also have a responsibility to ensure that HR is not just a paper tiger, but a department that can create real change and build trust with employees.
Key points
- HR's role is to create a fair and transparent process, not necessarily to take an employee's side.
- Trust between employees and HR requires clarity and transparency about what happens when concerns are raised.
- HR can build trust with employees by listening to their concerns and applying workplace standards consistently.
