How can your HR department support you
In light of anti-bullying week, we have posted some tips on dealing with bullying in the workplace which includes reaching out to HR for support. Check them out on our LinkedIn now!
We thought it would be interesting to explore what HR is there for and which issues and aspects of your work life they can support you with.
The role of HR within a company is to manage the entire employee lifecycle from recruitment to retirement and every stage in between. HR are responsible for the training and development of employees, performance management as well as employee wellbeing.
This means that as well as ensuring your professional wellbeing at your company, they are also on hand to help you navigate any more personal issues you may face.
When it comes to more mainstream colleague disputes, it’s always best to try and handle the situation yourself first before involving a manager or HR.
You may want to approach your HR department if you:
1. If you are experiencing or have witnessed any negative workplace incidents including harassment, discrimination and bullying
o When it comes to sensitive matters like these, come people may shy away from reaching out to their HR department for support as sometimes there is a narrative regarding HR that they won’t cooperate in your best interests or they will simply launch into a full scale investigation instead of tackling the issue more delicately. There are many avenues of support that a HR team can offer to you with regards to issues like bullying including; developing a strategy to work with/confront the bullying, manage the stress, create awareness and then in further action talking directly to the bully or pursuing a formal investigation.
2. Have a change in personal circumstance to approach the company in terms of requesting maternity/paternity leave, needing to reduce your hours or needing accommodation
3. If you witness anything illegal with regards to another person or generally within the company
4. When you have any question or concerns regarding career progression and training
5. Have questions regarding benefits provided by the company including health insurance but also if any concerns arise regarding salary. If you become aware of a pay gap, for example, between you and a co-worker who has the same experience and does the same job, this might be a valid reason to approach HR.
Obviously it is important to be aware that every company and every HR department is different and you should always remember that HR departments do operate on behalf of the company.
When you decide to approach HR regarding an issue, schedule a time to sit own with someone and have a calm conversation. Ensure that you gather any relevant evidence or documentation of your issue in advance as HR will want to gather all the facts they can before deciding how to proceed. This could be anything from an email trail/correspondence, your employment contract, timesheets, performance appraisals or written corroboration of events taken place from other employees, whatever suits your purpose.
You can go into your meeting with a solution proposal or an outcome you are hoping to achieve. If you are unhappy with the outcome of an enquiry, there are various charities you can contact for support as well as the Employment Tribunal Customer service centre who may be able to assist with your grievance.