When to Report a Problem to HR (and When Not To)

Your company’s HR department is often referred to as an employee advocate—the place you go to with concerns or concerns. But most employees already know that HR—or, in some startups, “the people team”—isn’t really designed to protect you, the human resource in question. Instead, HR is most protective of the company’s interests . And the way the job search has become a grueling series of ghost jobs, endless interviews and zero responses from HR reps hasn’t exactly endeared HR professionals to workers. In fact, research shows that over 70% of employees don’t trust their HR department .

While it’s true that HR departments work to protect the company and not you, that doesn’t mean they’re useless. First and foremost, people pursuing careers in human resources want to do a good job and often enter the field out of a desire to help their colleagues. And your HR department can actually do a lot for you, and not trusting them doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t use them when it makes sense. The trick is to know when your company’s interests align with yours, so that working with HR is not only safe, but profitable.

When to go to HR

There are several scenarios where human resources are the best choice to resolve a situation:

• Preparation of documents. The most obvious time to knock on HR’s door is when you’re dealing with the mechanics of employment – changing tax forms, signing up for fringe benefits , using career development programs, explaining programs and benefits, etc. This is one huge part of what HR does, and it’s very unlikely that these sorts of innocuous interactions will have any negative effect – and you probably have no other choice anyway.

  You will also need to contact your Human Resources department to learn about certain government programs and protections, such as signing up for the Family Medical Leave Act if you need to take time off in an emergency. In such cases, you can count on HR to do exactly what you expect them to do.

• Harassment, discrimination or illegal activity. If you’ve been a victim of sexual harassment , believe your boss or co-workers have treated you differently because of your race or other personality traits, or you’ve noticed something illegal at your job, HR is the right place to turn, with the caveat that you must protect yourself first. This means document what’s going on before you go to HR, and consult with outside advisers—like an attorney if you’re concerned about your liability or legal responsibilities.

  Human resources departments are required by law to investigate allegations of sexual harassment and illegal behavior, so you can expect action to be taken when you report these issues to them. Just keep in mind that their overall goal will be to limit liability and damages to the company, not necessarily yours. In other words, they will take some action, but it may not be as thorough as you hope and it may not lead to anything drastic.

• Morality. One of the most important ways to align the company’s interests with your interests is through issues of office culture, including overall morale and the company’s ability to attract talent. If you have thoughts on how morale can be improved in the office or how the company can attract better candidates, contacting HR to share them can pay dividends, and there likely won’t be any downside unless your suggestions include firing your boss.

Keep in mind that your experience with HR will always be better if you come to them with solutions to your problems.

When not to go to HR

There are key scenarios where contacting HR with your problems or concerns could have a very negative impact on you:

• Confidential questions. If you want to keep something confidential, think twice before contacting HR, even if it involves co-workers or your manager. Human resources may have a legal obligation to act on what you tell them (for example, if you are being harassed), but they also have no legal obligation to keep your secrets.

  If you feel it is best to escalate a private issue to HR, you should negotiate confidentiality terms with the department in advance if you can. Don’t assume they will keep something a secret just because you asked.

• Personality conflicts. Just don’t get along with someone you work with ? It’s best to figure this out on your own or ask your boss. HR may be able to offer some advice on how to resolve the situation, but they probably won’t escalate your complaints or take action on purely personal issues. They’ll likely bring your manager into the conversation and may be annoyed that you didn’t tell them about it in the first place.

• Bad boss. On one hand, yes, if your boss is abusive or violates the law when it comes to you and your career, you may have to go to HR and file a complaint. But be very careful: HR’s goal will be to resolve the situation with the least possible threat to the company, which may or may not help protect you in any way.

  If your problem with your boss is personal, HR will likely tell you to work it out on your own, and they may or may not offer guidance or help. And if the manager is very high level (and you are not), your chances of HR taking your side are much lower.

• When it comes to your career. If you want to change jobs , don’t tell HR. You may be tempted to get information about retirement account rollovers or specific positions you held at the company. But there’s nothing stopping HR from telling your boss that you’re looking for a way out of your job, which could lead to your boss arranging one for you before you’re ready to make the leap (after all, you’re probably working for an “open” employer).

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