HR workplace experiences

[Jeezitneverends]

I made a comment on another thread about HR being employed to protect an employer, and it brought my hellish experience to mind…

I had ongoing issues with 1 member of HR at my work-she spent 20 years trying to get me out (she was using me to try to get at another member of my family who worked in the same organisation)

I had cause to take a huge grievance (of which every point was upheld) regarding my treatment by management when I was unwell…

Her attitude to me in a fact finding meeting was hellish and I called her out on it, in the meeting along the lines of “if you’re going to sit and assassinate my personality, have the manners and good grace to look me in the eye when you do it, NOT at a spot in the wall a foot above my head”…fortunately my union rep was there with me…as a result of my successful grievance, and her behaviour towards in that meeting and over the preceding years, she’s now barred from accessing my personal record at work, or ever dealing with me again.

If you’re reading this LW, I’m not scared of you!

That was cathartic! It happened over 5 years ago and this is the first I’ve let it out!

Anyone else?

I’ve worked in hr for almost 30 years for lots of diff businesses and while it’s fair to say that workplaces and people in them vary wildly, I think the phrase “hr is there to protect the business” is really unfair in the way most people mean it. The best way to protect a business against tribunals is to treat employees fairly and within the law. Therefore employees and the company both benefit from this protection. Also, employee engagement is a big focus for hr these days. Happy employees are productive employees.

@ImNotThereAmI whilst in an ideal world what you say is true, unfortunately we don’t live in an ideal world a lot of the time

I'm involved in a HR process at the minute. From what I can see they are not at all interested in the substance of the issue (treatment in the workplace) and just want to manage the person out and move on.