HR investigations

[Mamof2g]

Hello
so I’m currently signed off sick with a throat infection and work have seen me outside of my home taking my son to his rugby match, they have now launched an investigation and could end up in dismissal. A colleague videoed me and has since shared this where I work. Work have also announced to everyone that I’m under investigation. Are they allowed to do this? Many thanks

Well obviously, but with a tracking device and some practise, my aim would improve.

You're letting your past experience massively cloud your judgement here which is a shame for you.

When I worked in HR not once did I ever have anyone think or suggest I was anything but compassionate and fucking good at my job. How do I know this? I have thank you cards at home from people I have dismissed, I'd receive lovely emails from them letting me know how they are doing, I've been taken out for lunch, and received flowers and chocolates. I've even been specifically requested by employees to be the one to chair disciplinary meetings - even when they have known they were caught bang to rights - because of my approach.

Your bad experience does not a profession make.

Amazing!

Past experience is how everyone forms judgement. You have past experience working in HR so you're letting that cloud your judgement as to what people generally think about it.

I'm really surprised that so many HR people don't realise that the department isn't generally vastly beloved of everyone. They send annoying reminders for stupid tutorials, they do performative corporate self-congratulation and "awareness days", if there are any serious issues regarding you then they know about it before you do, they look out for the company while pretending they're looking out for you, and they fucked up OP's working life. Sorry, you're not generally considered an employee's blessing of modern employment. I truly thought you knew.

I agree, I work in a big corporate and no employee trusts HR, very much seen as on the side of the employer, looking to pay the minimum possible without the employee leaving, finding ways to get rid of employees but avoiding unfair dismissal claims etc.

@SurprisedWithAHorse
Past experience is how everyone forms judgement. That is a fair statement.
You have past experience working in HR so you're letting that cloud your judgement as to what people generally think about it. The reverse is also true - based on my experience most managers and leaders have slopey shoulders and want HR to make difficult decisions, have difficult conversations rather than do their job. There are quite a lot of employees and managers who I wonder how they manage on a day to day basis, given that they think HR are psychic.

I'm really surprised that so many HR people don't realise that the department isn't generally vastly beloved of everyone. We do know, but the converse is true other functions are also not as beloved as they think.

They send annoying reminders for stupid tutorials - they only send reminders because you haven’t done your job. Yes, completing stupid tutorials are very likely to be a job requirement and maybe a regulatory requirement. Do you honestly think we like having to micro manage adults so we can prove to internal and external auditors that we have met a corporate requirement.

they do performative corporate self-congratulation and "awareness days" - because the Board has given them the shitty job of delivering a corporate objective that HR probably had no input to. Do you not think we roll our eyes and then just do it because we have to.

if there are any serious issues regarding you then they know about it before you do - Not always, and often that is the problem because HR have to sort out when a manager has fucked up. For example, are you honestly saying the CEO decides with no input we are going to make 20% of the workforce redundant and does a whole office message to that effect and that is when HR are told?

they look out for the company while pretending they're looking out for you - I’ve never pretended, I am clear my primary role is risk management.

they fucked up OP's working life - So the colleague who took the video shared it and lodged a grievance, the colleagues who shared the video and engaged in gossip and the managers who broke GDPR are all innocent victims? We do not have full details of HRs actual involvement so whilst it appears they may not all have acted professionally throughout there are a lot of grey areas where it maybe others poor judgement rather than HR.

If I was in HR I would now be organising a stupid tutorial/workshop on GDPR for all employees and managers. What I would want to do is take appropriate disciplinary action, but my Board/ senior managers wouldn’t want to do that (slopey shoulders). So the next time an employee does not have to go through what the op has gone through.

Bloody hell, I'm not going through all that. Why does HR always think you've got nothing else to do? Are they not busy enough? Of course they're not.

I'll just pull out this one gem quickly: "Because the Board has given them the shitty job of delivering a corporate objective that HR probably had no input to." Yes, because your job is to protect the company's interest, not the employees. We know. That's literally why HR is so annoying!

To add to my experience: HR now also seem to be incredibly defensive and in denial, or some degree of confusion, about what their job actually is.

True story: in my last job, HR fucked up some paperwork prior to my start (it wasn't a huge disaster, just mildly annoying). My new boss apologised, I said "Ah no problem, that's HR", and she laughed.

@SurprisedWithAHorse True story: in my last job, HR fucked up some paperwork prior to my start (it wasn't a huge disaster, just mildly annoying). My new boss apologised, I said "Ah no problem, that's HR", and she laughed.

HR would have laughed going yet another manager who can’t do their job and think we are psychic.

@SurprisedWithAHorse at least consider my last point

they fucked up OP's working life - So the colleague who took the video shared it and lodged a grievance, the colleagues who shared the video and engaged in gossip and the managers who broke GDPR are all innocent victims? We do not have full details of HRs actual involvement so whilst it appears they may not all have acted professionally throughout there are a lot of grey areas where it maybe others poor judgement rather than HR.

Question what would you do WRT the OPs colleagues and managers?

You DO realise that a lot of the awareness sessions and training reminders are needed because HR often have employees who will say ridiculous things like "well I never knew it wasn't ok to tell Sharon she looked fat its not written down in the handbook in massive letters" We don't like having to deal with banal shite like that really but we have to unfortunately because some people cant behave 😬

And of course HR will probably know about issues before the employee. That's kind of the point, so we can tell the manager they are either also being absolutely ridiculous, help the manager deal with it reasonably, or at least note for the record that what they want to do isn't fair.

No idea what the corporate self congratulatory thing is, you'll have to help me out there.

People don't realise that, id say the majority of the time, HR do things and support managers through things they don't necessarily agree with, and managers hide behind them so they don't look like the bad guy. But crack on with slagging off an entire profession because you have absolutely no clue what they really do and a few had the audacity to send you reminders (maybe, if people just did what they should, no reminders would have been needed).

"My new boss apologised, I said "Ah no problem, that's HR", and she laughed."

That's a bold move insulting a dept as a new employee. Its a total mystery why you seem to have had so many negative experiences with past employers 🤣

If you are getting another job then if I were you I would submit a Subject Access Request to get the full record of all discussions had pertaining to your employment. I cannot see a world in which they won't have cocked up by discussing this in an inappropriate manner.
Best case would then be that they offer you a payment to exit the business and get you to sign away the ability to claim against them down the line.

It was HR. I realise now that this is a revelation to many of you (truly, truly, I thought you knew), but you guys really do have a reputation. Anyway, HR had fucked up. Why couldn't I make a joke about it?

I hate to disappoint you, but these "negative experiences" aren't what you're desperately trying to imagine they were (ie, me being shit). One awful place that I quit after two weeks and which then went bust, but not before HR fucked up my departure paperwork. Another time, I returned after two weeks of legitimate sick leave with a note from the hospital, and HR tried several times to pressure me into giving them my confidential medical information under guise of "support" even though I told them I was fully recovered and required nothing from them. I once had a horrible bullying manager, everyone hated her but nobody dared say anything. HR wouldn't have been on our side, they oversaw the managing out of several people who were far more competent than this silly cow ever was. Luckily I got transferred in a restructure and didn't have to see her any more.

Most of the things that made me dislike HR happened to other people. You can't know that much about everyone and be tasked with protecting the employer and not have it affect how people feel about you.

We know what HR is there for and I think most of us realise that and, unlike a lot of the responses here, don't take it personally. But it's too much to expect us to adore you for it. You do your job, we'll do your wretched tutorials and pretend we care about your awareness days, and hope you stay away.

Yea.. like I say I just have no idea why you've had bad experiences 😬

It's clear you have absolutely no idea what actually goes on - I.e. most of the time it's not HR, it's that manager pretending to be your mate laughing along with you that's actually pushing for medical info, or managing people out.

Anyway, I can see it helps you to see HR as the bad guy, so I'll leave you to your quite strange rants 😊

@SurprisedWithAHorse we know we have a reputation and we do not expect to be adored. However, what we don’t appreciate is being collectively held responsible for decisions made by Boards, Senior Managers, Manager’s nor failings of Boards, Senior Managers, Managers or employees that we are either expected to “front” or clear up after.

It is far easier to blame HR than take responsibility. WRT the bullying manager , what was their manager doing about it, why is it HR’s job not their line manager?

@SurprisedWithAHorse out of interest what is the subject of the wretched tutorials that clearly wind you up?

It is far easier to blame HR than take responsibility.

What am I supposed to take responsibility for?

Your job is to look out for the company. If you find it objectionable, don't do it.

As for the tutorials, I can't even frigging remember. Very little of it was relevant to my role. Everyone was moaning about it. What did you expect?

Good strong answer. I'm totally convinced.

And yes I rant about HR. It's all I can do about them. You guys have the power, why do you have to demand that we love it?

@SurprisedWithAHorse it was a general “it’s easier for boards, senior managers, managers etc to blame HR than take responsibility.”

I bet the tutorials were Health & Safety e.g. DSE, GDPR, possibly diversity etc. and probably not HR but HR got the shit job job of making sure everyone completed them.

If it makes you feel better, nobody likes the board or senior management either. And I've said as much on here too, but those guys seem to accept it as part of the job - you'd have to, wouldn't you? - and don't go completely on the defensive about it. Some roles just won't generally endear you to the people you're impacting. Like I said, I truly, truly, truly didn't realise HR was the only one that didn't know this.

I've just remembered that I did work at one place without an HR department. That was great, very nice place.

I'll take your word about the tutorials. I think we all remember the Um Bongo adverts better than those things.

I'm not trying to convince you, just giving you the facts, up to you whether you take them on board.

your statement that HR have the power genuinely could not be more wrong. Its clear past managers have done a right number on you and not owned their decisions, instead blaming it on those bastards in HR. Its ok, we are aware this goes on, I guess I was used to employees generally being a bit more savvy at realising fairly quickly their Managers were hiding behind HR most of the time.

I'm not in HR anymore, fancied something different. I stomp on kittens now for £5 a time 🙄

lol at the idea HR have all the power! They are asked by the manager to assist the manager achieve the outcome the manager wants. They have to do this in the way that either follows legislation, or if the company is trying to cut corners, the way which achieves the company's desired outcome with the least risk. HR don't make the disciplinary decisions that's the managers domain, with advice from HR if they are taking things too far. Of course the managers will use HR as the scape goat and suggest HR has a greater decision making role to avoid being seen as the bad person.

This is why nobody trusts HR when they say they're finally going to leave you alone.

HR would never say that 😬

I quite enjoy mischievous posters sometimes, subtle but still enough to possibly instigate a huge bunfight. Theres still time, not a bad effort 👍

😂