The Official Blog of Alpha Chromatica
The Official Blog of Alpha Chromatica
In Which You Need to Learn to Protect Yourself - Part 1

In Which You Need to Learn to Protect Yourself - Part 1

Tags
HR
Author
Ganz
Date
June 19, 2024
Post No.

Chroma 0200

URL
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/heyganz_alphachromatica-chroma-heyganz-activity-7204374903829983233-f3oT?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
image

Don't trust HR.

They don't have your best intentions no matter how nice they are to you. After all they are paid by the company to deal with the likes of you.

If you open up your employee handbook, there's a high chance that somewhere in there, it says that human resources has an open door policy. Regardless of the language used, most people understand that to mean HR is there for you.

They want to hear your concerns and complaints. And if you go to HR, they will keep your complaint confidential and you'll be protected from retaliation.

This is absolutely not true. They almost never keep your complaint confidential. People go to HR in confidence, only to find out shortly thereafter that their complaint was shared with the very person that they were complaining about.

But it gets much worse than that. Most companies actually use the open door policy as an early warning system so they can get a heads up on the complaints and quash employee dissent and complaints before they spread.

Once you have complained about something legitimate and shortly thereafter, you will be written up. And shortly after that, you will be fired for some sort of vague and nebulous reason. Think poor performance.

HR routinely tells people that if you utilize the open door policy, you will be legally protected from retaliation. But that's untrue. Legally, you are only protected from retaliation if you've made a complaint protected by law.

But most HR people know that you're not protected and if it suits their objectives, they will tattle to management and you'll get fired soon thereafter.

Now don't get me wrong, there are absolutely times when you should go to human resources and complain in writing. But you should not complain until you fully know why you're doing it, how to do it right, and how to minimize the risks.

I will say this! Get an employment lawyer BEFORE you talk to HR.

It will cost you, but legal counsel is the best way to protect your professional integrity.

I always teach my students lessons on money. These lessons on personal finance is why my students and I can walk away from any toxic employer, organization, or client.

And last summer, I had to do just that... walk away.