Can HR Rekindle Employee Trust?

 
I often hear friends sharing stories of their own or their colleagues’ difficult experiences transpiring in the workplace. My immediate reaction and response to them is, “have you spoken to HR about this issue?” and more often than not they respond with, “are you kidding me, I would never share this with HR!”
How is it that HR, a dedicated department for addressing employees’ needs, has created a reputation of distrust, disingenuousness, and fear amongst the employees it is intended to serve and support?
The reality is that the tension in this relationship has been around for several decades. In their early days, HR departments were tasked with brokering contracts and mediating disputes between management and employees or unions. Over time, the role evolved whereby amongst other strategic responsibilities, HR departments were also focused on cultivating a pleasant and nurturing work environment for employees, and ensuring that their needs and issues were being addressed fairly, timely, empathetically, and in a dignified manner.

HR, Employees, and Management: The Problem with the “Us vs. Them” Mentality

Despite the evolution of HR’s role, the tension between being accountable to management versus addressing the needs of employees has not disappeared. Particularly, during difficult economic times such as these, the strain in this relationship is even more palpable as layoffs are commonly observed and employees’ role expectations are heightened.
Is it okay for some companies to continue functioning this way? Is it even worth addressing the tenuous relationship between HR and employees?
The reality is that this issue has not received as much attention as it should, nor has its consequences been quantified to warrant a response. Declining levels of trust in the HR function can have a significant impact on a company’s ability to create and sustain value and remain competitive. Specifically, it can have a significant negative impact in the following three areas:

1. Employee Retention: When employees express distrust with HR and do not observe transparent management practices, this can lead to higher levels of employee disloyalty and attrition, as well as lower levels of effort, job performance, and satisfaction.
2. Productivity: Moreover, it can also serve as a distraction from employees focusing on their job responsibilities and organizational goals, thereby lowering the company’s productivity levels and its ability to innovate and remain competitive in the marketplace.
3. Recruiting: This issue can also impact the company’s reputation and make it more difficult for them to recruit new employees, as the culture of distrust fused with high levels of employee dissatisfaction become more widely known across the sector.

Policies and Practices to Implement to Help HR Rekindle Employee Trust

1) Make HR Autonomous and Ensure Confidentiality & Professionalism

Firstly, the HR function, both operationally and through its internal reputation, should be known to function autonomously and report directly to the CEO. This can occur by modifying the reporting structure and widely communicating these changes as well as the new role of HR across the employee base. Employees should be aware that raising issues and concerns is a practice that is welcomed in the organization, and that these issues will be dealt with the highest levels of confidentiality and professionalism. Ultimately, the fear and distrust that employees have of the HR function should be replaced with a new relationship that is grounded in mutual respect and camaraderie.

2) Make Policies Crystal Clear

Additionally, the organization should have clear and widely accessible policies outlining the process for hiring, promotions, dismissals, and other HR related matters. Employees need to feel comfortable that there are set procedures in place that represent equity and fairness in the company’s practices. These transparent policies will help employees stay on course and better anticipate their career trajectories within the organization.

3) Request & Incorporate Employee Feedback

Lastly, the HR function should regularly solicit employee feedback through a range of channels, and ensure that the findings are communicated to all employees and acted upon in a timely manner. By doing so, employees will recognize that the HR function plays an important role in not only capturing their concerns, but orchestrating to bring about positive change in the organization’s employment practices. This will also help management improve the design of new employee initiatives and investments that result in enhancing satisfaction, productivity, and performance levels across the organization.
By incorporating some of these policies and practices, companies may be better positioned to help their HR functions rekindle the trust of their employees and contribute to fostering a more collaborative, nurturing, and desirable work environment.