Is everything you tell HR really confidential?

Question

If you have an issue you'd like to bring up regarding your bad manager and approach HR about it... do they really not tell the manager? How confidential is HR?

If you have an issue you'd like to bring up regarding your bad manager and approach HR about it... do they really not tell the manager? How confidential is HR?

This won't be the first time that someone has reported to HR about this manager either. Basically, I heard through junior staff that my manager was making comments about how he wishes he could fire me. I have never heard the manager say anything negative about my work though. In fact, he just sent me a couple of "great job" emails this past week. However, I do know that they were interviewing someone today. What should I do? Tell HR that junior level staff told me my manager was talking smack about me and I think it's unprofessional and don't know what to do just so it's on the record before if/when he fires me?? Help, please!

Answer 1

It's not... don't do it. HR exists to protect the company from the employees, not to protect the employees from the company.

Answer 2

If you're recieving emails from your boss that are telling you you are doing a "great job" at work, save those emails, but don't go to HR.
If you can't prove anything, I think it's wise not to stir the pot. Why start problems if there isn't any problem. Just because those other staffers are telling you something about your boss doesn't mean it's true. It would be highly unprofessional for your boss to go around talking about how they want to fire you to your co-workers. If anything, I would probably confront your boss and ask them directly, maybe in front of the HR person so you have a witness, but you may not get very far since it would be his word against yours.

Another thing, just because they are conducting interviews doesn't mean you're about to lose your job. Maybe a position opened up that you are unaware of. Or maybe someone is quiting that you don't know about yet. There's a lot of reasons they are conducting interviews.

If you have not done anything to make them want to fire you (except maybe that you and your boss don't get along) then they can't fire you, unless your company falls under the "at will" cause. At Will simply states that you can quite a job at any time without warning, and the company can fire you at any time without warning. But in all legality, they need a reason to let you go (bad work performance, budget cuts, position cuts), they can't just say "you're fired" because your boss doesn't care for you.

In other words, don't sweat it. It could just be simple office gossip. As annoying as it may be, you'll never get away from it.

Answer 3

The confidentiality of the HR department depends a great deal on who the HR department consists of. In the HR department I run, people will be terminated for sharing confidential information inappropriately. However, not every HR group maintains a high level of professional standards, sad to say.

In yoru case, what I would do is approach HR and say, "hey, I'm confused....Joe Boss tells me I'm doing a great job...in fact, I just got a couple of e-mails from him telling me how swell I am...but then I heard through the grapevine that Joe is interviewing replacement candidates for my position. Do you know anything about this?" One of several things will happen:

1) HR realizes impending potential wrongful termination of employee who possesses "good performance" e-mails from boss and yet is being termed for performance.
2) HR realizes boss has not conveyed the full story about what has been communciated to you in terms of needed performance improvement.
3) HR realizes there is a leak elsewhere in the organization if a confidential search for your replacement is no longer confidential.

They may need to confront your boss just to figure out who's said what to whom. I can only speak for myself here but if I found out that a manager had been giving out attaboys while telling me he wanted to hire a replacement and then move an incumbent out for job performance, he'd be rethinking that plan in a big hurry.

Answer 4

Be leary about what you share with HR. If they decide that the issue, you have put before them, requires investigation or may have legal impacts for the Business (potential lawsuit or criminal issues), your 'confidential talk', may soon be very, very public - regardless of whether you want to push the issue or not.

Once issues become public or another employee figures out that you 'ratted them out' or complained about them, it can become a very difficult environment to work in.

I live by this rule....Don't share ANYTHING negative with HR unless you feel strongly enough about it to give up your job.

Answer 5

IF you have a good HR department, it will be kept confidential. They will do what they need to do to correct the situation though, and if you have had run-ins with your manager and no one else has, then unfortunately it may come back at you, but if others have had run-in then the manager won't know where it came from and it will stay confidential.

Answer 6

Sort of. It's confidential, but mind you that they have to investigate the issue. They will not state names, but when they describe the situation, the mgr usually remembers which employee had that type of confrontation with him or her.

Answer 7

Inter office HR. is worse than water cooler gossip... Only it happens on a higher level. most definitely behind your back.

HR people are professional snitches... That is how they get those jobs!

Answer 8

they could just wait & see how many others r going to complain about him and then do something.

Answer 9

NOT EVER