HR is not your friend

I’ve seen a lot of posts recently about reporting workplace issues to HR. These issues include workplace harassment, discrimination, unreasonable expectations from management, management lying about you, management threatening to fire you if you don’t do xyz, etc. Many of us view HR as a “neutral” party or “arbitrator” that will help resolve the issue in a fair and unbiased way. We think HR is here to help employees out. This view is very far from the truth. HR is “employed by the company” and is always on the company’s side and never on your side. Their job is to prevent the company from a lawsuit by dismissing the seriousness of your complaint. Unfortunately, this could also mean that you’re now viewed as potentially dangerous to the company and they’ll be finding a way to get rid of you. (vindictive behavior???) That said, if you can handle potentially losing your job (i.e. if no visa issues, you’re high in demand, etc.), I would always recommend making a complaint to HR. Exposing workplace issues (such as harassment, discrimination, etc) is ALWAYS the right thing to do. If you find yourself in a similar situation, here are some very important tips: - always have a paper trail. Save ALL emails, documents, and all other communication (save them outside of the company laptop - ideally email them to yourself or somehow save them on your own personal laptop) - record all conversations (in some states such as New York, it is legal to record your conversations without letting the other party know). Unbeknownst to you, HR could be recording them as well. - after a meeting, always send a follow up email summarizing the conversation - clearly indicate what was agreed to and not agreed to - if you’re invited to a meeting that has no agenda (or a sudden meeting), always ask what the meeting is about. If you’re not given an agenda, you must REFUSE to attend - do not be afraid. Never ever be afraid. #hrissues #fb #google #meta #netflix #linkedin #microsoft #msft #uber #goldmansachs #wlb #tc