HRChick
Seattle, WA
Female, 39
I'm the head of HR for a leading digital media company. I'm responsible for making my company an amazing place to work - or at least I'll go down trying! In short, I set the strategic direction for the HR function of the organization. I wear many hats: member of the executive team, confidant and advisor to my peers regarding people matters, as well as an advocate for all people that work hard to make our products great. People are what make organizations tick, and my job is to empower them all.
Yup. Anytime you have a professional relationship with someone, you do need to be mindful that what happens in Vegas, doesn't always stay in Vegas. To give an example, a manager harassing an employee at a mutual friend's wedding is still going to creep out the employee - even more so on Monday when they have to see them in the office. A similar example is from a recent court case. In this example, a management employee and a coworker were at a mutual friend's birthday party. At this party, the coworker mentioned to the manager that she was having issues with her boss, but that she didn't want the manager to do anything about it. Two years later, when the employee sued the company for harassment, she cited telling this management employee about her concerns at this party as one of the times she gave the company notice of the problem. The court held this to be true, even though the manager was not a manager of the employee, and was in a separate department. Both the company, and this management employee, were held liable for knowingly allowing harassment to happen.
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I think it really comes down to the company you work for, and how they treat employees in general. HR has a legal obligation to create a workplace that is compliant with a variety of laws, many that have to do with our rights as employees. It's how this obligation is interpreted and enacted that makes the difference. You can have a workplace that is completely compliant with the law, but makes employees feel disrespected and scared to express concerns. I know, as I've unfortunately worked at places like that. It really sucked - and I got the heck outta dodge. Good HR people understand that taking care of your employees is the best way to ultimately take care of the company itself. It shouldn't be an either / or, it should be recognized that when employees win, the company wins. If an employee brings forward a complaint about their supervisor, it should be taken seriously, professionally, and handled in a way that is respectful and discrete for all parties involved. And once resolution is reached, HR should help everyone move on in a positive direction.
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Harassment does happen, and it is awful for many reasons. No employee, male or female, should be in a situation where they are made to feel uncomfortable based on any personal characteristic. When it does happen, HR or management has a legal obligation to take the complaint seriously, investigate the situation, and remedy the situation. Some companies don't do this and, instead, make the situation even worse by taking further action harmful to the impacted employee. To anyone who finds themself in a situation where they are being harassed, my first advice is to seek internal resources to fix the problem. Most companies, and HR people, do want to do right by their people. If that doesn't happen, and you continue to be harassed, for personal well-being I suggest taking steps to find another job somewhere else on your own. If a company isn't going to protect its employees legal rights in one area, it likely is not going to be respectful in other areas. And I would consider taking legal action against the company, depending on the extent of the situation and your personal desire to do so. Maybe, just maybe, the last few neanderthals out there who engage in harassment might get scared enough to stop. Or, the people around them who enable the behavior will stand up to them.
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Well, you can address this - and you can do it in a way that is professional, positive and can hopefully lead to a good result. But in order to change things at your current company, you will need to ask for a change. The company was aware of the difference in pay when they made you the offer, and didn't correct it at the time. The ball is in your court. I would start by doing more homework. Write down what you know about your coworkers - also known as 'internal market data'. Then, I would check out some additional external sources, which will provide additional back up. I recommend salary.com and glassdoor.com. Sometimes, job posting sites such as monster.com or indeed.com have salary information, but it is hit or miss. One note: many companies hate it that employees talk to each other about pay. However, this is your right - and the right of your coworkers. I would just be careful, as pay can be a very private subject for people. In other words, don't antagonize / piss off your coworkers asking them for pay information. That won't go over well, and disrupting the workplace can get you in trouble. Take all of this information and consolidate it down to some bullet points of what you have learned. I suggest also printing out the job descriptions and pay information from the websites you looked at. This demonstrates that you are looking at comparable jobs and not making stuff up. I would not, however, be very specific about who you spoke with internally. Again, people get uncomfortable with their own pay. I'd leave it fairly general, similar to how you've written it above. Then, prepare to talk. How you approach your boss is as important as the information you provide. In some cases, it might be a good idea to send an email before meeting face to face. This gives your manager time to do some homework. In terms of what to say, I recommend something along the following lines: * I'm enjoying my new role here as XXX. Hopefully you have found my contributions to date to be valuable to you and the team. (Fill in more appropriate 'I'm happy here, and I hope you are happy with me too' stuff as necessary.) * I do have a concern that I would like to discuss with you. Specifically, upon reflection, I feel that in negotiating my starting salary with you, I undervalued my skills and have done myself a disservice. * I've learned more about what my role is typically compensated at, both internal and external to the company. In both cases, the average is about XXXXX more than my pay. * I would like to discuss with you steps that can potentially be taken to remedy this. I'm open to finding a creative solution that works for both of us. * I've set time on our calendars on (fill in day here) for us to follow up. The second to last bullet point is an important one. Companies can be quite flexible when it comes to pay. Some may offer you a raise on the spot. Others might offer to revisit your salary after 3-6 months on the job. If that is the case, I would be very clear on what their expectations are of you so you can kill it. Some get super creative - how about a 4 day / 36 hour work week instead? Bottom line, the more flexible you are, the more likely you are to ultimately get what you want from this company in the long term. They can also say no. Or, they can say they will revisit it in a timeline that is not in line with yours. If that is the case, you could resume your job search on the side. It's not ideal, but at the same time, you have expressed what you need to be happy and your employer has decided to not to work with you to reach that happy place. I wouldn't advertise it, and I suggest being very thoughtful and picky now that you have a source of steady income. The end goal should be to find an employer who values you and your skills fairly.
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Sommelier
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Ah... truth hurts. Yes, I have, and on more than one occasion. Let's just say I can be a slow learner at times. But I do know what I speak of when I give advice. In the first case, I was very young, and while in HR, it wasn't in a role that had any significant authority or responsibility. We were public, and when it ended, everyone knew about it. The drama... it's embarrassing looking backwards. The second time (still young) we were both being laid off in a couple of months, so I felt it was OK given there was a near end-date in sight. Even so, we were secret about it. For a while. Until people figured it out (it was a very small office.) The third and last time (seriously, do as I say, not as I do)... it was quiet, under the radar and short. It ended gracefully, and we went forward professionally and without incident. That is, until he was fired, and I had to confess to my boss that I might not be the most objective HR person to deal with the issue. That was seriously humiliating and a total buzz-kill to any romantic engagements at the workplace. I have to admit, I feel a little bit better coming clean. ;-)
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Yup. I have had to have the following conversations more than once: * You need to take a shower before work * You need to wear clean clothes to the office * It is inappropriate to not wear shoes into the restroom * There are over the counter remedies, such as Beano, that can help address the dispute between you and your coworkers And you can ask HR to do it in an anonymous fashion...
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Thank you for asking this question! We HR peeps do have a bit of a chip on our shoulder about our reputation - this gives me a chance to set the record straight. One of my favorite roles is to play as a sounding board or coach for employees at all levels. Having dealt with many different employment situations, most HR people can discuss current issues with someone and help them evaluate the different approaches. This is especially true if the situation is something that could potentially escalate into a major dispute that HR would need to be involved with. It gives us a chance to head it off at the pass, and allow the employee(s) involved avoid a stressful situation. A collaborative approach can help people find their way through disagreements, challenging work assignments, or even difficult career path questions. It is empowering for the employee, and the HR person gets to play a more fulfilling role than bad cop / lawyer / mom.
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