Q: I work for a small company and requested information from the human resources department on how best to handle my plan to resign in a few months when our family is expected to relocate. I asked the HR person to keep it confidential, but she didn’t. She told the CEO, who told my manager who questioned me about it. Needless to say, I was taken aback. What can I reasonably expect in terms of confidentiality when I speak to HR?
A: HR has a difficult role because they have to straddle and effectively engage in two worlds: front-line employees and management. On the one hand, it’s important for employees to trust HR, and know that information shared will be treated confidentially and discreetly and not repeated or gossiped about to other employees.
On the other hand, HR is ultimately responsible to the organization, and not to any individual. This means they must assess and judge when a situation could present legal or operational risk to the organization.
It’s possible that in your small company, the HR person determined that your departure might negatively impact the organization, and gave the CEO a heads-up. Of course, when she determined she must do this, she should’ve told you, so you’d be prepared and not “taken aback”. But, perhaps she was inexperienced. Lots of HR professionals have been laid off in this economy, leaving their duties to be covered by someone with little training or experience. I suspect she meant well, but didn’t know how to handle it.
I was often asked: “If I tell you something, will you keep it confidential?” To which I always replied, “It depends”. Making clear what could and couldn’t be keep confidential before the employee left my office.
To answer your question, you should reasonably expect HR to be discreet, confidential and helpful. For example, if you share that your teen got arrested, or you’re about to divorce, HR might suggest the company’s counseling program, and the issue goes no further. However, you shouldn’t expect HR to be informed of something that may potentially affect the organization, (a key person resigning) yet take no action. Either way, HR should let you know where you stand.
© Copyright Eva Del Rio
