WEBVTT - Is HR really your friend?

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<v Speaker 1>I've worked at companies that have got HR slogans plastered

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<v Speaker 1>all over the walls, telling me that the company is

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<v Speaker 1>your friend, But it's often the complete opposite, isn't.

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<v Speaker 2>It That is correct?

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<v Speaker 3>It is the complete opposite. Now, I'm not saying that

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<v Speaker 3>HR people aren't nice people, or a lot of nice

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<v Speaker 3>HR people out there, I know quite a few. However,

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<v Speaker 3>people need to realize that the company pays for the

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<v Speaker 3>HR manager and the HR department. They're not paying them

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<v Speaker 3>to protect you against the company or someone in the company.

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<v Speaker 1>I've always got the impression that HR are there to

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<v Speaker 1>protect the employer.

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<v Speaker 3>They are. Look, they're pretty much a risk navigating system

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<v Speaker 3>for the employer. So obviously risk means we want to

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<v Speaker 3>make sure we're hiring the right people so we don't

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<v Speaker 3>have to rehire because it's so expensive. We also don't

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<v Speaker 3>want any grief or anything that's going to disrupt the

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<v Speaker 3>productivity of the company, because it's faced. Businesses, especially big businesses,

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<v Speaker 3>are about making money efficiently, so that's their job. Their

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<v Speaker 3>job is to make sure that's happening. So it's running

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<v Speaker 3>workshops or identifying a problem and removing it. But it

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<v Speaker 3>doesn't necessarily mean the problem that is that is your

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<v Speaker 3>problem is also their problem.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you think it's to your detriment to go to Waitchard?

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<v Speaker 1>Do you think you're better off just wearing it or

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<v Speaker 1>moving into another company.

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<v Speaker 3>Look, it can be to your detriment unless you have so.

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<v Speaker 3>For example, if you've been bullied or harass which happens

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<v Speaker 3>often and people and the bullies are very very good

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<v Speaker 3>at that. But if you're tracking everything that's happening to

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<v Speaker 3>you and you've got evidence, then HR need.

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<v Speaker 2>To listen to that.

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<v Speaker 3>They're not going to listen to you just saying this

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<v Speaker 3>person's harassing me or this is what's happening to me.

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<v Speaker 3>You need proof and you need like a log book

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<v Speaker 3>of what's happened to you. Then they have to take

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<v Speaker 3>you seriously, and sometimes that will literally remove you from

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<v Speaker 3>your role into a different department because the person that's

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<v Speaker 3>doing it to you so high up and they're very connected,

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<v Speaker 3>or they're not going anywhere.

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<v Speaker 1>It seems that if you've got someone who's in a

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<v Speaker 1>position where they're your boss and they're making your life hard,

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<v Speaker 1>the longer they've been with the company, the more chances

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<v Speaker 1>are that this has happened before and that HR are

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<v Speaker 1>waiting for you to come knocking on the door.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, yes, but also what's really disappointing, and I see

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<v Speaker 3>this all the time with the people I work with

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<v Speaker 3>in clients, is the fact that that person can cause

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<v Speaker 3>so much grief for the whole company by retaliation or

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<v Speaker 3>throwing a tantrum.

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<v Speaker 2>Or because they know where the bodies are buried, yes.

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<v Speaker 3>With blackmout, so they'll keep them. And then you're the

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<v Speaker 3>one that's been hurt. So don't rely on HR to

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<v Speaker 3>be your friend. Use it as a tool, but make

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<v Speaker 3>sure you're prepared for all options.

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<v Speaker 1>And when they plaster their windows with all of these

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<v Speaker 1>slogans making you think that they are employee friendly, is

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<v Speaker 1>that a legality or is that just to try and

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<v Speaker 1>give you the inference that they are In fact, it's

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<v Speaker 1>there for you.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, it's definitely trying to make sure that they're ticking

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<v Speaker 3>the box, that they're doing the right things by law,

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<v Speaker 3>that there are a safe place for everyone, and that

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<v Speaker 3>everyone is treated equally. So they've got to say it,

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<v Speaker 3>but doesn't necessarily mean that all the companies deliver on that.

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<v Speaker 2>So what's the point of HR then?

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<v Speaker 1>Is it just something that's perfunctory, that's there just to

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<v Speaker 1>make you feel secure as an employee.

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<v Speaker 3>Oh, it's just a governance and risk mitigating department for

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<v Speaker 3>the company, for the company itself, and a recruiter for

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<v Speaker 3>the company. And there might be some training components to

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<v Speaker 3>you know, a lot of companies offer training. And this

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<v Speaker 3>is another thing, although offer you know, sexual harassment training

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<v Speaker 3>doesn't mean it's going to work. But they've ticked the

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<v Speaker 3>box to say that they've run it.

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<v Speaker 2>Do you think that's a government thing that they have

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<v Speaker 2>to do that they.

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<v Speaker 3>Do it because if they don't have all these things

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<v Speaker 3>written down, for example, they might miss out on contracts,

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<v Speaker 3>they might miss out on you know, the criteria for

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<v Speaker 3>ESG or for being you know, workplace gender equality and

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<v Speaker 3>things like that. So a lot of these organizations play

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<v Speaker 3>the game, but it doesn't mean it's rippling down to individual.

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<v Speaker 1>And so if you go to HR, I've often thought

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<v Speaker 1>this that there's nothing confidential about it one, and that

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<v Speaker 1>it'll get back to the person you're complaining about. And

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<v Speaker 1>also I've often thought that it goes against you in

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<v Speaker 1>your record somewhere, that you're a bit of a complainer.

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<v Speaker 3>Oh. Absolutely, And I've seen so many people go to

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<v Speaker 3>HR genuinely with you know, their documentation, and they're seen

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<v Speaker 3>as the difficult person, and then the person they complained

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<v Speaker 3>about tells everyone and then they all turn on you,

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<v Speaker 3>and then you're having you're highly stressed at work.

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<v Speaker 2>It's it's not worth it.

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<v Speaker 3>The only time you should go to HR is when

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<v Speaker 3>your case is so solid and so powerful and you

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<v Speaker 3>have a backup job waiting for you, and you can

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<v Speaker 3>go in there with guns are blazing.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, well, if you've got a.

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<v Speaker 1>Job waiting for you, it's just really a way of

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<v Speaker 1>getting retribution, isn't it before you get to go.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, it's satisfying, right, But that's what I always say

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<v Speaker 3>to people.

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<v Speaker 2>Always have another job available.

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<v Speaker 3>Like, even if you're in a job that you love,

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<v Speaker 3>all it takes is for them to hire one person

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<v Speaker 3>or one thing to change and you hate your job.

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<v Speaker 2>Have you ever gone to h I have.

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<v Speaker 3>I've been bullied in the workplace, but my backup was

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<v Speaker 3>that I used to tell my manager on a regular

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<v Speaker 3>basis what was happening. And I actually stood up to

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<v Speaker 3>my particular bully. And they were a lot older than me.

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<v Speaker 3>I was only in my twenties and there was a

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<v Speaker 3>male and then they went to HR and complained about me,

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<v Speaker 3>and so Hi instantaneously took their side, and it wasn't

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<v Speaker 3>until my manager said, no, she's been complaining about him

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<v Speaker 3>for six months but didn't want him to lose his job,

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<v Speaker 3>so she didn't say anything. And that's only when she

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<v Speaker 3>went oh. But the initial was like, oh, she's in

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<v Speaker 3>the role. We know because you've got all these mates

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<v Speaker 3>and everything to kind of back him, and my boss

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<v Speaker 3>went no, No, he's been harassing her for some time now.

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<v Speaker 2>Did somebody go, oh, is this about Amanda again?

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<v Speaker 3>Well, that happens now, but more like you know, with

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<v Speaker 3>people I work with. But it's just really interesting. I

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<v Speaker 3>was in my twenties and this man was in his forties.

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<v Speaker 3>Like the power imbalance of that was horrific. So it's

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<v Speaker 3>kind of like the best manipulated, the most connected, the

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<v Speaker 3>best performer of lies is the person they listen to.