Who Is Management Responsible To?

There's been an interesting discussion taking place lately with human resource directors. It would seem that the issue coming to the forefront is their role in the company. The question isn't what their job is supposed to be; the question is who are they most responsible to.

It's an interesting question because the belief of most employees is that human resources is there for the employee, but often that's not the case. The reality is that most managers are actually at the beck and call of the company. They're obviously a part of the management structure by title. They're almost never unionized, and they are exempt employees as opposed to hourly employees.

The issue human resource managers have is that they are often in the position of having employees going to them and confiding personal information to them, and what the employee often doesn't know is that the HR director just may be obligated to pass that information along to others, including the offending manager. Right now the only complication to this particular issue is the onset of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, for those of you who are out of the healthcare loop) and its provisions for medical confidentiality. In essence, by law the only information they are not allowed to pass along as of April 1st is any medical information you as the employee may inform them of, without facing some serious fines.

The issue of who employees can trust isn't only relegated to HR directors, however, My father used to say that employees should always think of management as the enemy because if you did then you'd keep in mind just how much of a divide a manager should have to cross to gain your trust. Whereas I have never viewed the relationship as dramatically, I did agree that managers should have to earn trust and respect from their employees, rather than have it imparted upon them because of the title.

As a manager, one has to take a stand as to who they're ultimately going to side with when the chips are down. This isn't as easy a decision to make as one might think. Whereas I believe that managers should always be responsible for looking after the needs of their employees and should always see themselves as being there for the employee instead of the employee being there for them, there are times when the needs and goals of the company must come first.

Situations where management has to always stick together are varied. If the company has to review possible layoffs and need management to keep it a secret, it's imperative that they keep that secret, even if they have to lie in addressing rumors. They may have to keep things quiet if there's going to be policy changes that may affect employees. Even if they argue against changes in meetings once a decision has been reached, if they're any kind of manager of integrity, they will at least initially follow the company line to show solidarity, until they have an opportunity on the back end to have a sit down discussion with their employees to explain themselves as it concerned these types of issues.

Issues, issues. Loyalty is one of the most important facets of employment today, from each level to another. Without loyalty there's no reason to want to work for anyone; you end up working for yourself, and a company cannot survive with each person out for only their own interests. However, at each level, people need someone they can confide in from time to time, whether that person is a peer, subordinate, or at upper levels in the company.

Let's address the three issues I've brought up. To start with, HR directors owe it to company employees to let them know up front where their ultimate responsibilities lie. If they are going to be put in the position where they may have to divulge personal information that was told to them in a confidential manner they should notify employees of this fact up front. I also believe that it's the responsibility of the HR director, if not the company itself, to establish a place or person that employees can go to. Whether it's an EAP (Employee Assistance Program) of some kind or whether the company establishes an atmosphere that allows managers the freedom to provide for the needs of their employees as they see fit, the working environment can only be positively charged if employees know they have somewhere to go to address their issues. Employers, can you spell "union"?

When it comes to managers they have to find ways to communicate to their employees the same thing. The truth is that if a manager is more loyal to the company than the employee they probably won't ever do it, and one would hope the employee will recognize this fact early on and never share anything personal with this manager. If the manager will go out of his or her way to try to protect their employees, yet can still represent the company when required, they need to make sure they've established the rapport with their employees so that the employee understands that business is business, but that the employees interests will never be compromised when the manager doesn't have to capitulate. In this instance, even the HR director is ultimately more responsible for the employees that report to them than any other employee, including upper management.

Finally, as an employee, if you haven't heard it anywhere else you've heard it here first; the manager works for the company, and you work for the manager. Until you've established what your working relationship is with your manager or any other manager you should never open yourself up too much when it comes to your personal issues. It's always up to employees to learn what their recourses are to protect themselves in the work place, and not to always wait for someone else to tell them what their rights are. As the employee, your loyalty truly is only to the company, not any one person, until they've shown you that they've earned it. You should always be aware to protect your own interests while promoting the company you work for. Company success, in the end, will be the best protection you can ever provide for yourself and your career.



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