Podcast Examines Why Employees Don't Trust HR

Hosted by: David Weisenfeld

Many employees distrust management, and that often includes human resources. Recent events illustrate this as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos got more than he bargained for after inviting employees to come forward to the company's HR department following a controversy about Amazon's culture. A flurry of negative comments ensued.

On this podcast, we discuss the negative perception of HR and what can be done to change it with longtime North Carolina employment attorney and blogger Robin Shea, who authors the Employment & Labor Insider blog at Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete.

Shea wrote about the Amazon controversy and noted the flood of online comments in response to Bezos' invitation about how "HR is in the tank for employers" and "human resources isn't even human!"

Shea said that many employees believe HR should be on their side. But the reality, she points out, is that HR works for the company so the HR representative will always be in sort of a gray area. She also notes that the role sometimes simply is not given enough authority. Nevertheless, Shea details some examples where HR saved an employee and says, "Disgruntled employees, HR is on your side more than you think."