Cat Colella-Graham, founder of Cheer Partners, the employee experience agency, says that employees should view HR representatives as “true partners” and they should be comfortable seeking their guidance. “While HR staff report trends in exit interviews and employee relations to leadership, they are not there to spy or call you out but to provide the structures for an effective and healthy workplace culture for all,” she says.
Trust goes both ways and, for management, that means trusting HR in its role as a strategic advisor and listening to data-driven recommendations, says JacLyn Pagnotta, vice president of human resources at Allied Partners. “However, if a company chooses to ignore such recommendations and do nothing, or do the opposite, it cannot fault HR for the revolving door of employee turnover rates that it is creating by failing to listen,” she says.