HR professionals have a lot of influence and power, which is why maintaining trust with HR is essential for the development of an employee’s career. But trust is a two-way street, so that requires effort from the HR department as well.
Most HR professionals are often tasked with managing sensitive HR data, and sometimes they end up breaching Employees’ privacy Hris software helps HR teams to avoid that, but still, there is a lot more to do from their side to maintain the trust of their employees.
Cezanne’s recent survey found a clear correlation between trust in HR and greater job satisfaction. The survey found that most HR departments are not trusted by their employees due to a lack of transparency or communication. (You can view more information here).
Why is trust important for career development?
The HR department is one of the most important departments for any company. They are responsible for hiring and firing employees and developing a support system that will help them progress in their careers. HR professionals have a lot on their plate- which is why it’s so essential to maintain trust with HR.
Let’s see how trust with HR can help in the career development of employees:
In case of conflict with another member
Since HR is responsible for hiring and firing employees, they are the department to approach if an employee has a conflict with another company member. HR professionals have experience dealing with situations like these on a daily basis, which means that they should be able to mediate and resolve workplace disputes.
But when employees don’t have trust in HR, things can go very wrong. According to Cezanne’s survey results, about 47% of the respondents don’t trust their respective HR teams to help resolve their conflict with another member.
About 55% of the respondents believed their HR teams don’t act impartially. Out of those 55%, 43% believed HR favours seniors, and 12% believed they favour junior staff. ‘
This is a very alarming trend as in this environment, workers are being discouraged from approaching the HR department in case of any dispute, and eventually, this does more harm than good to employees.
In case of career advancement opportunities
Companies usually have a formal process for promotion, which might include multiple rounds of interviews and assessments. HR is responsible for that! HR teams are fully aware of what kind of skill set is required for a particular position.
They can help employees in their career advancement opportunities by providing them with better insight into the process and what they need to do to get there.
But around 48% of the respondents weren’t sure if their HR teams would inform them about the promotion opportunities. But if workers have better communication and trust with the HR team, they should get early updates on promotions!
How can Employees build Trust with HR?
It’s not always easy to build trust, but it is necessary. Here are a few ways Employees can establish trust with HR professionals:
Communicate early
If there are certain things affecting you in your workplace, such as changes in policies, etc., let HR know beforehand so they can address those concerns as soon as possible.
Share feedback
Sharing ideas for the improvement of processes or new initiatives at work and letting the HR team know when something goes wrong helps improve the overall quality of services provided by an organisation and can get you in the good books of management.
Be consistent in your words and actions
It’s easy to build trust when your words and actions align with each other. For example, if you promise a manager that you can get the job done by Monday, but in reality, it takes you another week or so – this doesn’t increase respect for employees from the HR team’s perspective.
Don’t stay silent about issues at work!
If there are any challenges faced on a daily basis because of company policies etc., do not hesitate to voice them out as soon as possible- before they become bigger problems down the line. It is also essential not to take matters into your own hands if you have a conflict with a fellow member.
How can technology be used to help develop trust?
Technology can be used to facilitate better communication between the HR team and employees. This leads to improved trust. A private social media group can be made for employees to get in touch with their HR managers, which is an excellent way to start an open dialogue that could build mutual trust.
Using human resources management systems can also help employees report issues and communicate with HR quickly. These kinds of reporting systems act as forums for constructive feedback from employees regarding work culture, policies-related matters -, which means the HR department can make improvements in no time!