Work

Your work questions answered: ‘Did HR mistreat me or am I being overly sensitive?’

This ‘strikes me as being very disorganised, and not a very good example’ of workplace communications, says one HR trainer

With only a day's notice, I was told that new project I had been appointed to was being 'deprioritised' and I would be returning to my old role. Photograph: iStock

Jack White
Wed Jun 5 2024 - 06:00

Q: I was asked to join a different area (not immediately related to my skill set) for what I was told was a permanent move which then became a 12-month project. Then unexpectedly and with only one day’s notice, I was informed that the project was being “deprioritised” and I would be returning to my old role the following week.

I believe the real reason was that management in the new role were never satisfied that I was not an expert in that area. While disappointed and embarrassed (my previous colleagues had organised leaving drinks and a generous gift), I accepted the decision.

I asked HR for the process to be improved to prevent a recurrence for others but I feel my concerns were dismissed and they told me that I should take the issue up with line management. I do not feel this was an appropriate response or am I being overly sensitive?

A: We spoke to experts working in human resources and workplace investigation for their insights on your dilemma and the consensus is this was not ideal.

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Things seems to have come to a head due to poor communication and a lack of transparency, resulting in a degree of “disrespect”, according to independent HR trainer, consultant and workplace investigator, Michelle Halloran, of Halloran HR Resolutions.

“It strikes me as being very disorganised, and not a very good example [of how these things should be worked through],” she said.

Ms Halloran said there is nothing “overly sensitive” about the employee relaying concerns, especially when a situation outside their control has left them feeling embarrassed and disappointed among their colleagues.

Ideally, an employee would be interviewed for a new role, or a consultation would have been held to avoid any questions of suitability down the line.

“If the skill set wasn’t suitable, they [the company] should have been honest and had that conversation, and offered to either train them up or explain that it would be better to revert to their original role,” she said.

Ms Halloran said poorly thought through, hasty decisions in addition to poor communication can leave employees feeling “messed around”, with no satisfactory explanation.

Disagreeing with the suggestion that the worker take it up with line management, Ms Halloran said, ideally, HR would make inquiries on behalf of an employee who had raised concerns to find out why there was “toing and froing”.

“Certainly, that’s not very fair and it’s a little bit disrespectful, based on what we’ve been told,” she said.

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One option was to engage with HR again and seek further clarity on the decision to ensure no one is feeling uncertain about their skill set, Ms Halloran said.

“If they feel they are dismissed again, I would advise to put a grievance in writing if they feel strongly enough about it,” she said.

A grievance requesting an explanation can offer closure and a resolution and also ensure similar effects are not felt by other employees down the line.

It does not necessarily need to be a complaint, but more of an opportunity to get a reasonable explanation as to what transpired, she added.

Where more than one team or department is involved, grievances might be better directed towards a company’s HR department, Ms Halloran said.

Grievance procedures can vary between organisations but should commit to giving a response within a certain length of time.

Though employees are expected to be somewhat flexible in their roles, now more than ever, it seems this move and subsequent rescindment, could have been handled more sensitively, says HR and employment law expert Caroline Reidy, founder of the HR Suite.

“Everybody has to have the underlying concept of being flexible, without doubt, but flexibility has to be supported too,” she said.

“Change and being agile is part of every organisation. A lot of people are changing roles and it’s quite common but it’s how we do it – the communication, the engagement and the consultation with the employee – that make it most successful,” she said.

These three pillars are key in helping employees changing duties or roles hit “the ground running”, she said, allowing for the change to be well executed on all sides subsequently.

“Maybe management didn’t handle this in the best way that they could,” she said.

Business reasons may have stood in the way of the planned change but the decision to cancel any big move and the reasons for doing so should be communicated clearly with those impacted.

“We can’t always have it perfect. Something may have happened that was outside the control of the company but how we handle it promptly and proactively is what matters.

“Ultimately, you could raise a grievance but it’s always better to try and address these issues informally where we can,” she said.

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Jack White

Jack White

Jack White is a reporter for The Irish Times

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