How accessible should HR be?

I’m sure we’d all agree that HR need to have a high profile for involvement in key decisions and in driving the people agenda. But what about the traditional employee support role? How is that kind of mediation or employee advocacy regarded in your organisation?

It seems to me that this is a fundamental part of how HR operate, and I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I’ve had two interesting conversations this week with friends who appear to have been badly managed. One was an appalling RTW consultation by their line manager, and the other is doing two people’s jobs without a solution in sight.

Of course I don’t know the full story, or the rights or wrongs, but I was surprised that neither of these people had:
a) thought of talking to anyone in HR, or
b) had any idea who in HR to approach, or how to do it.

Should people know who they can go to when they’ve got something they need help with? Is this a resource issue rather than a choice by HR?

Services
Upcoming workshops & webinars

Recording: How to lead HR for maximum strategic impact

Date: Recording from Tuesday 28th January 2025

Webinar series: How to thrive as a CPO in today’s world of work

Date: Monthly webinars will be scheduled

Recording: As CPO, how do I lead through complexity and manage my anxiety?

Date: Recording from Monday 2nd December 2024
Latest resources