HR Isn't the Employee's Friend

 Over the years of working in corporate settings, I have experienced enough turmoil as management changed and organizations evolved.  Although when I first started out, I really viewed HR (Human Resources) as the employee's friend (advocate).  But I soon learned that this is not true, and I notice over and over young workers that also have the perception of HR as a friend.  HR is not your friend.

HR is there for the purpose of protecting the company (not you) from lawsuits and bad PR.  It is true that in some cases, they can help with disputes over company policy and how it might affect an employee, or how lower management might violate policy.  But higher in the management change, it is clear that company policy applies less and less.  Employees are not protected.

You need to know that in most cases, if you have a dispute with management over their treatment of you, the truth is that you are on your own.

I have seen cases where employees would have some sort of agreement signed when they were first hired by the company, on the job responsibilities and mission that they were being hired for.  But as time goes by, they were clearly being put in situations that the agreement never applied to.  And the truth is, that "agreement" is not a legally binding contract.  If the employee doesn't like it, they can voice their concerns (professionally and politely), but if their concerns fall on deaf ears, there is little they can do, and there is nothing that HR is going to do to help them.  At that point, they either need to adapt to the new environment, or look for another job.

And sometimes, getting another jobs just means that the clock is ticking at the new job, where they will be put into the same or similar conditions that are unacceptable to the employee.

The bottom line is that the corporate organization does not care about the employee.  HR does not care about the employee.  You are on your own.  Adapt or move on.