Last week Inc. magazine published “How to Make Your HR Department Effective Against Sexual Harassment” by Suzanne Lucas. In the article Lucas outlines several reasons why HR can’t stop all discrimination and harassment. We looked at these reasons and analyzed them from a PEO perspective.
The first issue raised is that HR is typically tasked with protecting the company’s interest. The solution here is to broaden the definition of company intertest. We agree with the author on that point. It is not just about making a claim go away, but more about solving the root issues, so no others arise. A PEO can be helpful in this situation because it adds an impartial HR resource to the mix. By giving a 3rd party for employees to interact with, there is less of a conflict of interest. We are there to listen, to help communicate issues and to impartially manage the complaints. We can go a step further and aid with training and counselling to ward against future issues as well.
The second issue raised highlights that issues need to be taken seriously and that the head of HR should report directly to the CEO to inhibit issues being disregarded by other levels of management. In general, a PEO interacts with those at the highest level within a company. Issues brought to us are communicated with our clients and addressed at the appropriate level.
Lastly Lucas talks about people not respecting HR. This point highlights the benefits of using a PEO for your human resource needs. When you know you will see the HR manager at the lunch table or water cooler, it might influence what you say to her. If you know she is friends with the person you have an issue with, that may influence your decision to report it. Hiring a PEO allows your employees an HR department to call that will have an unbiased ear. At Spirit, we maintain enough presence, so your employees know who we are and feel comfortable speaking with us, but not so much of one that they have the water cooler issue. Most HR issues can be solved if the employee is given the opportunity to speak and feels heard.