Almost a quarter of employees (23%) do not trust HR, according to research from CIPHR.
The poll found, however, that more than half of respondents (56%) do regard HR as a trusted partner in staff and employer issues.
Furthermore, the data found the overall level of satisfaction among employees dealing with HR teams is high, with just over 60% describing their experience as great or good. Only 9% of respondents said their experience of HR in the workplace was poor.
Just over half of all employees (53%) have had cause to complain to HR concerning a work issue or colleague. Again just over half (55%) of respondents told CIPHR they had witnessed inappropriate behaviour at work that they considered serious enough to escalate to HR. Forty-one per cent of employees who have witnessed inappropriate behaviour said they had actively reported this to HR, with 36% letting the issue slide.
Only 35% of employees said they felt more comfortable discussing their HR issue with a member of the same sex. Of these respondents it was men who were more likely to do so (60% of men compared to 40% of women). Sixty-five per cent of employees said they weren’t bothered if they spoke to an HR representative of the same or different sex regarding any issues they may have.
Claire Williams, director of people and services at CIPHR, said that while the figures are encouraging there is more work for HR to do: “This is a really welcome outcome for the HR industry as a whole. The majority of employees have responded with positivity towards HR staff and levels of trust are clearly high. However, the data also shows there are still a large number of employees who have not been won over yet. There is ongoing work needed to encourage employee engagement and improve the overall experience employees have when dealing with HR, whatever the reason.”
CIPHR conducted the study of more than 1,400 full-time employees to explore their experiences, satisfaction and levels of trust between employees and HR departments across the UK.
