Researcher Describes Limits of HR Independence in Workplace Disputes

A reader expressed skepticism about approaching a company's human resources department with complaints about a manager's behavior. The reader stated that HR teams often prioritize business outcomes over employee concerns and may deflect or minimize issues to limit costs.

Dr Hongbo Guo, a postdoctoral research fellow at the ANU College of Business and Economics, reviewed the question. He confirmed that most modern HR teams operate under a dual mandate to support employees while protecting the organization from legal, reputational, and operational risk.

Guo said HR departments are structurally located inside the organization, employed by the organization, and report through organizational hierarchy. Their authority, budget, and legitimacy are often shaped by senior management, he stated. He noted that even when HR staff have good intentions, processes can at times protect existing hierarchies.

Guo added that unions, Fair Work, lawyers, external regulators, and professional associations serve different roles from HR.

Guo said there is no single remedy for the tension between employee support and organizational protection. He stated that procedural fairness and evidence are important, but HR professionals should also consider whether an employee who makes a complaint is protected from retaliation and whether the manager retains control over workload, performance reviews, contracts, and promotions during an investigation.

Guo said employees can trust HR only when the organization has built conditions that make trust rational. Until then, he said, an instruction to go to HR remains ambiguous.