This sounds like what HR wants you to think about your colleagues. Can’t organise if can’t trust your colleagues.
I am organized and I still am leery.
It is still true though.
The truth is that all your coworkers are not automatically your friends. You CAN become genuinely good friends with some though.
Agreed. This must be kept in mind. There will be people who enjoy being part of corporate more than they enjoy being good colleagues.
In some cases, but not across the board. In fact, if you don’t trust any of your co-workers, I’d say there’s a chance you are the problem. I’ve known people like this and my job is better without them.
You don’t need to trust your coworkers to organize. And they will take advantage of you if you work their shift etc and often will not reciprocate. You can acknowledge that coworkers aren’t your friends while understanding that organizing is good for everyone. If someone is gonna try to sabotage your attempts at organizing that’s just how it is but there’s no reason to trust a coworker to pay you back. Also, I’m sorry but if you’re putting people at risk I don’t care how friendly you act to me I’m reporting you.
Sounds like you work somewhere shitty. Most of my coworkers mind their own business because they are too busy working to do anything else. Only time I’ve seen people “snitch” was to throw poor management under the bus, or corroborate sexual harassment complaints. And I’m not going to complain about that.
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And HR people can never be trusted to be on your side on any issue. Never, ever confide in an HR person, getting rid of you in some way is always the easiest solution to any problem.
Only when you first take outside council and then go to HR through them, do you have some sort of protection from getting swept under the rug.
HR are the work police.
Exactly. It’s no different than never, ever, EVER saying a word to the
capital defense forcepolice(in the US). Nothing good and only bad can come of it. The rare honest US cop will tell you that themselves, when they aren’t busy beating a minority/homeless person senseless and planting drugs on them, at least.That is what HR is, your office cop. Anything you say can and will be used against you.
Ok, counterpoint.
As a white-passing clearly upper middle class person, I have been in situations where I just told the cop exactly what I was doing and why I was there, and got told “well you can’t be here now, go home”. It helped that I wasn’t up to anything illicit, but the determining factor was my Pantone ranking and grooming.
If I’d said “I won’t say anything to you without a lawyer”, I probably would have been in for a lot of hassling.
I’m not saying “be respectful and it’ll be good” or any of that bullshit (got biracial kids, that isn’t the talk I’m going to have).
The bit from formerly-funny Dave Chappele where the white guy tells the cop “I’m sorry, I didn’t know I couldn’t do that” has a chunk of truth in it.
You don’t have to spit on cops and antagonize them to not speak to them or offer them any info.
Wait until you’re in a protest with knowledgeable people who have your back to square up against the police.
Awesome generalization. This is so wholly dependent on the country, company, HR policy and HR person, that it’s a pretty useless statement.
While it is a generalization, HR is there to represent the company, not you. Good HR personnel will do their best to accommodate both… but their job is on the line if they cause harm to the company by supporting you instead.
It’s not good to just assume that everyone in certain positions is an evil ghoul who is just out to screw you… but it’s worse to assume they’re your friend and there to help you no matter what.
Don’t know what country you live in, but I worked in HR and I would’ve had the company’s ass if they’d tried to fire me because I supported a co-worker. And that’s why this generalization is so sucky. In my opinion generalization is one of mankind’s worst diseases we have. So be terrific and be specific.
Yet this HR professional is generalizing about workers like they are crabs in a bucket. Hmmm.
Yes and she’s an idiot for doing so. But just because someone else is doing the same thing, doesn’t mean it justifies a response with just as much generalization.
The company often has more resources than you, and while many countries have strong support for their workers, it’s not a golden bullet. It’s still often a long and arduous process that would drive anyone insane.
Sure, maybe in your experience, you think you’d rake them over the coals in your imaginary scenario… but it’s nowhere near clear cut in reality.
So don’t presume to assume that your viewpoint is universal either.
As a Union member, allow me to remind you all that HR do not care about you and will never address any grievances you have because their job is to limit the legal liability of the company and stop you suing.
Do not trust HR.
Do not think they have your best interests at heart.
As a fellow union brother I second this. Labor Relations as we call it is only there to protect the company and its management, they will fuck you over a barrel if it helps the company.
In the private sector*
Public sector is a bit different, as there’s no profit motive involved and the HR equivalent is literally just (most) peeps making sure everyone is following the law/regulations, including bosses.
The public sector LR is still looking out to protect the department, agency, bureau etc. against setting precedent that the management doesn’t like, keeping people off disability, paying out damages and avoiding human rights complaints. I know people in public sector that have been totally railroaded by public sector LR.
LR: oh you’re being sexually harassed by a coworker, and there are tons of people willing to give credit to your claim because they’ve witnessed it, and there is video evidence of the sexual harassment? Wow looks bad, but you’re going through a divorce so the depression and anxiety you’re experiencing when coming to work isn’t because of the constant sexual harassment it has to be from your divorce. We’ll just transfer you, the victim to another office and deny your workplace harassment claim and not allow you to go on short term or long term disability.
Sounds like something an HR professional would say to make sure everyone coughs up the info when they ask.
No, jobs are what let’s you live with a paycheck, if someone is scared of their job or worried it’s between you and I. They might snitch or say something to help their case over you.
Basically no one has your back at work but yourself.
Unless you’re in a union
How convenient it must be for HR for everyone to be afraid of everyone else? How could you possibly unionize or form a cooperative if you fear and distrust your fellow workers?
This post is sus.
As a non American professional, allow me to remind you that that’s not the case everywhere. There are company’s and country’s where employees are safe and valued.
There are also managers that are actually interested in knowing the complaints of workers. Many things can be done to improve the situation. (again, as non american)
Also as a non-american, I don’t think I have ever trusted a co-worker in my 15+ years of professional experience. It’s all fun and giggles until they see an opportunity to climb the ladder, and then colleagues will throw you under the bus without even blinking. Best to be safe than sorry… Also, living is a miserable existence.
Fuck you, HR. I have my boss over to play DnD every Saturday. Just because you’re a salty, heartless removed, it doesn’t mean everyone else is.
Fearmongering.
I like my coworkers enough that I don’t want to put them in a position where they might have to choose between “snitching” and loyalty to me.
It’s not fair to expect another to put their job (or reputation with management) at risk, just for my benefit. If I did expect it, that would make me a selfish prick who didn’t deserve their friendship in the first place.
Even tho I disagree, at least I know that I wouldn’t want to work with you.
Between the social policy wars they stoke with the media and political parties they fully own, and the celebrated cut-throat work culture they demand with the promise of slightly larger crumbs, the owners have ensured we, their livestock, stay at each other’s throats so we never look up at our common enemy.
Just how they want it. Snitches are class traitors doing their master’s work against their own interests.
Oooohhhh I’m telling on you!!!
Please do if my punishment is summary execution.
As an HR professional
If you want to have fun, go watch your HR employees on linkedin. They frequently goes directly into HR from jobs requiring no skills at all.
They are complete tools.
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As a team leader let me tell you that coworkers “snitching” is useless anyway (at least here in Germany). Just play the mobbing card and their testimony is out the window.
What’s mobbing?
Bullying in german
Though most often applied in contexts where the bullying is done by an entire group of people, usually to completely isolate the targeted person.
