(Published October 27, 2008)
We've all heard it before: When in doubt, ask Human Resources.
Sometimes, employees have a hard time telling exactly what it is that we do. Oh, they know that we have a hand in their insurance benefits and their vacation time. They know that we're the bogey their supervisors blame everything on (e.g., "I don't want to [change you to third shift, reprimand you for your third unexcused tardy in a week, refuse your request for vacation, etc.], but HR is making me do it"). They're also pretty sure that we're the ones to come to if they have a complaint about a manager or co-worker. But they don't always quite understand where the limits are.
I once had quite a long conversation with an employee who couldn't understand why I wasn't responsible for changing the toner in the copier. Now, I will grant you that in some offices, including some I have worked in, HR would be responsible for changing the toner in the copier, as well as other operations issues. But not at this company. At this company, operations were handled by, well, Operations. But no matter how often I said, "That's an Operations issue; call Eric," the employee kept saying, "Okay, but when are you going to get it fixed?" (Bang head here.)
Just in the last week, our HR office has fielded the following questions:
"Who do I talk to about getting a home equity loan?" It isn't Human Resources, I can tell you that, and even Accounting would be a stretch. Have you considered the credit union?
"What is the employer's tax ID number?" Okay, I will grant you that once we dug deeper into the question, there was a certain justification for contacting HR (specifically, the Benefits area) about this one. But while I don't know exactly what his train of thought was, the train was on the wrong track as he wanted our tax ID number so that he could determine what doctors were covered on his wife's health insurance plan. (His wife, naturally, was not our employee.) Even when we finally established that he was confusing a tax ID with a group number, I'm not quite certain how he figured that our group number would identify doctors on a plan we do not provide. And, in any case, since he thought he needed a tax ID, shouldn't he have been in touch with Payroll?
"Why isn't my Social Security number in my computer records?" I think calling Information Systems and Technology (IS&T) would be a faster solution to that problem. And I'd definitely be on the phone to Payroll to make sure they have it!
"How do I make a long distance call on my extension?" This one came to me personally. Even after years of dealing with the "when in doubt, ask HR" syndrome, this one was so off the wall, I was stunned. Unable to think how else to respond, I simply told her how to do it, much to the amazement of my colleagues in surrounding areas who could only hear my side of the conversation. Of course, now that she thinks HR will answer that kind of question, who knows what questions she'll come up with next!
Seriously, I think if it's a question that we can help with, such as the long distance call question, we should just go ahead and help. I could have sent her to our version of Operations (or even her own manager), but since I knew the answer, it was just as easy to give it to her. Had I known how to change the toner in the copier, I would probably have done so; after all, I needed to use it, too! I also think, though, that when appropriate, even if we answer the question, we should politely and gently let them know who would have been a better resource. No sense encouraging them to call us for things that don't belong!
But we shouldn't be answering department-specific questions for other departments any more than they should be answering questions about the flexible spending account or the employee's last pay raise. What goes around comes around, and we're just as likely to give an incorrect answer about the computer systems as IS&T would for the HR function!
Catherine Bannon is an HR consultant in Marshfield, MA (catherine.bannon@gmail.com). Bannon worked for 10 years in HR management before starting her consulting practice.
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