Can I trust HR?

[Ralf K.]

Hi all,

I try to come back again with a challenging question:

Tomorrow my HR Business Partner wants to go for lunch, so that we get to know each other better. Currently I don't really like my job, but I would rather like to move to another department inside of this company. She is the same Business Partner for this as-well.

I could play the happy employee with a poker face. Or I can tell her that I would rather be in the other department there. My boss doesn't know how much I would like to change and he wants to keep me thighly in his team (but I am already having informal interviews in other companies). I networked inside the organization already and some others know that I want to change and want to help but have currently no headcount.

Can I trust HR? Is HR really wanting to help or not or do I create a unnecessary risk there?

Thanks alot

[Rich Lemert]

If you've already talked to people in the other departments, I'd say the cat's already out of the bag. While HR exists to serve the company's interests, the people there are subject to some pretty stringent privacy rules that your other co-workers don't have to worry about - especially since you've already volunteered the information.

(When I say HR exists to serve "the company's" interests, I mean the whole company. If you're someone they really want to keep, the company is better off finding a place where you'll be happy.)

BTW - Whoever you talk to, don't make your interest sound like a negative ("I want to leave this group"). Make it a positive - "I'm interested in opportunities to gain more experience in XYZ". People will be more happy to help because they see you as a potential asset and not as a disgruntled potential trouble-maker.

[Dave Jensen]

If you've already talked to people in the other departments, I'd say the cat's already out of the bag. While HR exists to serve the company's interests, the people there are subject to some pretty stringent privacy rules that your other co-workers don't have to worry about - especially since you've already volunteered the information.

(When I say HR exists to serve "the company's" interests, I mean the whole company. If you're someone they really want to keep, the company is better off finding a place where you'll be happy.)

BTW - Whoever you talk to, don't make your interest sound like a negative ("I want to leave this group"). Make it a positive - "I'm interested in opportunities to gain more experience in XYZ". People will be more happy to help because they see you as a potential asset and not as a disgruntled potential trouble-maker.

Rich's advice above is excellent. I agree wholeheartedly. I don't think it's all that common for HR staff to be taking people out to get to know them better, so perhaps there's already a knowledge that you're "looking" and this person wants to feel you out a bit. If the questions come around to "how are things going for you in the department" and so on, that could be a clue that the word is out.

I would, as Rich suggests, simply lean towards an easy and upbeat discussion that you've learned a few things there and that your interests now are to pickup some new skills and see some other parts of the organization

Dave

[D.X.]

Hi Ralf

From our market perspective - I recommend you take the view that HR is there more of a facilitor of the process than Initiator. They will not act outside the scope of your direct line Manager when it Comes to your development. They mainly become proactive in times of escalation but are mainly a reactive function.

That being said whereas Rich has noted that HR sits at a different Level when it comes to confidentiality expectation, I do recommend that you don't have a conversation with in Areas where you have not pre-emptively discussed wiht your Supervisor. Talent Management is not about HR driving that. Talent Management is a process where they facilitate only with alignment with your Management even if you are in a Talent pool.

Do not share negative views about other departments - work gets around fast. PG's advise is spot on - provided you have discussed this with you Supervisor directly.

The last Thing you want is your Boss getting wind of other interest from HR. Don't hold HR in a high light in the confidentiality Domain despte expectations.

Always good to build internal networks

Best,

DX

[Ralf K.]

Hi everyone,

You guys are excellent - that was spot on! Thank you so much.

In short: It was clearly going into the direction: "How are things for you" / "Can you apply your knowledge/interest" but also beeing a bit "Ohh but this is great that you can do this, right?"...
So all in all I can not stress at this enough: "Always be positive about what you do, your boss etc!" Thank you for the reminder!

It was OK - and I was lucky that the last 3 weeks have been excellent at work, good feedback from colleagues (also my personal life is going very well). Additionally I used the last 3 weeks to present my new business ideas to the business team, and they really seemed interested.

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No clue how much I have the lead what is going on in the background now. I could meet which one of the higher up leaders in that department I want to join (Business) -and tell him I would like to join his team/department. Or just wait for what will come? I hope HR did not mis-understand what I want to do...
Edit:Or shall I directly say to HR: I would be happy to transfer to this job?

Thanks alot