Is It Fair for HR to Share an Employee's Resignation? Seeking Advice on Handling Nosy Colleagues

Hi All, I have a query about a resignation. One of my colleagues has resigned from her current position and informed her HR and immediate manager about it. Now, everyone in her vicinity knows about it and is asking for the reason for her departure. This has made her very upset, and she has come to me asking whether it is fair for HR to disclose the news of an employee's resignation. She has her own reasons for resigning, whether personal or professional, and it is her choice whether to discuss them or not. As part of HR, she has asked me whether she can complain to HR or the Head about this incident.

Being in HR, I am not sure if there is anything to complain about in this situation.

Kindly suggest.

First and foremost, the responsibility of every HR professional is to keep information and data confidential. It is highly unethical for an HR person to disclose news of her exit. If this disclosure has an impact on the employee or her dignity, a formal complaint should be made to the management. Otherwise, I suggest that she continues working until her last working day. Gossip mongers are everywhere, so why care about them :)

Dear Nishu, please note that the submission of resignation is an official matter, nothing personal about it. Therefore, if her colleagues come to know about it and start asking questions, the sky did not fall on her. Anyway, HR would have started searching for her replacement, and the bubble of this secrecy would have burst in a few days or weeks.

Think of the opposite for a while

When a newcomer joins an organization, other colleagues go to his/her desk and give a welcome. Should a newcomer complain about it? Generally, when a person starts looking for a job, it is known in close circles. In many cases, even managers know about it. Probably, the woman employee's resignation caught them unaware. Employees always form opinions about others. By one's activities or way of working, they know who could continue and who could quit. Possibly, the woman employee was considered as one who has strong allegiance to the organization. The news of her resignation punctured their belief, hence the expression of surprise! However, this astonishment would have fizzled out anyway in a day or two. Yes, for a resigning employee, it is irksome to explain the reason to every person, but then she could have shown some patience. Rather than prying about her resignation, similar patience her colleagues also could have shown.

You have written that the resigning employee's manager and HR knew about her resignation

But for the leakage of the news, why are you holding HR responsible? What is the guarantee that her manager did not divulge the news?

For Rahul Chhabra

You have recommended action against HR. You have written that "It is highly immoral of that HR person who has disclosed news of her exit." What is immoral about it? Has HR disclosed anyone's illicit love affair? Immoral means not adhering to ethical or moral principles. Yes, HR is expected to keep the affairs of the organization to themselves, but by chance, if they have divulged it, even then, this disclosure cannot be called "immoral."

Going further

You have written that "If this disclosure has an impact on the employee or her dignity, then a formal complaint should be made to the management." How can the disclosure of news of one's resignation pull down one's respect or esteem is not understood. As far as a complaint to the top management is concerned, they could consider it as churlish. They have a lot of tensions about business than worrying about anyone's resignation. Nothing wrong with expressing one's opinions in the public forum or taking a position, but then one should be mindful of one's words. Please remember that the use of wrong words could lead to misguidance also!

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Respected Learned Contributor & Moderator Shri Dinesh Ji, I really appreciate your feedback; however, I differ from your opinion. If one HR person has divulged information informally to some of her colleagues rather than it being official info, I would call it immoral on his/her part. This for sure doesn't meet the code or ethos of being an HR professional. Do you call it adherence to conduct for an HR Professional? What else would you call it? I would call it immoral, not going by the legal definition of it!

If one resigns for a better opportunity, that person would tell everyone themselves rather than keeping it a secret from peers. For sure, there are reasons beyond this for this employee to keep her resignation confidential; and the right to privacy is a FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT!! If she has resigned for reasons that are privy to her like a pestering boss, a broken marriage, or an illicit affair, and HR has divulged the information to peers; it still is immoral! And divulging such information may harm her dignity too. Can it be christened churlish? Maybe yes, because she is an exit; not considering that exits are the best brand ambassadors of an organization.

No doubt that the top line is focused towards business and related challenges; however, it's not the resignation that should bother them but the gossip monger wearing the HR hat.

I agree that there could be differences of opinions over this matter, it certainly cannot be called misguidance; however, keeping a unidirectional approach may really change the way a problem is looked upon.

Regards, Rahul Chhabra

Resignation and joining are not secret matters. In fact, in big companies, HR sends circulars or notices to various departments about the exit of an employee to obtain clearances and information on any dues. Whatever the case may be, if information about an employee's departure becomes known, it is not something punishable. The grapevine within the company will certainly spread such news.

Since the employee has already submitted her resignation, why all the fuss about it at all? It is only a matter of time before everyone else becomes aware of the same. Furthermore, HR will be approached by management to inquire if a replacement is being sought, and action needs to be taken promptly. The resigned employee needs to take these things in stride and move forward instead of creating a disturbance and souring her relationship with her soon-to-be ex-colleagues.

Even if she prefers her resignation not to be a topic of discussion at the tea table or elsewhere, there isn't much she can do but accept it and keep moving. There's no point in complaining and eliciting a negative response from management.

Thanks and Regards