Hi Colleagues,
I am dealing with a question of HR coverage for the HR department, and basically the topic of HR confidentiality among peers. I heard about several cases where companies exclude the members of the HR team from the core responsibility in order to restrict access to sensitive information among the HR colleagues. What is some of your experience with this topic? Do some of you have a specific setup, like "HR for HR," where only a specific role/employee is designated to manage information/files of an HR team member, and managing cases where another HR professional is concerned? Grateful to hear your inputs, as well as to read some materials on the topic! Thank you and take care!
From France, Paris
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I am dealing with a question of HR coverage for the HR department, and basically the topic of HR confidentiality among peers. I heard about several cases where companies exclude the members of the HR team from the core responsibility in order to restrict access to sensitive information among the HR colleagues. What is some of your experience with this topic? Do some of you have a specific setup, like "HR for HR," where only a specific role/employee is designated to manage information/files of an HR team member, and managing cases where another HR professional is concerned? Grateful to hear your inputs, as well as to read some materials on the topic! Thank you and take care!
From France, Paris
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Hi!
I find your concern quite interesting! To begin with, let me ask what practices with respect to maintaining confidentiality we are currently following within the HR Department and what practices it should or requires to be in reality!
Without exaggerating, my point here is that what kind of confidentiality is required or supposed to be maintained by employees in the HR Department. According to me, the evaluation of 'Performance Appraisal' of an individual is one of the areas where secrecy and confidentiality are expected or maintained in the HR Department.
The point is whether the writing of PAR calls for any secrecy or confidentiality to be maintained? We need to think over it! Here, we need to understand that we evaluate the performance under PAR for the job/work assigned to an individual for a particular period and his output/achievement against the assigned job/work.
The question that arises here is whether evaluating the work performance of an individual against the set target, do we actually need any secrecy to maintain? I don't think so! We just need to call the employee concerned and explain that you were assigned these jobs during the period to perform and you have achieved this particular level of performance and according to the company's assessment you deserve this much of rating. That's it, quite simple! Where is the need to have confidentiality?
Similarly, there is another issue where utmost secrecy is maintained in the HR Department, i.e., transfer/posting of employees. The point is why any type of secrecy or confidentiality is required to deal with transfer/posting matters. If there is complete transparency in all HR matters, including transfer/posting of employees, then where the question arises to have any confidentiality/secrecy to maintain.
Another area treated as of confidential nature is 'Promotion' of employees. If the promotion is 'Interview'-based, then the Interview Committee will make a call on it based on merit and other selection criteria. If the promotion is paper-based, in that event, the DPC (Departmental Promotion Committee) will consider the promotion case where the PAR rating will be the crucial factor, besides other laid-down formalities/eligibility criteria, etc.
So, there does not seem to be any requirement for maintaining confidentiality in the HR Department unless the company's interest is getting clashed/jeopardized! However, where malafide intention or vested interest is involved, there the role of confidentiality comes into the picture!
JSM
From India, New Delhi
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22I find your concern quite interesting! To begin with, let me ask what practices with respect to maintaining confidentiality we are currently following within the HR Department and what practices it should or requires to be in reality!
Without exaggerating, my point here is that what kind of confidentiality is required or supposed to be maintained by employees in the HR Department. According to me, the evaluation of 'Performance Appraisal' of an individual is one of the areas where secrecy and confidentiality are expected or maintained in the HR Department.
The point is whether the writing of PAR calls for any secrecy or confidentiality to be maintained? We need to think over it! Here, we need to understand that we evaluate the performance under PAR for the job/work assigned to an individual for a particular period and his output/achievement against the assigned job/work.
The question that arises here is whether evaluating the work performance of an individual against the set target, do we actually need any secrecy to maintain? I don't think so! We just need to call the employee concerned and explain that you were assigned these jobs during the period to perform and you have achieved this particular level of performance and according to the company's assessment you deserve this much of rating. That's it, quite simple! Where is the need to have confidentiality?
Similarly, there is another issue where utmost secrecy is maintained in the HR Department, i.e., transfer/posting of employees. The point is why any type of secrecy or confidentiality is required to deal with transfer/posting matters. If there is complete transparency in all HR matters, including transfer/posting of employees, then where the question arises to have any confidentiality/secrecy to maintain.
Another area treated as of confidential nature is 'Promotion' of employees. If the promotion is 'Interview'-based, then the Interview Committee will make a call on it based on merit and other selection criteria. If the promotion is paper-based, in that event, the DPC (Departmental Promotion Committee) will consider the promotion case where the PAR rating will be the crucial factor, besides other laid-down formalities/eligibility criteria, etc.
So, there does not seem to be any requirement for maintaining confidentiality in the HR Department unless the company's interest is getting clashed/jeopardized! However, where malafide intention or vested interest is involved, there the role of confidentiality comes into the picture!
JSM
From India, New Delhi
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Innovative HR Practices-.doc