Worse Than Going To The Dentist? Nearly 90% of employees fear HR
Pro-Tip: Employees should not fear going to their HR department more than they do the dentist's chair.
By Peter List, Editor | June 17, 2024
Aside from undertakers, what other profession has nearly 90 percent of its customers in fear of using its services?
If you thought of going to the dentist, you’d be wrong. Only 36 percent of people fear going to the dentist.
However, if you answered ‘human resources,’ you’d be right.
A shocking new report from MyPerfectResume states that a whopping 86 percent of workers are afraid of their human resources representatives.
According to the latest findings from MyPerfectResume’s HR Perceptions Report, 86% of workers are afraid of HR representatives. This fear isn’t merely a matter of apprehension; it stems from inadequate support and potential consequences, among other things.
In fact, 85% hesitated to approach HR to discuss work-related issues, citing concerns such as doubt in confidentiality (37%) or fear of repercussions (31%). Furthermore, what’s interesting, 71% think that HR tends to be too involved in office politics.
“Furthermore,” according to the report, “85% hesitated to approach HR representatives to discuss work-related issues.”
The report is based on a survey of nearly 1,000 American respondents in March 2024 to collect opinions on HR, revealing perceptions and fragile relationships between employees and HR.
Among some of the other findings:
The top concerns include:
71% think that HR tends to be too involved in office politics.
68% believe that HR focuses on procedures rather than people.
67% agree it’s hard to get a timely answer from HR.
“Moreover,” the report states, “respondents cited personal experiences where HR fell short in addressing reported issues and concerns, leaving workers disappointed.”
90% of workers, when reporting an issue to HR, felt that it wasn’t adequately addressed, including:
47% who experienced HR not resolving an issue once,
43% of respondents who stated they more than once felt their concerns weren’t adequately addressed.
From an employee relations standpoint, if the vast majority of workers fear going to their HR department, is it any wonder so many are turning toward unions?
Going to human resources should not be worse than going to the dentist.
Read the whole report here.
[h/t: Mike VanDervort]