Pester Esther: 'Office affair'

Q. A friend who works in HR in another organisation has asked me to pass over some pretty confidential materials – salary info, policy documentation, resourcing plans, etc. He says it’s not harmful because his organisation is in a different industry. What do you think?

I think your friend is being lazy and cheeky, and you should definitely think twice.

It may not be harmful to him, but it could be harmful to you if you just hand over information without  permission. First of all, ask why he needs this information. If he’s working in a different industry, would it actually be relevant? I suspect it’s because he just wants to copy all your hard work and not have to do it for himself – but at worst, he might be looking to poach your people, as presumably many of them could change industry easily.

If it’s salary information he’s  after, there are plenty of other ways to benchmark salaries (through recruitment agencies, job adverts and on-line salary surveys). You can also point him in the direction of the ACAS website or other HR sites for policy templates.

Maybe you could speak to your boss about a possible collaboration that wouldn’t breach any confidentiality. It might be possible to share information such as generic salary bandings or information on preferred suppliers – but not any actual agreements.

Q. There’s a sales manager here who I dislike intensely. He’s up for a directorship and I don’t think he should get it because he’s not likeable enough. How can I argue against the promotion whilst keeping the right side of best practice?

First, do you want to argue against his promotion because you dislike him, or because he really doesn’t deserve the promotion?

My advice would be to really question yourself on what you don’t like about him and why. Not being ‘likeable’ enough is not a valid reason to veto someone’s promotion. Besides, if he’s up for such a great promotion, he must be doing something right. And is there not a fair appraisal/development process in place that assures promotions such as this are actually deserved?

HR is meant to be about fairness and impartiality. We’re there to encourage people’s development and promotion based on their skills and competencies, not about how much we like them.

But if I’m completely wrong and he is up for promotion for all the wrong reasons, you will have to present a compelling unbiased evidence based argument for that to even be considered.

Q. My HRD is having an affair with our Ops Director. No-one knows but me. She’s doing his salary review. Should I keep quiet or say something?

Oh, the dilemma of knowing about secret, illicit relationships!

There are often HR policies in organisations that discourage or even forbid relationships at work, just to avoid this kind of conflict of interest. Is there one in your organization, and if so, how detailed is it? Check it out and see if it helps.

Maybe their affair is short-term, and not really working out. If that’s the case, the poor guy might actually be facing a pay cut based on his performance!

Joking aside, my advice would be to speak to your HRD directly. (I assume you’re on good terms, as you know about the affair.) Explain to her the dilemma you face. It’s not only awkward for you, but potentially awkward for the department too – your team needs to be seen as transparent and objective, and no matter how hard she might be hiding the affair, chances are that others will suspect someting at the very least.

You could suggest sitting in on some salary reviews (including his), ostensibly as a way for you to learn more about the review process.

And of course, if your organisation has set incremental pay bandings based on performance ratings, any deviation from these would presumably raise a red flag with Payroll, which might be enough to ensure your HRD’s objectivity.

About the author

Esther O'Halloran

Esther runs an independent HR Consultancy offering business-savvy commercial skills, practical solutions and insights to senior leaders and HR teams. She has been Managing Director at Paul, and worked as an HR practitioner for organisations such as Jigsaw, EAT, Pret a Manger and SpaceNK. Esther is a Fellow Member of the CIPD and enjoys Extreme Baking in her spare time.