Personal problems?

Emma

I have an employee who spend the night in jail over a personal and domestic situation.One of my HR employees has taken it upon herself to be involved in this employee issue. She is not an Employee Relations employee, but more of an administrative HR employee. However, she found out about it when the employee called her directly to tell her of his situation.By the way, she did not tell me about the fact that the employee spent the night in jail, instead told the receptionist, who in turn told me. How should I handle this?

Dasher

This is only a work related issue if you have a policy that any arrested employee must report that information to your company.

Was the jailed employee talking to the HR employee as a friend (absence policy referred to above)? If so you should have no expectation of a report to you.

However, the HR employee should be counseled about relaying information to the receptionist about another employee's life issues.

Emma

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 05-16-05 AT 11:35AM (CST)[/font][br][br]We do not have a policy that says that an employee must inform us if they have been arrested. I do believe that the employee was talking to the HR employee as a friend.

Thanks, I will speak to the HR employee regarding her relaying information to the Receptionist.

Don D

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 05-16-05 AT 02:45PM (CST)[/font][br][br]"One of my HR employees has taken it upon herself to be involved in this employee issue."

I wasn't sure if that meant as an HR representative or personally. Nor was I sure what you meant by 'what should you do?' With the employee who spent the night in jail, with the gossiping HR person or with the receptionist? I think counseling is too mild. I would give the HR member a written warning to her file. No member of HR should ever breach confidence in this manner. Makes me wonder what all she tells that receptionist.

HRLASS

Our HR department found out about this through the grapevine. Unfortunately, the two parties were both employees and the police had been called for domestic violence. The assaulting employee was terminated with the police outside the room and a hefty safety employee in the room; the other (supervisor) quit and left the state.

JM in ATL

Well, if the arrested employee called her (the HR admin) as a friend, what relationship does the arrested employee have with the receptionist and how do you know the arrested employee didn't ask your HR admin to say something to her?

If she gossiped that is one thing, but if they are all in a circle of "friends" and the information came via a "friendly" phone call, I don't see a reason for any sort of discipline. If this is the case.

If the HR admin was gossiping then I think a reminder that that information was personal regarless of the context and should not be expressed to any other individual in the orgainzation, would be sufficient.

And if the arrested ee called the HR admin as a friend, she has no obligation to share that information with you. And from my own personal point of view - I would question your relationship with your employees that they don't feel comfortable coming to talk to you about something so significant.

Balloonman1

It has no bearing on the employee-employer relationship other than the absence. Many times one gets processed to jail if there has been any evidence of physical contact between them. Per the way the law is written. I had a friend had a big fight with his wife, she scratched his face. Then during the arguement picked up the phone and threatened to call 911......... she actually dialed it, the connection was made, then she hung up. x:o On hang ups the send a unit out. He said nothing happened etc. etc. but because she had scratched him, they handcuffed her and arrested her for domestic violence. Now he wasn't thinking straight and called his boss for advice. SHould have called me, I would have told him to let her sit her ass in jail for the day before she was bailed out. But I digress.............

Should she have been locked up? Probably not, she has a temper, but he was never in any real danger. But the laws in domestic violence are written so that the police are not allowed to use their discretion. Did it impact her ability to work or anything at her work? Other than missing one day, and being very embarassed, no.

Leave it alone unless the wife also works there and or she was severely beaten......

My $0.02 worth
The Balloonman

E Wart

Two issues... If the employee reported to work on time, continued to do his job, what difference does it make to you what he is doing on his off nights and where he sleeps? Address his issue strickly as a performance issue, if there is one, which doesn't seem to be the case.
The second issue is the HR employee. If she has taken this person in under her wing as a friend, you really shouldn't get involved and really don't need to know. However, you may want to discuss with her that since she is in HR, she needs to be careful and set higher standards for herself that normal. There is a thin line with employees coming to her as a friend and as an HR person and they can cross at times. (She may think it is a friend, but they think it is an employee.) She should be VERY careful about discussing any personal issues of any employees except with those who need to know. Even though it may be due to personal relaitonship, it can be perceived as work related and could end up a mess both for her and the company. Lastly, she needs to personally watch out with "assisting" others if she isn't a trained/licensed professional in the area. She could end up giving incorrect advice or advice from the heart that goes astray. That is why I love EAP's. Helps keep the heart out of employment issues, even though you may want to personally help.
Sometimes HR can seem cruel and lonely but have to be that way due to defimation, liability, and other issues.
E Wart