Just a quick question regarding the legal status of a situation involving employment law and Human Resources (I’m in Florida if it makes a difference).
What obligation (if any) does a company have to provide its employees with confidential meetings with an HR rep? Is it legal to insist that a company VP sit in on any meeting an employee wants to have with HR?
It is good practice to have a disinterested third party present at such meetings and it offers protection to both you and HR. If there is any subsequent disagreement about the substance of the meeting, the disinterested third party can be called upon to give his/her recollection of events.
Why a VP? A VP is at a level of management where he will be required to maintain the confidentiality of the employee. They probably also choose a VP who has little or no contact with the employee in the day-to-day course of events.
Employment law varies by jurisdiction. Company policy varies by company. A good place to start is with your employee handbook, along with the state government department which deals with labor issues. I Googled to try to find what that department is called in Florida but based on the hits I couldn’t tell. Check the blue pages of your phone book.
Well, the problem is the VP who insisted on being present is not in any way a disinterested third party. One VP requested a meeting with HR to discuss personal employment issues with regard to the other VP. The other VP insisted on being present. The first VP decided to forgo the meeting altogether. The other VP is now making an issue of it. I’m just curious if there’s any legal right to confidential meetings with HR, particularly in this situation.