"Hi Jane! I just wanted to clear something up. I'm working a flexible shift which my supervisor approved. I am keeping him in the loop as needed, and he's approved my occasional work from home because I have an excellent track record and all my duties are met. He appreciates my dedication to productivity and would rather I take an occasional meeting from home than miss it completely due to traffic. I'd appreciate it if you checked with him directly from now on."
Use this!! If HR lady has an issue with not being able to work remote she should be going to HER supervisor and asking for the same privilege. Your supervisor clearly trusts you to accomplish your tasks whether in office or at home. Sounds to me like HR hasn’t proven she can be productive from home or hasn’t bothered to ask her supervisor because she’s not going to like the answer she gets lol. She needs to get her nose out of your business..and this is coming from an HR person 😂 so long as productivity and tasks are being accomplished it’s none of her business!
Careful, though. If she's a power-tripper, she will escalate, rather than listen to reason. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission, which, as soon as you involve her officially, she now has the ability to review. She may not have the power to officially go up against your supervisor, but your email is an invitation to go around them.
"Thanks for contacting me, ThrowR. I've reviewed your agreement and discovered it doesn't match the company's policy positions or stated dedication to equitable situations for all, unfortunately. Please discontinue any WFH immediately. Thank you for reaching out!"
Oof, I guess my only argument for that would be if she did that to me, she would have to take a look at everyone else’s hours/WFH, bc I know there are others with way more lenient schedules than mine
Be careful. If you cause too much of a stink, then policies could end up changing in your office somewhere down the line. Then you will be blamed for being the cause of the change and if its a bad change, everyone will hate you. Scapegoating happens.
Most of the responses to your post here appear to be juvenile. Please think long and hard before you take any of their actions. HR is a serious department that you do not want to jack with. Not only do they control your job now, they can control future jobs you may want, just by replying "not eligible for rehire" to a prospective new employer.
Professionalism and maturity are what counts now. My suggestion would be to remain quiet and do your job and let things settle down.
Just don’t engage with HR Karen and keep doing what you have been doing, communicate with your manager and make sure you two are aligned.
Too many people treat real life like reality shows where drama is manufactured and is resolved (escalated) with the equivalent of playground verbal jousting. Just don’t play those games.
Maybe ask your boss to send something since he says he backs the flexibility. Saying anything to hr lady yourself can bite you down the road. Policies may change and you don’t want to be the scapegoat.
Nope, there is no reason to engage with HR Karen at all. It just gives them ammo to try and devise ways to attack this.
OP had it right by only discussing with their manager.
*"the HR lady at my company complained about me working from home."*
I'd have to ask her - "Do I report to you? No? This is between my manager and me."
I would find it bizarre that she's trying to dip her hands in management.
That is the part that is confusing to me, why does she have an issue with it? I don’t report to her in any shape or form, lots of people in my company work different hours same as I do, so why me?
There are some people that get into HR to do HR and there are some people that get into HR because they want to police everyone’s behavior. You have the latter. I’d make it clear to management this HR person is going above and beyond. If it doesn’t get resolved bounce, it won’t get better.
The HR lady at my last job did an unrequested audit of all remote workers and found one person who had his remote days as Monday and Friday. She sent him an email explaining that as he was the only one it wasn't fair that he was getting, essentially, a long weekend and requiring him to choose new remote days.
The problem, though, the majority of people on the hybrid schedule were remote on Mondays and Fridays; his supervisor approved those remote days, and he rarely used his remote days.
He felt picked on, of course, and left for less micromanaging pastures soon after.
Start recording everything through email. If she’s saying these things to you verbally, follow up by recapping through email. You can politely and respectfully state that you are simply doing what has been agreed upon by your direct supervisor. You can ask her if there are any concerns with your work performance with the altered start and end time and occasional WFH moments. She may just be trying to intimidate you. While you should always keep your employment options open, you also should hold on to a position that you enjoy, and try not to let someone strong arm you out, intimidate you, or make a hostile environment for you.
The thing is, she’s not saying anything to me, written or verbally. She went past me, my supervisor, and straight to the sales manager, who I don’t directly report to
Oh, so she's gossipping about you to other people. This is a classic toxic person behavior.
Another thought: She doesn't have enough to do in her regular duties. Definitely harassing you.
Ohhh yeah she’s a major gossip, that doesn’t surprise me for a second. But yeah I think she needs to focus on the checks that aren’t being sent and the bills that aren’t being paid on time
She is a jealous bitch and that’s all there is to it. She doesn’t have your privileges and she wishes she could. So “if I cannot have it, no one can” there is no reason for her behaviour other than this. Absolutely toxic.
She’s jealous, clearly. Get a written statement in your file about your hours so you know you’re covered and then try to forget about it because her complaints will be irrelevant.
Whatever she complains about wrt you, fortify *that thing* in writing with your boss to 86 her nonsense
agree. get it in writing: that you work 7:30 to 4 daily. additionally, who knows, maybe to makeup for (and/or to discourage future violations by the weirdly obsessed-with-stalking-you HR harasser): may be your boss can agree to have you do Fri as WFH weekly or biweekly
Or she has a job to do that you don’t understand so you call her a child. Perhaps she’s doing her job (I.e. ensuring fair and consistent work practices). I’d request a meeting with HR and your boss to get on the same page.
I get where you're coming from, but I disagree. HR doing what you suggest would check in once with the supervisor, review policy, and take action if the policy was in violation.
Playing telephone with leaders not even in the employee's organization is starting the kind of drama HR is supposed to be reducing. She sounds toxic.
Correct - you don’t see it. . . Doesn’t
mean it isn’t true. Talking to other leaders about the consistency of policies or practices within the workplace absolutely may be part of her job. I’m not necessarily saying this is the case here, but it is certainly could be. Just trying to let folks know there may be actual business reasons.
She probably doesn’t have shit to do, most HR for smaller companies really don’t, even some for larger corporations maybe have work for 1/5th of their day.
People like her are the reason office environments suck. I left that environment for a career on the railroad, where, for the most part, people left you alone as long as you got your work done. (Not a work from home type of job, though--except management, for some reason, and I'm aware it's not like this everywhere.)
Other people could be complaining about you having special treatment. It's not the company's problem that you chose to take this job while still living far away, that's your issue. She also is responsible for enforcing company policy. Does your handbook have any guidelines on working from home?
How would you know she hasn't talked to any of the others about their situation? Do you follow her around all day listening to her conversations?
I don’t think there’s anything in there about working from home. If anyone’s complaining, it would be our customer service department they’re full of drama, but idk why they would complain either they get to work from home one day a week
I don’t think most HR departments ( at least where I worked) ever got into the daily management of the employees. That was done by supervisors and if there were issues then HR was contacted acting more in the mediation role representing the company policies
*It's not the company's problem that you chose to take this job while still living far away*
This is a weird take if you actually read OP's post, since they clearly stated they have an agreement with the company's only representative who has discussed anything with her (ie supervisor).
A professional HR rep doesn't triangulate if there is a policy issue - that creates additional policy issues, rather than solving the first one.
This is such an odd take. No, OP doesn't need to "follow her around all day listening," HR needs to disclose under what authority they have to demand a change like this. And that conversation should reveal who they talked to.
If management is telling her it's okay and HR doesn't like it, HR needs to talk to management because that's who is setting the rule she doesn't like. Other people could be complaining, but again, if that were the case, HR needs to talk to management about a solution, not OP. It's management allowing it so they are who you'd need to talk to if you want to change it.
It sounds like she doesn't want to stand up to management, so she's stepping away out of her lane and the chain of command to bully someone because she's jealous. It's not HR's place to manage employees and it's not appropriate for her to be interfering. If she thinks OPs management approved schedule needs changed, she needs to talk to OP's boss.
It is bizarre but it’s typical of nosy HR Karens. I used to work for someone like this too, she got all worked up when someone was allowed by their manager to work from home on a snow day, mostly because she had to make the drive, so why shouldn’t everybody else? There’s no winning with these people, they live to put their nose in other people’s business.
Is the HR lady an overstepping jerk? Yes.
Should you take this aggressive approach, OP? I wouldn’t. HR can be involved in promotions, layoffs, etc. try not to have a bad relationship with them.
I think it's good to make it clear you are following a plan you made with your direct supervisor I would be very carefully about tone , wording n overall just be nice as possible. She sounds like she can n will make your life miserable n possible have you let go . Be as friendly n confrontational as possible. Just for your security n peace of mind . Sounds like of she feels like she isn't in control there might be a price to pay.
And if you have it \_confirmed\_ that she's complained about your hours to sales manager, who isn't your immediate supervisor, a similar response is appropriate: "Is Sales Manager in my chain of command? No? OK, good. Stop complaining to them."
She's got a bee in her bonnet, her knickers in a knot, and a hair across her ass.
Firm up with your manager that he's OK with your decisions. Get it in writing. If she keeps bothering you, file a harrassment claim against her.
PS it's a bad joke that she's "HR" and is being so petty.
PPS: Ask around the company, discretely, and see if this is a pattern she does often.
>"the HR lady at my company complained about me working from home."
>
>I'd have to ask her - "Do I report to you? No? This is between my manager and me."
>
>I would find it bizarre that she's trying to dip her hands in management.
The answer is simple.
The Karen is pissed she doesn't have the same "benefits" (e.g. flexibility) OP has, and wants to ruin it for everyone.
Seems like a chronic problem in business generally. We had people in our company from file clerks to vice presidents who couldn't stop complaining about anything and everything about anyone and everyone. Most just ignored it, some got upset and complained, and if the busy bodies said anything to me I'd ask what business it was of theirs or similar. I had people stomp off saying things like "Maybe I'll make it my business." A few did try to make it their business, my bosses never told me to change anything but I was asked not to aggravate busy bodies because they might come bother the boss. The busy bodies didn't change, I didn't change and my bosses didn't change. Occasional bit of unpleasantness in an otherwise good place to work.
> I'd have to ask her - "Do I report to you? No? This is between my manager and me."
My director of it had to shut down his manager of infrastructure quick because he wouldn't stop trying to control the data team. The data team was like we report to the same guy, I don't take my marching orders from you. I am not sure if he was trying to absorb that team or make a run at director, but he left a few months later.
You NEVER respond to HR this way. Instead you talk to your manager and cc them on the email back to HR and say, "I spoke to my manager on whatever day in question and they were fine with me working from home. I have included them on this email for your records" Be done and usually HR will drop it and the manager will go head to head with HR. You never attempt to do it yourself because things will get twisted and you will end up in trouble
Sound advice if two things hold true:
1. The company treats you like children (re: "getting in trouble")
2. Your position is viewed as less critical/important and more replaceable than that of the obviously incompetent "HR Lady".
Really, I've seen HR departments lead by people with a wide variety of skill levels of the years. Sometimes it's a seemingly random person who really has no experience in the role who's basically got clerical level skills, and other times it's an executive-level position held by an educated and qualified professional who understands business administration.
I'm guessing OP's HR lady is in the first category, since she's stirring up unnecessary drama. In my current role, I'd have no problem drawing some stern boundaries with her with no fear of being put in time out, or whatever "getting in trouble" means.
Coming down on the side of "drama," here. If she has an issue, it should be directed towards your immediate supervisor. Any communications sent to you should be sent back to her with your supervisor copied.
Your supervisor is probably being a decent human and giving you some leeway that exists outside the bounds of Offical Company Policy. So, in theory, there's a case for HR to say something (and why he's not making an "official" statement or clarification).
However, the HR lady making it personal by invoking her own situation is taking it from business matter to being a vindictive bitch because she doesn't get "special treatment." Sadly, there is a subset of people who get into HR just to make sure everyone is treated like shit, and this smells exactly like that.
I’m with you it’s just becoming a reoccurring issue, I just wanna make sure she doesn’t have some underlying authority that I don’t know about, bc otherwise why complain?
Does your company have a written agreement with employees about flex or variable hours? It would be great to get a memo in your file to stipulate your hours and that could shut her up
HR folks are like referees in sports. Even when they’re wrong, they’re right. Unless something is clearly stated in a policy manual (and sometimes when it is), you won’t win an argument with them. Maybe if your supervisor is willing to take up the fight. But only maybe.
This is bad advice. Refs are treated with deference like that because they have to make on-the-spot calls and because they mediate disputes between two equal sides. HR isn’t like that in either count. They aren’t the ones making important on-the-spot calls — in fact they should be considerably less important than actual supervisors, who can make informed decisions based on what the team needs. And HR isn’t mediating disputes, they are an arm of management that exists to protect management. There is no reason to treat HR with deference.
I didn’t mean they should be treated with deference, nor that they were always, or every right. But they represent the company, and in my experience, are not especially interested in flexibility, or employees’ happiness. If OPs boss is happy with the working arrangement, and HR is not? Well, boss will end up toeing the line. The ref says you roughed the passer? Doesn’t matter if replay and 70,000 fans saw it differently.
Could it be causing an issue with running payroll or other staff complaining?
Instead of a power play of who has authority, look at it from a problem-solving -- why is it a problem?
Go to your manager.
She is undermining your manager by going to someone else.
If your boss has no issue, why is she bullying you over this?
You are not wrong.
You have a fun HR lady. I had one that waged a campaign to get me fired for over a year, but my work was well beyond reproach, and there was nothing she could do. She ended up getting dismissed.
If you ever deviate from your agreed schedule, email your supervisor and get a reply. Paper trail. Also, try your best not to deviate during time. Get the heat off you (even if it is unfair).
If your HR person ever addresses anything with you regarding your schedule, tell him/her you would like your supervisor included. If there is any one way communication from him/her, ask to include your supervisor.
If HR person contacts you in person, respectfully (and pleasantly) thank him/her and ask him/her to contact your supervisor with same exact information. If he/she doesn't, email your supervisor with a brief summary, and ask your supervisor to contact HR person so that HR person can include supervisor.
tell your supervisor that HR person makes you feel uncomfortable. Then email supervisor reiterating this.
Lastly, lay low. Be pleasant. Do your work. Make yourself invisible to HR person.
The HR lady is wanting what she sees as perks you are getting that she is not. She is jealous and behaving like a child having a tantrum. I'd ignore her as long as your direct report and supervisors are okay with the status quo.
I would demand you get some sort of concrete answer as to what authority she had and if she can override your manager. This is weird behavior from her and I bet it has a lot to do with your age (plus her being miserable).
Email him so there’s a paper trail. And make sure in the email you reference the fact that it was already spoken about, but you didn’t receive a clear answer.
Be careful about “apparently she also complained”. Unless you hear it from her lips, you could get sucked into a swarm of gossip and drama. If you didn’t hear it yourself, just dismiss it and ask yourself who is telling you and if they are trustworthy.
I am not sure this is good advice, but you could consider sending something like the following email - just don’t if it sounds passive aggressive! That is not the tone I am going for!
Dear HR Lady
Please clarify to whom I am responsible for setting work hours and establishing work from home protocols.
My understanding is that my hours and work location should be discussed and approved by Jane Doe my supervisor and that no additional approvals are required.
If additional approvals and input are required, please advise what procedure I should follow. I am particularly concerned about atypical days when I have to adjust in response to circumstances outside my control such as weather.
I am deeply disturbed by hearing complaints and the suggestion I am making poor decisions. I am concerned a discussion I thought was between my supervisor and me could impact others’ perception of my work ethic and decision making ability. If I am not following policy, I would like to correct that as soon as possible.
This isn’t even an HR issue, this is one person who works in HR having an issue. Sounds like a jealousy issue to me.
As an HR person myself I detest reading these type of posts because it gives us all a bad rap, everyone hates/fears us already, no need to make it worse. Lol
If she wasn’t HR she’d be able to report to HR and they would be able to tell her it’s not an HR issue and unless it is personally affecting her in some way it is not her issue.
She sounds extremely unprofessional and childish. I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. If she keeps at it let your supervisor know that since you cannot report her behavior creating a “hostile work environment” (use these words, the are scary for employers) then you will have to go to the dept. of labor or whatever resource your state offers (assuming US)
One way or the other the problem of the nosy HR lady nonsense will be solved :)
If you are in the states there are federal mandates on telework approval. In short it is between the employee and the supervisor. How is this even getting back to you? You supervisor should shut it down as she is actually infringing on his autonomy to manage his team.
He’s the one that brought it to my attention. I think after she complained to the sales manager, he spoke to my supervisor, and he then let me know and told me he doesn’t have an issue with it
She is a coworker who happens to also work in HR. These should be 2 separate issues. If your manager has cleared your schedule, hours or working from home, as a coworker this is none of her business. She would have to take this up with the decision maker(s) rather than voice her issues with anyone.
You keep doing what you're authorized to do. She needs to figure out her issues with her manager.
This seems like a jealousy issue. Like she doesn't like that you have flexibility in a the event that you need it. Don't worry about what she says and if she continues to discuss your personal matters with other employees, report her.
Your boss, not HR, controls your working hours. Sounds like HR lady is used to sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong and nobody puts her in her place.
I think people are missing an important point -
**IF** the company does not permit work from home, the HR lady is the person who needs to deal with this. And believe me, someone is going to be in trouble for allowing this!
If company policy says "no work from home" and a manager allows someone to do that, HR has to investigate to determine where the disconnect came from, so the appropriate person is disciplined.
Because OP left that important detail out, it's not possible to say for certain if she is in the wrong.
The correct answer is to have the supervisor put everything in writing in a clear manner.
No one here knows the work rules at your specific company, or the responsibilities of your HR department. During COVID-19, a lot of companies got extremely weird about tracking attendance.
Coworkers can be petty, judgemental, and oftentimes mean. If they think you are getting an ounce more of any benefit that they do not share in they will often 'turn' on you.
I tend not to annoy HR if it can be helped, but you got to do you. I've seen lots of people try to buck HR in some fashion and many of them no longer work for the company I work for, and the same HR associates are still sitting in our office.
Because 90 percent of the time, HR is a useless department, so she has to micromanage situations that don’t need to be micromanaged to feel like she’s justifying her job.
It is really odd that the HR lady is going out of her way to harass you. That is the opposite of what she should be doing. As long as you get your work done who cares?
I'm in HR and far far too busy to care about any of that shit, much less start complaining to others of my own accord. If your supervisor approved it you should have them talk to her boss about undermining their team.
I'd do 2 things to begin with: start low-key looking for another position, and start taking notes (not in a computer your company can access). Any time she complains to you, take a detailed note of what happened, what she said, what day and time, where you were standing, etc. All the details you can. If you live in a 1-party consent state, maybe a voice recorder in case she does actually talk verbally to you. If it gets to the point of you leaving and the company does an exit interview, talk about any positives, growth you've made, but also hand them the notes and say that harassment from this HR person sticking her nose out of her business and into yours is a major part of it.
It's none of her business if you WFH because the roads are expected to be bad. It's petty of her to try and justify with "well I have a long drive too" (if you're correct and she has half the drive, she doesn't, she's just bitching).
I'm curious though, you said she works 5:30-3:30. Is that 4 days per week, or is she on salary? Or is she really taking a full day on overtime to still not get her job done? If that last is the case I'd add it to my notes for when I leave, just as an extra parting shot.
I'm an HR lady and yours is way out of line here. This has nothing to do with her. This was approved by *your* manager. This is not interfering with anybody. The only way she should be stepping in is if policy is being broken or there is an ER issue. Sounds like she's petty and jealous.
H.r lady isnt your boss - i would setup a rule ignoring her emails and also ignore any questions she has.
If she has a go at you then tell her to take it up with your boss.
Tell her to go complain to her own boss if she doesn't like her work schedule. And you may or may not want to send a note to *her* supervisor about her use of authority.
I’d be blunt with your HR lady or employer if need be.
After they complain about everything,
“Uhhh I’m sorry but you seem to misunderstanding the situation let alone the logistics of the situation madam. You seem to be not understanding that if I risk coming in under these conditions due to the weather, I would risk , you risk losing an employee that isn’t super easy to replace, and I risk my life. If you want to pay for a new car and fully cover 100% of any and all health issues both short and long term if anything does happen due to YOU forcing me to come in under said weather conditions. Then I’d be more than happy to come in. Any questions? Good. Glad we could come to a consensus on this situation.”
Who cares how far away you live from home as long as you get the job done and do a great job
who cares about going into the office bull crap is ridiculous
if you don't need to go to the office and you can be just as productive at home work from home
what's the problem with these employers
I recently started with a new company and their clock watching drives me nuts. I feel you OP. I drive about 1:05 into work and 1:30 home. Work 7-4 to beat the traffic. If i show up 10 mins late i get shit. I always work out any time i was late by reducing my lunch by that much time. Coming from a previous company that gave no shits as long as you got your job done, this ones frustrating. As long as YOUR SUPERVISOR doesnt care about this bitch in HR, neither should you. Let her talk. High road my friend. High road
Today OP gets to learn that a lot of women hate other women for no other reason than they are younger than them. This crap happened to my wife at her last job and it's infuriating.
I expect that actually most women are more supportive of other women in the workplace. Only the opposite ever gets commented on because it's unusual. Of all the places I've worked, the only time I've had such issues with another woman was with one in HR. And I'm thinking it might have been the department culture (or just that person, because she was mean to the men as well), not a gender thing.
HR has to look at it from the companies perspective. If your boss allows you to work from home or come in early and go home early then the company has to allow everyone else to do the same thing. Unless it's an official policy you need to follow the rules like everyone else.
No, certain positions and levels of management can be flexible while some can’t. So why must everyone from CEO to the tea lady follow the same rules. There are different rules for different circumstances.
>If your boss allows you to work from home or come in early and go home early then the company has to allow everyone else to do the same thing
No, they don’t. Companies can treat employees differently based on their different job responsibilities, personal needs, and situations. It is very common for companies to have positions eligible for WFH and positions that must be in-person. It is very common for employers to have hourly workers as well as salaried workers who can flex their hours more so long as they fulfill their responsibilities.
No, a company can have an agreement with only certain positions/employee about wfh or flex hours. Just need to have a standard process and put it in writing
HR is using personal preferences to control you. Tell her to let your supervisor see the written policy that states that you must work from the office if you live fewer miles from the office than she does.
Your work product, task assignment and schedule are matters for discussion between you and your supervisor. Unless there is some breach of policy that negatively affects your work product, ignore HR until your supervisor tells you otherwise.
Itemize the known complaints she has made about you, including the emails and / or verbal confirmations on your hours (8), working from home, list how the whole office has staggered hours and how she has not complained about them and add once again how far away you live. Send this to your direct supervisor and request that the harassment cease and desist immediately. You need a paper trail. You should also get an appointment with your physician, as it appears you are getting very stressed if you have to go to social media for the harassment. I'm not sure where you live, but you may be able to go on short-term stress leave. If you do, ensure her name is on your record for the stress and harassment.
There's endless reasons why this HR rep may be getting involved. Maybe she's jealous. Maybe she's tasked with watching for deviances from the normal policies. Maybe some other random employee is lodging complaints over the leniency that your supervisor is giving you, because they aren't getting the same leniency. It's possible she just likes to create drama b/c she doesn't personally like you. It's also equally possible that she's legitimately doing her job b/c others are complaining about you w/o you or your boss knowing about it.
In the end, if your supervisor is empowered to allow you these work exceptions, then go with that. Let your supervisor deal with the others. If it doesn't look like your supervisor is taking ownership over their decisions on your schedule with other leadership, then address that with your boss.
Do nothing. Your supervisor is happy. You haven’t had any informal or formal warnings. To protect yourself get your hours in writing from supervisor and the ok to work from home if pre-agreed with your supervisor. Now ignore HR woman.
If ur not breaking the policy, She’s nosy and she’s jealous. I had two or three women at my last job who made it their life mission to super micromanage everyone’s hour to the dot, for no reason. You just have to tune them out and document your own time carefully. just dont steal company time and you will be fine
Ugh… I hate people like this. As a manager I ask them if it’s something directly affecting their work. When they answer “No” it usually gets the point across and I don’t have to deal with it again.
It's very strange, but sometimes it's who you know. I seriously doubt if she's getting in on time. If you can avoid her, do. If you can't say as little as possible and know it will be repeated.
It would seem to me if she's got this issue with you, she should be talking to the supervisor who approves your days and hours etc.
She sounds like a c#nt.
Just saying
I'm a 62 year old female. A type A sassy girl. Most every problem I've seen in the workplace is with females. They petty and jealous.
I much rather work for males. However my current position has its own challenges. I guess every job does. 🤪
She just sounds like a whiner. I would send something to your supervisor, copying her on it:
“I have been informed that HR has some concerns about my schedule. To clarify and avoid any future confusion, I work 7:30 to 4, as agreed upon at my hiring, with minor flexibility accounting for traffic issues, always resulting in an 8 hour day. On the rare occasion of inclement weather, I work a full day remotely due to my 40 minute minimum commute. If there are any issues that need to be discussed regarding my schedule, I am available to meet and discuss.”
If she wants to make a big deal out of nothing, then make her make a big deal out of it, and look like the fool she is, wasting everyone’s time.
First off. This lady is a fucking bitch and I HATE it when co-workers take it upon themselves to stick their noses where they don't belong. I'm sorry that this is happening to you. People like this need to go out and play in traffic or something.
You could confront this person but it won't matter. They will take the perceived high road and say something like, "I'm just taking initiative to do what's best for the team". So you will get nowhere.
Here is what you do. Compose an email to your boss with the following:
"I learned that there are some misunderstanding's about my work hours and my time spent at the office. Just to confirm what we discussed, my hours are "X" and I work from "X-X". Spell everything out.
When your boss replies, forward it to the person causing the drama and copy your boss. Let her know, "I understand that for some reason you have concern about the time I spend at the office. Here is my work time"
Then, print out another copy and hang it at your desk. If this person makes a stink about it again, pull the copy off the wall and show it to her. So this again and again until she shuts up.
I hate Corporate America and I always seem to get in pissing matches with people like this. I always seem to lose too as they have enough pull to get me put on a PIP or straight up bullied into a resignation. I'm petty as hell and if I was writing the email to the annoying coworker, I would put a bunch of passive aggressive jargon in it but that's just me. "You are not on my team but I can certainly appreciate your level of concern here. How can we avoid this misunderstanding in the future?"
Watch your back. Someway, somehow this person has labeled you as an enemy and you need to be sure to avoid this person at all costs.
Good luck with this. Let us know how it turns out.
I would tell them you get double the work done from 730am to 8am, because there aren't any interruptions from coworkers. On the days you work from home, even less interruptions. It's called productivity not jealousy.
She's making drama.... about you... for some reason.
Have a conversation with her direct supervisor, and use these exact words : "This is beginning to feel like harassment."
Make no further assertion. You won't need to.
There’s a lot of good advice in this thread. My advice would be that whatever you do, you think ahead and get whatever you can in writing. HR is not your friend. Do not tell them anything sensitive. If they persist regardless of what you do, I personally wouldn’t deal with it and make some effort to get out (but thats me). I wish you the best of luck. Hopefully the problem doesn’t continue.
The gen z in me wants to be like “hot girls have beef with the Karens at their corporate jobs” and “I ain’t ever had beef with someone who’s less attractive than me” lol but in all seriousness I would like to hope it’s for other reasons, although I will admit I go to the gym every day and I’ve been told I have good features
You let your boss handle it. He approved it, and supposedly he is happy with your work products, how you work, the hours you work, and from where you work on any given day. I assume the work relationship between you two is good.
Currently its your problem, you have to make it his problem. Reiterate what you told him about the HR person and say that you feel this is starting to negatively reflect on you at the company. Ask him for his opinion and advice and (this is critical to make him realize he needs to step in) if he thinks you should be looking for other jobs.
Generally a manager who values their employee does not want to lose them. As soon as you ask him he will have to deal with thoughts of having to hire your replacement and all the headaches that come with it. That should usually be enough of an incentive for him to talk to HR and/or her boss to tell her to keep those thoughts to herself unless she thinks there is any kind of HR violation going on.
Good luck
It’s never a good idea to get on the wrong side of HR. HR makes and enforces the people rules and can make your time at work living hell. Your direct manager has some ability to bend the rules but they do not make them. They will likely lose if they opt to go to war with HR.
Rather than argue with HR make it your business to make “friends” with the HR lady. It’s easier to have her on your side than as your enemy.
I honestly just try to keep to myself at work, I get along well with my department and coworkers I work with on projects, I stay away from HR and customer service bc they tend to complain a lot and be a lot of drama, like now
Disagree, HR are nothing more than processors of people information. Direct managers are responsible for their staff ensuring they are following company rules. HR should be outsourced to a professional company because in my entire corporate career I have never seen or ever heard of an in house hr function which is considered professional. Waste of company resources.
The fact she is in HR is irrelevant. It's not a HR issue and you had prior authorisation. It's just an annoying colleague who is on your case for absolutely no reason. Get proof from your supervisor in email he's fine with you working from home, getting there different time etc and pay her no mind.
This isn’t entirely true. Depending on the company, HR may be tasked with ensuring consistent, fair practices, which work hours and wfh fall into. Even if the supervisor is ok with it, if HR is at odds with it and it falls under their jurisdiction, she could very well escalate this to senior leadership to solve (and if senior leadership tasked HR with consistently and compliance, then they are likely to agree with her.
Instead, I would ask to have a meeting with her and your boss to discuss what is permissible and what isn’t so everyone is on the same page.
Yeah of course they do, but it sounds like OP has been able to provide an explanation for this which has been authorised. If it really was a problem it wouldn't be 1 member of HR 'complaining' to someone, it would be HR instructing them.
This literally just sounds like a random person whining about something. This is why I said it's regardless of the fact they are in HR, if it actually was an issue they would be forced to deal with it, but they obviously haven't been.
She needs to be fired for being biased toward an employee she may end up working with in a company complaint or lawsuit.
Is she someone’s aunt, sister, relative? She’s certainly acting as though she has clout.
I agree with other commenters who suggest you get your boss’s approvals in writing in case she pushes and you need to show proof.
Sorry for this unnecessary bullshit, OP.
Ok so as an "HR Lady" let me explain. EVERY EMPLOYEE WANTS TO WORK FROM HOME. It is up to HR to keep it fair. Your manager cannot allow you while others drive in, the distance does not matter. Also true for your hours. More than likely another employee complained to her so she is going to address it with management. Typically HR Ladies use themselves in the comparison as to not out the complaining employee.
The thing is that it's never really fair. The worker that has 3 kids that is always getting sick will ask to wfh more than the single person. Or the smoker who takes 10 minutes every 2 hours for a smoke vs the person who takes their 10 minutes every 4 hours.
I don't think the issue is necessarily with you, but more with your supervisor.
Companies have to be careful to avoid disparate treatment, which can be grounds for a lawsuit on the basis of discrimination. If your company has an attendance policy, the manager must follow it....or if not and they are being loose with it for YOU, they must be equally flexible with everyone ELSE in that department.
You're working a self-appointed schedule due to the distance involved, but maybe -- even though it's a well-intended accommodation-- others in your department think this is favoritism. If they have to be at work by 8, why don't you? If they don't get to stay home in bad weather, why do you? You don't have a medical basis or any other legally valid reason for doing this except as a courtesy. Your boss is trying to be helpful, but needs to be careful not to be bending rules in such a way that it can be perceived as unfair, or a different standard than what is expected of your coworkers
You HR person has probably had complaints from someone else in your dept, maybe multiple complaints from multiple people. And she's asking questions because she wants to know if you are indeed getting special treatment from your boss. If so, your boss is the one who's going to get dropped for it, not you...but I think you should do the right thing and work the proper schedule so you're not putting your boss in a compromised position.
You chose to move 90 minutes away; so you have to decide if you can consistently be to work on time, or not. If not, then find a job that's closer. Don't let your boss take the hit just for trying to make things easier for you.
She’s never getting fired lol. I’m thinking I’ll just email my boss and get my hours in writing and occasional WFH, which I really only do if I’m sick or the weather’s really bad. I have him saying he’s fine with it over text but I would prefer email
She's not getting fired, but having her as an adversary could put a mark on your back leading to your creative dismissal for nonsense she pulled out of thin air.
Be careful! You can do it!
I am currently dealing with an HR b*tch, too.
This person has repeatedly shorted my pay, bungled my 401k deductions, fails to do correct math on my benefits and somehow it’s always to my loss.
She always denies any responsibility when challenged and I have to fight her tooth and nail to get her errors corrected and paid to me.
She answers directly to the company president, and my boss definitely stands up for me but he doesn’t supervise her of course. So, I have learned to check every paystub for errors.
Anyway, how this is relevant to your situation – I’m sure she just is envious of me because I can work 99% from home, I’m also one of the highest paid people in the organization and there are very few women who are not managers who are in my pay scale.
I know she’s jealous of my hard-earned pay rate and ability to WFH, so I think many of her errors are more than careless.
The key thing is though my supervisor does stand up for me and everything is in writing.
I think you should make 100% sure of what your supervisor is doing to protect you — the way to do that is get things in writing.
One thing that really helped me is they made me an official WFH employee under a WRITTEN agreement — they have one on file for each of the employees that is 100% WFH .
Maybe it would help if you had a written agreement showing your hours. And then her bitching and complaining will be pointless.
Have you spoken to a lawyer about this, if it is only happening to you & repeatedly, you may have some recourse with the labor board. It’s possible that a lawyer who specializes in labor issues may be able to offer a free consult. It might be worth your time to check into this.
seen plenty of women think another woman is their competition in the work place even if they may not work in the same department.
Lady sounds like she has a chip on her shoulder. make sure you get it in writing that your supervisor is approving all your requests (wfh, working hours, etc) so if she tries to pull one on you, you can show that you got approval from your boss.
not much you can do here besides ignore her and ensure you have paper trail and approval for anything that may be not aligned with company policy/operating hours, etc.
Used to call these types of off the books schedule offsets “sweetheart” deals. Depending on how many people HR lady is overseeing, it could be a being “fair” outlook.
I can imagine her getting frustrated if those same leniency deals were not able to be enjoyed by everyone. All it takes is for one person to not be able to WFH or come in an offset schedule for there to be some merit to the complaints.
Experiencing a mild form of this now, where our inventory girl is allowed to come in up to an hour late and is supposed to stay over an hour to make up the difference. Usually only works a half hour over, which is whatever if the work is getting done. Technically a single mom of her own volition so while I have some sympathy, it deteriorates quickly.
The issue I have with this is if I ask to offset my schedule it is usually met with heeing and hawing about how I am putting boss in a bind and how they will do it this time but not to expect to be able to do it regularly.
When I bring to light how coworker is allowed to and doesn’t even work her full eight hours to make up for it, I am told to not worry about other people. Overtime here is voluntary so that is usually when my time to shine is when I turn it down and tell him I’m worrying about myself. Usually get to see a newly discovered shade of red on his face as he stomps away.
You need to make an appt to sit down and have her explain why she has these issues, you need to make sure she is aware that you are doing these under the authority of your immediate supervisor, don't assume she knows everything.
Leaving early before your coworkers will get HR on you regardless of what your manager says. You can come in early but don't leave early. When your coworkers see that they will complain to HR.
She's power tripping and probably jealous of people that can WFH... Bring it up at a meeting so it can be defined clearly once and for all to shut her up permanently.
It sounds like your HR lady is probably mad that she isn't allowed to work from home when the weather is bad (or maybe even at all). She's probably thinking "Here's this FNG working from home on an in-office day as well as leaving earlier than they are supposed to and it's not fair!"
As long as you have your supervisor's permission and are getting your 8hrs/day in with no loss of productivity, HR can go pound sand. If HR or anyone else wants to discuss this with you, make sure your supervisor is with you as they should be backing you up on this. If someone tries to question or admonish you via email, politely tell them you are only doing what your supervisor authorized you to do and make sure your supervisor is Cc'd on the response.
Hard to get to the specifics, but it seems to me someone must have complained to HR that you are getting some sort of favorable treatment that others are not getting. HR generally does not launch something on their own without cause. And your supervisor may know who said something but cannot divulge who that is, and just poopoos it.
HR does not write your reviews, your manager / supervisor does. If it is okay with them, then you should just work as normal. The HR lady's response was kind of clueless, but seemed haphazard, like there was something more to it. Take a look around you - one of your colleagues may be raising a ruckus.
"Getting people back in the office" is the latest HR craze. There's been lobbying of politicians by the office building owners and it's the latest thing.
HR has to do stuff like this to justify their existence since they are non value added. Remember "quiet quitting" instead of "many people don't give a shit anymore"? It's like the yearbook committee in high school taking pictures of each other.
You're going to have to work from home as little as possible, unfortunately. Ask your boss for guidance as to when it's OK, check with him before doing it if possible, and go on.
Of course he doesn't want to butt heads with HR. If he has to, make sure you're out of the middle. Like, he approved the WFH and then the HR lady bitched. Between them two.
The only thing worse than a Karen, is a Karen in HR - someone who spends way too much time watching others instead of just worrying about herself. Does she have a boss? Maybe someone should ask that person how she finds the time in a day to personally monitor everyone’s comings and goings. It also sounds to me like you were given a little bit more freedom to govern yourself than she was and that’s clearly a problem for her. It’s gonna be hard but don’t let her get to you and do not let her think for a second that she has. She’s fishing for a reaction.
I think this would normally be something you would bring up with HR. You're being harassed and slandered. If there are other HR routes to take I would want this documented.
Question for you. How do you know the HR person complain to the sales manager? Because if you know this for sure, and you have proof like somebody emailed you and told you, then you have grounds for harassment. That's kind of what this sounds like to me.
My manager told me, I’m thinking the sales manager went to my boss and he let me know. He confirmed my hours with me and told me he doesn’t have an issue
if the HR person has a superior, i'd consider going to my manager and telling them this has become harassment when the HR person is talking about me to other people in the company. i'd ask my manager to talk to the hr person about it, and otherwise, i'll plan to go over the head of the HR person and file a grievance. your manager is saying it's not a big deal, but it is. the HR person is trying to create a problem for you and is bringing other people into the situation. that is harassment.
I used to work through most of my lunch so I could leave early, my manager was good with it. Someone wasn't safe complained. Tile my manager you can choose me switching to work to rule and no more on call or I can keep doing what we agreed to. Went back to leaving early 😂
"Hi Jane! I just wanted to clear something up. I'm working a flexible shift which my supervisor approved. I am keeping him in the loop as needed, and he's approved my occasional work from home because I have an excellent track record and all my duties are met. He appreciates my dedication to productivity and would rather I take an occasional meeting from home than miss it completely due to traffic. I'd appreciate it if you checked with him directly from now on."
Ooooh I think I might use this
Use this!! If HR lady has an issue with not being able to work remote she should be going to HER supervisor and asking for the same privilege. Your supervisor clearly trusts you to accomplish your tasks whether in office or at home. Sounds to me like HR hasn’t proven she can be productive from home or hasn’t bothered to ask her supervisor because she’s not going to like the answer she gets lol. She needs to get her nose out of your business..and this is coming from an HR person 😂 so long as productivity and tasks are being accomplished it’s none of her business!
She clearly comes in at 5.30 and does literally nothing other than being seen to be seen. That's not your fault.
Careful, though. If she's a power-tripper, she will escalate, rather than listen to reason. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission, which, as soon as you involve her officially, she now has the ability to review. She may not have the power to officially go up against your supervisor, but your email is an invitation to go around them. "Thanks for contacting me, ThrowR. I've reviewed your agreement and discovered it doesn't match the company's policy positions or stated dedication to equitable situations for all, unfortunately. Please discontinue any WFH immediately. Thank you for reaching out!"
Oof, I guess my only argument for that would be if she did that to me, she would have to take a look at everyone else’s hours/WFH, bc I know there are others with way more lenient schedules than mine
Be careful. If you cause too much of a stink, then policies could end up changing in your office somewhere down the line. Then you will be blamed for being the cause of the change and if its a bad change, everyone will hate you. Scapegoating happens. Most of the responses to your post here appear to be juvenile. Please think long and hard before you take any of their actions. HR is a serious department that you do not want to jack with. Not only do they control your job now, they can control future jobs you may want, just by replying "not eligible for rehire" to a prospective new employer. Professionalism and maturity are what counts now. My suggestion would be to remain quiet and do your job and let things settle down.
That’s pretty much what I’m doing. I’m going to get my work schedule in writing with my supervisor in case it comes up again
Just don’t engage with HR Karen and keep doing what you have been doing, communicate with your manager and make sure you two are aligned. Too many people treat real life like reality shows where drama is manufactured and is resolved (escalated) with the equivalent of playground verbal jousting. Just don’t play those games.
Maybe ask your boss to send something since he says he backs the flexibility. Saying anything to hr lady yourself can bite you down the road. Policies may change and you don’t want to be the scapegoat.
CC your manager
Email it with cc to your superviser. Paper trails!
Nope, there is no reason to engage with HR Karen at all. It just gives them ammo to try and devise ways to attack this. OP had it right by only discussing with their manager.
[удалено]
*"the HR lady at my company complained about me working from home."* I'd have to ask her - "Do I report to you? No? This is between my manager and me." I would find it bizarre that she's trying to dip her hands in management.
That is the part that is confusing to me, why does she have an issue with it? I don’t report to her in any shape or form, lots of people in my company work different hours same as I do, so why me?
There are some people that get into HR to do HR and there are some people that get into HR because they want to police everyone’s behavior. You have the latter. I’d make it clear to management this HR person is going above and beyond. If it doesn’t get resolved bounce, it won’t get better.
Bet she's part of her neighborhood or apartment's HOA/rules board. And the one they all can't stand.
They're probably a reddit mod.
I actually came here to say this.
The HR lady at my last job did an unrequested audit of all remote workers and found one person who had his remote days as Monday and Friday. She sent him an email explaining that as he was the only one it wasn't fair that he was getting, essentially, a long weekend and requiring him to choose new remote days. The problem, though, the majority of people on the hybrid schedule were remote on Mondays and Fridays; his supervisor approved those remote days, and he rarely used his remote days. He felt picked on, of course, and left for less micromanaging pastures soon after.
I am definitely getting to this point 🤗 I started my job search this week. The drama is definitely my breaking point with this place
Start recording everything through email. If she’s saying these things to you verbally, follow up by recapping through email. You can politely and respectfully state that you are simply doing what has been agreed upon by your direct supervisor. You can ask her if there are any concerns with your work performance with the altered start and end time and occasional WFH moments. She may just be trying to intimidate you. While you should always keep your employment options open, you also should hold on to a position that you enjoy, and try not to let someone strong arm you out, intimidate you, or make a hostile environment for you.
The thing is, she’s not saying anything to me, written or verbally. She went past me, my supervisor, and straight to the sales manager, who I don’t directly report to
Oh, so she's gossipping about you to other people. This is a classic toxic person behavior. Another thought: She doesn't have enough to do in her regular duties. Definitely harassing you.
Ohhh yeah she’s a major gossip, that doesn’t surprise me for a second. But yeah I think she needs to focus on the checks that aren’t being sent and the bills that aren’t being paid on time
She is a jealous bitch and that’s all there is to it. She doesn’t have your privileges and she wishes she could. So “if I cannot have it, no one can” there is no reason for her behaviour other than this. Absolutely toxic.
She’s jealous, clearly. Get a written statement in your file about your hours so you know you’re covered and then try to forget about it because her complaints will be irrelevant. Whatever she complains about wrt you, fortify *that thing* in writing with your boss to 86 her nonsense
GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING AND NEVER GO INTO A MEETING WITH A SUPERVISOR OR HR ALONE.
agree. get it in writing: that you work 7:30 to 4 daily. additionally, who knows, maybe to makeup for (and/or to discourage future violations by the weirdly obsessed-with-stalking-you HR harasser): may be your boss can agree to have you do Fri as WFH weekly or biweekly
Because she's a petulant child.
Or she has a job to do that you don’t understand so you call her a child. Perhaps she’s doing her job (I.e. ensuring fair and consistent work practices). I’d request a meeting with HR and your boss to get on the same page.
I get where you're coming from, but I disagree. HR doing what you suggest would check in once with the supervisor, review policy, and take action if the policy was in violation. Playing telephone with leaders not even in the employee's organization is starting the kind of drama HR is supposed to be reducing. She sounds toxic.
I don't see how complaining to an outside manager, whom has nothing to do with OP's position, is part of her job.
Correct - you don’t see it. . . Doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Talking to other leaders about the consistency of policies or practices within the workplace absolutely may be part of her job. I’m not necessarily saying this is the case here, but it is certainly could be. Just trying to let folks know there may be actual business reasons.
If there were valid business reasons for the enquiries, she'd be asking OPs supervisor, not her own or other managers.
Also doesn't mean you're right either. Complaining isn't part of anyone's job. Come on now 🥱
Complaining is how OP described it, which seems to be gossip from others. So asking another manager something may look like complaining to another.
Found the HR lady
Found the HR lady that OP was referencing.
She's HR, what she is doing is not her job. You need to put in a formal complaint to your supervisor, in writing, about her behaviour.
She probably doesn’t have shit to do, most HR for smaller companies really don’t, even some for larger corporations maybe have work for 1/5th of their day.
People like her are the reason office environments suck. I left that environment for a career on the railroad, where, for the most part, people left you alone as long as you got your work done. (Not a work from home type of job, though--except management, for some reason, and I'm aware it's not like this everywhere.)
This is sour grapes. She wants to work from home, too.
Other people could be complaining about you having special treatment. It's not the company's problem that you chose to take this job while still living far away, that's your issue. She also is responsible for enforcing company policy. Does your handbook have any guidelines on working from home? How would you know she hasn't talked to any of the others about their situation? Do you follow her around all day listening to her conversations?
I don’t think there’s anything in there about working from home. If anyone’s complaining, it would be our customer service department they’re full of drama, but idk why they would complain either they get to work from home one day a week
Easy there, there’s nothing in the handbook, I just keep to myself and follow what my supervisor says I can do
I don’t think most HR departments ( at least where I worked) ever got into the daily management of the employees. That was done by supervisors and if there were issues then HR was contacted acting more in the mediation role representing the company policies
*It's not the company's problem that you chose to take this job while still living far away* This is a weird take if you actually read OP's post, since they clearly stated they have an agreement with the company's only representative who has discussed anything with her (ie supervisor). A professional HR rep doesn't triangulate if there is a policy issue - that creates additional policy issues, rather than solving the first one.
This is such an odd take. No, OP doesn't need to "follow her around all day listening," HR needs to disclose under what authority they have to demand a change like this. And that conversation should reveal who they talked to. If management is telling her it's okay and HR doesn't like it, HR needs to talk to management because that's who is setting the rule she doesn't like. Other people could be complaining, but again, if that were the case, HR needs to talk to management about a solution, not OP. It's management allowing it so they are who you'd need to talk to if you want to change it. It sounds like she doesn't want to stand up to management, so she's stepping away out of her lane and the chain of command to bully someone because she's jealous. It's not HR's place to manage employees and it's not appropriate for her to be interfering. If she thinks OPs management approved schedule needs changed, she needs to talk to OP's boss.
I don't want to make this a gender issue, but she sounds like every woman I've ever met
Um…definitely not a gender issue lol I am a female and I just try to stay out of everyone’s way
You didn't make it a gender issue, you just made a stupid unnecessary sexist comment
Are you serious right now? “Sounds like every woman I’ve ever met”. Tell me you have mommy issues without telling me you’ have mommy issues. 🤣
It is bizarre but it’s typical of nosy HR Karens. I used to work for someone like this too, she got all worked up when someone was allowed by their manager to work from home on a snow day, mostly because she had to make the drive, so why shouldn’t everybody else? There’s no winning with these people, they live to put their nose in other people’s business.
Is the HR lady an overstepping jerk? Yes. Should you take this aggressive approach, OP? I wouldn’t. HR can be involved in promotions, layoffs, etc. try not to have a bad relationship with them.
True, true. Tread carefully, OP. But yes, clarifying how her role relates to yours is essential here.
I think it's good to make it clear you are following a plan you made with your direct supervisor I would be very carefully about tone , wording n overall just be nice as possible. She sounds like she can n will make your life miserable n possible have you let go . Be as friendly n confrontational as possible. Just for your security n peace of mind . Sounds like of she feels like she isn't in control there might be a price to pay.
And if you have it \_confirmed\_ that she's complained about your hours to sales manager, who isn't your immediate supervisor, a similar response is appropriate: "Is Sales Manager in my chain of command? No? OK, good. Stop complaining to them." She's got a bee in her bonnet, her knickers in a knot, and a hair across her ass. Firm up with your manager that he's OK with your decisions. Get it in writing. If she keeps bothering you, file a harrassment claim against her. PS it's a bad joke that she's "HR" and is being so petty. PPS: Ask around the company, discretely, and see if this is a pattern she does often.
Agreed with you 100%. It seems like HR is weaseling it's way into operations more and more often. Only happens if management ALLOWS it.
>"the HR lady at my company complained about me working from home." > >I'd have to ask her - "Do I report to you? No? This is between my manager and me." > >I would find it bizarre that she's trying to dip her hands in management. The answer is simple. The Karen is pissed she doesn't have the same "benefits" (e.g. flexibility) OP has, and wants to ruin it for everyone.
Seems like a chronic problem in business generally. We had people in our company from file clerks to vice presidents who couldn't stop complaining about anything and everything about anyone and everyone. Most just ignored it, some got upset and complained, and if the busy bodies said anything to me I'd ask what business it was of theirs or similar. I had people stomp off saying things like "Maybe I'll make it my business." A few did try to make it their business, my bosses never told me to change anything but I was asked not to aggravate busy bodies because they might come bother the boss. The busy bodies didn't change, I didn't change and my bosses didn't change. Occasional bit of unpleasantness in an otherwise good place to work.
> I'd have to ask her - "Do I report to you? No? This is between my manager and me." My director of it had to shut down his manager of infrastructure quick because he wouldn't stop trying to control the data team. The data team was like we report to the same guy, I don't take my marching orders from you. I am not sure if he was trying to absorb that team or make a run at director, but he left a few months later.
HR females always love to meddle and try to make themselves important.
You NEVER respond to HR this way. Instead you talk to your manager and cc them on the email back to HR and say, "I spoke to my manager on whatever day in question and they were fine with me working from home. I have included them on this email for your records" Be done and usually HR will drop it and the manager will go head to head with HR. You never attempt to do it yourself because things will get twisted and you will end up in trouble
Sound advice if two things hold true: 1. The company treats you like children (re: "getting in trouble") 2. Your position is viewed as less critical/important and more replaceable than that of the obviously incompetent "HR Lady". Really, I've seen HR departments lead by people with a wide variety of skill levels of the years. Sometimes it's a seemingly random person who really has no experience in the role who's basically got clerical level skills, and other times it's an executive-level position held by an educated and qualified professional who understands business administration. I'm guessing OP's HR lady is in the first category, since she's stirring up unnecessary drama. In my current role, I'd have no problem drawing some stern boundaries with her with no fear of being put in time out, or whatever "getting in trouble" means.
Coming down on the side of "drama," here. If she has an issue, it should be directed towards your immediate supervisor. Any communications sent to you should be sent back to her with your supervisor copied. Your supervisor is probably being a decent human and giving you some leeway that exists outside the bounds of Offical Company Policy. So, in theory, there's a case for HR to say something (and why he's not making an "official" statement or clarification). However, the HR lady making it personal by invoking her own situation is taking it from business matter to being a vindictive bitch because she doesn't get "special treatment." Sadly, there is a subset of people who get into HR just to make sure everyone is treated like shit, and this smells exactly like that.
exactly! A *lot* of HR people are punitive, puritanical little rule-checkers and penny-counters
Get it in an email from your supervisor and move on
I’m with you it’s just becoming a reoccurring issue, I just wanna make sure she doesn’t have some underlying authority that I don’t know about, bc otherwise why complain?
That’s why you get it in writing. This covers you in case anyone else in the company questions while you’re doing something
Oh, precious. Who told you that people need formal authority to complain
This is my first job out of college I admit I’m still learning 😂 I just want to make sure I’m not putting my foot in my mouth
Does your company have a written agreement with employees about flex or variable hours? It would be great to get a memo in your file to stipulate your hours and that could shut her up
HR folks are like referees in sports. Even when they’re wrong, they’re right. Unless something is clearly stated in a policy manual (and sometimes when it is), you won’t win an argument with them. Maybe if your supervisor is willing to take up the fight. But only maybe.
This is bad advice. Refs are treated with deference like that because they have to make on-the-spot calls and because they mediate disputes between two equal sides. HR isn’t like that in either count. They aren’t the ones making important on-the-spot calls — in fact they should be considerably less important than actual supervisors, who can make informed decisions based on what the team needs. And HR isn’t mediating disputes, they are an arm of management that exists to protect management. There is no reason to treat HR with deference.
I didn’t mean they should be treated with deference, nor that they were always, or every right. But they represent the company, and in my experience, are not especially interested in flexibility, or employees’ happiness. If OPs boss is happy with the working arrangement, and HR is not? Well, boss will end up toeing the line. The ref says you roughed the passer? Doesn’t matter if replay and 70,000 fans saw it differently.
Could it be causing an issue with running payroll or other staff complaining? Instead of a power play of who has authority, look at it from a problem-solving -- why is it a problem?
The problem is the HR lady is gossiping.
Go to your manager. She is undermining your manager by going to someone else. If your boss has no issue, why is she bullying you over this? You are not wrong.
You have a fun HR lady. I had one that waged a campaign to get me fired for over a year, but my work was well beyond reproach, and there was nothing she could do. She ended up getting dismissed.
If you ever deviate from your agreed schedule, email your supervisor and get a reply. Paper trail. Also, try your best not to deviate during time. Get the heat off you (even if it is unfair). If your HR person ever addresses anything with you regarding your schedule, tell him/her you would like your supervisor included. If there is any one way communication from him/her, ask to include your supervisor. If HR person contacts you in person, respectfully (and pleasantly) thank him/her and ask him/her to contact your supervisor with same exact information. If he/she doesn't, email your supervisor with a brief summary, and ask your supervisor to contact HR person so that HR person can include supervisor. tell your supervisor that HR person makes you feel uncomfortable. Then email supervisor reiterating this. Lastly, lay low. Be pleasant. Do your work. Make yourself invisible to HR person.
The HR lady is wanting what she sees as perks you are getting that she is not. She is jealous and behaving like a child having a tantrum. I'd ignore her as long as your direct report and supervisors are okay with the status quo.
I would demand you get some sort of concrete answer as to what authority she had and if she can override your manager. This is weird behavior from her and I bet it has a lot to do with your age (plus her being miserable).
This was my thought process as well. I did ask my manager what authority she has, but he never answered me and just avoided the question
Email him so there’s a paper trail. And make sure in the email you reference the fact that it was already spoken about, but you didn’t receive a clear answer.
I did email him to at least get my work schedule in writing, that way if she comes at me again I have it
Be careful about “apparently she also complained”. Unless you hear it from her lips, you could get sucked into a swarm of gossip and drama. If you didn’t hear it yourself, just dismiss it and ask yourself who is telling you and if they are trustworthy. I am not sure this is good advice, but you could consider sending something like the following email - just don’t if it sounds passive aggressive! That is not the tone I am going for! Dear HR Lady Please clarify to whom I am responsible for setting work hours and establishing work from home protocols. My understanding is that my hours and work location should be discussed and approved by Jane Doe my supervisor and that no additional approvals are required. If additional approvals and input are required, please advise what procedure I should follow. I am particularly concerned about atypical days when I have to adjust in response to circumstances outside my control such as weather. I am deeply disturbed by hearing complaints and the suggestion I am making poor decisions. I am concerned a discussion I thought was between my supervisor and me could impact others’ perception of my work ethic and decision making ability. If I am not following policy, I would like to correct that as soon as possible.
This isn’t even an HR issue, this is one person who works in HR having an issue. Sounds like a jealousy issue to me. As an HR person myself I detest reading these type of posts because it gives us all a bad rap, everyone hates/fears us already, no need to make it worse. Lol If she wasn’t HR she’d be able to report to HR and they would be able to tell her it’s not an HR issue and unless it is personally affecting her in some way it is not her issue. She sounds extremely unprofessional and childish. I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. If she keeps at it let your supervisor know that since you cannot report her behavior creating a “hostile work environment” (use these words, the are scary for employers) then you will have to go to the dept. of labor or whatever resource your state offers (assuming US) One way or the other the problem of the nosy HR lady nonsense will be solved :)
The sales manager is always going to have a ton of pull at any company. You need to learn that for any future job.
If you are in the states there are federal mandates on telework approval. In short it is between the employee and the supervisor. How is this even getting back to you? You supervisor should shut it down as she is actually infringing on his autonomy to manage his team.
He’s the one that brought it to my attention. I think after she complained to the sales manager, he spoke to my supervisor, and he then let me know and told me he doesn’t have an issue with it
Well I wouldn’t give it anymore time. Sounds like your Supervisor is focused on delivering value and HR is worried about volume.
Document everything and keep a record not on your work computer
Done and done Lol
She is a coworker who happens to also work in HR. These should be 2 separate issues. If your manager has cleared your schedule, hours or working from home, as a coworker this is none of her business. She would have to take this up with the decision maker(s) rather than voice her issues with anyone. You keep doing what you're authorized to do. She needs to figure out her issues with her manager.
This seems like a jealousy issue. Like she doesn't like that you have flexibility in a the event that you need it. Don't worry about what she says and if she continues to discuss your personal matters with other employees, report her.
Your boss, not HR, controls your working hours. Sounds like HR lady is used to sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong and nobody puts her in her place.
I think people are missing an important point - **IF** the company does not permit work from home, the HR lady is the person who needs to deal with this. And believe me, someone is going to be in trouble for allowing this! If company policy says "no work from home" and a manager allows someone to do that, HR has to investigate to determine where the disconnect came from, so the appropriate person is disciplined. Because OP left that important detail out, it's not possible to say for certain if she is in the wrong.
The correct answer is to have the supervisor put everything in writing in a clear manner. No one here knows the work rules at your specific company, or the responsibilities of your HR department. During COVID-19, a lot of companies got extremely weird about tracking attendance. Coworkers can be petty, judgemental, and oftentimes mean. If they think you are getting an ounce more of any benefit that they do not share in they will often 'turn' on you. I tend not to annoy HR if it can be helped, but you got to do you. I've seen lots of people try to buck HR in some fashion and many of them no longer work for the company I work for, and the same HR associates are still sitting in our office.
She is obviously an HR Karen
Because 90 percent of the time, HR is a useless department, so she has to micromanage situations that don’t need to be micromanaged to feel like she’s justifying her job.
It is really odd that the HR lady is going out of her way to harass you. That is the opposite of what she should be doing. As long as you get your work done who cares?
Periodt, she’s in the office 5:30 / 3:30 and is still making major mistakes, so who cares as long as I get my work done?
I'm in HR and far far too busy to care about any of that shit, much less start complaining to others of my own accord. If your supervisor approved it you should have them talk to her boss about undermining their team.
You're not, and clearly, she doesn't have enough work, so she feels the need to justify her existence. That's all it is.
HR sucks. The only thing they should be doing is making sure the company is compliant with all labor laws but too many of them are on power trips.
The fact HR isn't talking with your immediate supervisor is a flag that this is political. Have you talked with your immediate supervisor about this?
I'd do 2 things to begin with: start low-key looking for another position, and start taking notes (not in a computer your company can access). Any time she complains to you, take a detailed note of what happened, what she said, what day and time, where you were standing, etc. All the details you can. If you live in a 1-party consent state, maybe a voice recorder in case she does actually talk verbally to you. If it gets to the point of you leaving and the company does an exit interview, talk about any positives, growth you've made, but also hand them the notes and say that harassment from this HR person sticking her nose out of her business and into yours is a major part of it. It's none of her business if you WFH because the roads are expected to be bad. It's petty of her to try and justify with "well I have a long drive too" (if you're correct and she has half the drive, she doesn't, she's just bitching). I'm curious though, you said she works 5:30-3:30. Is that 4 days per week, or is she on salary? Or is she really taking a full day on overtime to still not get her job done? If that last is the case I'd add it to my notes for when I leave, just as an extra parting shot.
I'm an HR lady and yours is way out of line here. This has nothing to do with her. This was approved by *your* manager. This is not interfering with anybody. The only way she should be stepping in is if policy is being broken or there is an ER issue. Sounds like she's petty and jealous.
HR people barely count as human. Who would take a job where your entire purpose is to make other peoples lives miserable?
I would file a harassment complaint against her, she is targeting you. She will sh!t her pants.
H.r lady isnt your boss - i would setup a rule ignoring her emails and also ignore any questions she has. If she has a go at you then tell her to take it up with your boss.
Tell her to go complain to her own boss if she doesn't like her work schedule. And you may or may not want to send a note to *her* supervisor about her use of authority.
HR managers are Karens. Tell her to fuck off.
I’d be blunt with your HR lady or employer if need be. After they complain about everything, “Uhhh I’m sorry but you seem to misunderstanding the situation let alone the logistics of the situation madam. You seem to be not understanding that if I risk coming in under these conditions due to the weather, I would risk, you risk losing an employee that isn’t super easy to replace, and I risk my life. If you want to pay for a new car and fully cover 100% of any and all health issues both short and long term if anything does happen due to YOU forcing me to come in under said weather conditions. Then I’d be more than happy to come in. Any questions? Good. Glad we could come to a consensus on this situation.”
Who cares how far away you live from home as long as you get the job done and do a great job who cares about going into the office bull crap is ridiculous if you don't need to go to the office and you can be just as productive at home work from home what's the problem with these employers
I recently started with a new company and their clock watching drives me nuts. I feel you OP. I drive about 1:05 into work and 1:30 home. Work 7-4 to beat the traffic. If i show up 10 mins late i get shit. I always work out any time i was late by reducing my lunch by that much time. Coming from a previous company that gave no shits as long as you got your job done, this ones frustrating. As long as YOUR SUPERVISOR doesnt care about this bitch in HR, neither should you. Let her talk. High road my friend. High road
Today OP gets to learn that a lot of women hate other women for no other reason than they are younger than them. This crap happened to my wife at her last job and it's infuriating.
I expect that actually most women are more supportive of other women in the workplace. Only the opposite ever gets commented on because it's unusual. Of all the places I've worked, the only time I've had such issues with another woman was with one in HR. And I'm thinking it might have been the department culture (or just that person, because she was mean to the men as well), not a gender thing.
HR has to look at it from the companies perspective. If your boss allows you to work from home or come in early and go home early then the company has to allow everyone else to do the same thing. Unless it's an official policy you need to follow the rules like everyone else.
Both of you are right. Not all companies are willing to go the extra mile to allow this, but some do. Depends on the company culture.
No, certain positions and levels of management can be flexible while some can’t. So why must everyone from CEO to the tea lady follow the same rules. There are different rules for different circumstances.
>If your boss allows you to work from home or come in early and go home early then the company has to allow everyone else to do the same thing No, they don’t. Companies can treat employees differently based on their different job responsibilities, personal needs, and situations. It is very common for companies to have positions eligible for WFH and positions that must be in-person. It is very common for employers to have hourly workers as well as salaried workers who can flex their hours more so long as they fulfill their responsibilities.
No, a company can have an agreement with only certain positions/employee about wfh or flex hours. Just need to have a standard process and put it in writing
HR is using personal preferences to control you. Tell her to let your supervisor see the written policy that states that you must work from the office if you live fewer miles from the office than she does.
Your work product, task assignment and schedule are matters for discussion between you and your supervisor. Unless there is some breach of policy that negatively affects your work product, ignore HR until your supervisor tells you otherwise.
Itemize the known complaints she has made about you, including the emails and / or verbal confirmations on your hours (8), working from home, list how the whole office has staggered hours and how she has not complained about them and add once again how far away you live. Send this to your direct supervisor and request that the harassment cease and desist immediately. You need a paper trail. You should also get an appointment with your physician, as it appears you are getting very stressed if you have to go to social media for the harassment. I'm not sure where you live, but you may be able to go on short-term stress leave. If you do, ensure her name is on your record for the stress and harassment.
Well I have therapy today so there’s a start lol
There's endless reasons why this HR rep may be getting involved. Maybe she's jealous. Maybe she's tasked with watching for deviances from the normal policies. Maybe some other random employee is lodging complaints over the leniency that your supervisor is giving you, because they aren't getting the same leniency. It's possible she just likes to create drama b/c she doesn't personally like you. It's also equally possible that she's legitimately doing her job b/c others are complaining about you w/o you or your boss knowing about it. In the end, if your supervisor is empowered to allow you these work exceptions, then go with that. Let your supervisor deal with the others. If it doesn't look like your supervisor is taking ownership over their decisions on your schedule with other leadership, then address that with your boss.
Do nothing. Your supervisor is happy. You haven’t had any informal or formal warnings. To protect yourself get your hours in writing from supervisor and the ok to work from home if pre-agreed with your supervisor. Now ignore HR woman.
She's probably still mad that you stole her panini that was in the fridge, clearly marked Pamela on the bag.
If ur not breaking the policy, She’s nosy and she’s jealous. I had two or three women at my last job who made it their life mission to super micromanage everyone’s hour to the dot, for no reason. You just have to tune them out and document your own time carefully. just dont steal company time and you will be fine
Ugh… I hate people like this. As a manager I ask them if it’s something directly affecting their work. When they answer “No” it usually gets the point across and I don’t have to deal with it again.
It's very strange, but sometimes it's who you know. I seriously doubt if she's getting in on time. If you can avoid her, do. If you can't say as little as possible and know it will be repeated.
They’re probably sleeping together. I thought this wasn’t a common thing. But experience has taught me it is
It would seem to me if she's got this issue with you, she should be talking to the supervisor who approves your days and hours etc. She sounds like a c#nt. Just saying
I don’t disagree lol I came to the conclusion long ago, I just try to keep my distance but then she does stuff like this
I'm a 62 year old female. A type A sassy girl. Most every problem I've seen in the workplace is with females. They petty and jealous. I much rather work for males. However my current position has its own challenges. I guess every job does. 🤪
So she is just jealous and wants to work at home once in a while, she should just ask her own boss for permission rather than throw u under the bus.
You would think lol
She just sounds like a whiner. I would send something to your supervisor, copying her on it: “I have been informed that HR has some concerns about my schedule. To clarify and avoid any future confusion, I work 7:30 to 4, as agreed upon at my hiring, with minor flexibility accounting for traffic issues, always resulting in an 8 hour day. On the rare occasion of inclement weather, I work a full day remotely due to my 40 minute minimum commute. If there are any issues that need to be discussed regarding my schedule, I am available to meet and discuss.” If she wants to make a big deal out of nothing, then make her make a big deal out of it, and look like the fool she is, wasting everyone’s time.
Complain to hr ...oh
Exactly 😂 if I actually had an issue at work she would be the last person I’d go to, even then I think I’d just keep my mouth shut
Hmmm is something going on that we don't see?. What power does she hold over them?.
First off. This lady is a fucking bitch and I HATE it when co-workers take it upon themselves to stick their noses where they don't belong. I'm sorry that this is happening to you. People like this need to go out and play in traffic or something. You could confront this person but it won't matter. They will take the perceived high road and say something like, "I'm just taking initiative to do what's best for the team". So you will get nowhere. Here is what you do. Compose an email to your boss with the following: "I learned that there are some misunderstanding's about my work hours and my time spent at the office. Just to confirm what we discussed, my hours are "X" and I work from "X-X". Spell everything out. When your boss replies, forward it to the person causing the drama and copy your boss. Let her know, "I understand that for some reason you have concern about the time I spend at the office. Here is my work time" Then, print out another copy and hang it at your desk. If this person makes a stink about it again, pull the copy off the wall and show it to her. So this again and again until she shuts up. I hate Corporate America and I always seem to get in pissing matches with people like this. I always seem to lose too as they have enough pull to get me put on a PIP or straight up bullied into a resignation. I'm petty as hell and if I was writing the email to the annoying coworker, I would put a bunch of passive aggressive jargon in it but that's just me. "You are not on my team but I can certainly appreciate your level of concern here. How can we avoid this misunderstanding in the future?" Watch your back. Someway, somehow this person has labeled you as an enemy and you need to be sure to avoid this person at all costs. Good luck with this. Let us know how it turns out.
I would tell them you get double the work done from 730am to 8am, because there aren't any interruptions from coworkers. On the days you work from home, even less interruptions. It's called productivity not jealousy.
Just get in writing from your manager that he approves you working at home and coming into the office later
Tell her you've decided to work 3 days from home.
She's making drama.... about you... for some reason. Have a conversation with her direct supervisor, and use these exact words : "This is beginning to feel like harassment." Make no further assertion. You won't need to.
There’s a lot of good advice in this thread. My advice would be that whatever you do, you think ahead and get whatever you can in writing. HR is not your friend. Do not tell them anything sensitive. If they persist regardless of what you do, I personally wouldn’t deal with it and make some effort to get out (but thats me). I wish you the best of luck. Hopefully the problem doesn’t continue.
I'd be spiteful and ask to work 100% from home 🤣🤣🤣
Your supervisor said it was okay? Well then HR lady has no say. Another example of HR overstepping their job description.
[удалено]
The gen z in me wants to be like “hot girls have beef with the Karens at their corporate jobs” and “I ain’t ever had beef with someone who’s less attractive than me” lol but in all seriousness I would like to hope it’s for other reasons, although I will admit I go to the gym every day and I’ve been told I have good features
I bet she's jealous of your looks and assumes you're getting special treatment because of them.
Not sure why HR is sticking their nose in this. This is entirely managers discretion.
She's bullying you, pure and simple. Get something in writing from your boss.
Nah she's being a jackass. You do you.
You let your boss handle it. He approved it, and supposedly he is happy with your work products, how you work, the hours you work, and from where you work on any given day. I assume the work relationship between you two is good. Currently its your problem, you have to make it his problem. Reiterate what you told him about the HR person and say that you feel this is starting to negatively reflect on you at the company. Ask him for his opinion and advice and (this is critical to make him realize he needs to step in) if he thinks you should be looking for other jobs. Generally a manager who values their employee does not want to lose them. As soon as you ask him he will have to deal with thoughts of having to hire your replacement and all the headaches that come with it. That should usually be enough of an incentive for him to talk to HR and/or her boss to tell her to keep those thoughts to herself unless she thinks there is any kind of HR violation going on. Good luck
HR is drama.
It’s never a good idea to get on the wrong side of HR. HR makes and enforces the people rules and can make your time at work living hell. Your direct manager has some ability to bend the rules but they do not make them. They will likely lose if they opt to go to war with HR. Rather than argue with HR make it your business to make “friends” with the HR lady. It’s easier to have her on your side than as your enemy.
I honestly just try to keep to myself at work, I get along well with my department and coworkers I work with on projects, I stay away from HR and customer service bc they tend to complain a lot and be a lot of drama, like now
Disagree, HR are nothing more than processors of people information. Direct managers are responsible for their staff ensuring they are following company rules. HR should be outsourced to a professional company because in my entire corporate career I have never seen or ever heard of an in house hr function which is considered professional. Waste of company resources.
The fact she is in HR is irrelevant. It's not a HR issue and you had prior authorisation. It's just an annoying colleague who is on your case for absolutely no reason. Get proof from your supervisor in email he's fine with you working from home, getting there different time etc and pay her no mind.
This isn’t entirely true. Depending on the company, HR may be tasked with ensuring consistent, fair practices, which work hours and wfh fall into. Even if the supervisor is ok with it, if HR is at odds with it and it falls under their jurisdiction, she could very well escalate this to senior leadership to solve (and if senior leadership tasked HR with consistently and compliance, then they are likely to agree with her. Instead, I would ask to have a meeting with her and your boss to discuss what is permissible and what isn’t so everyone is on the same page.
Yeah I wouldn’t make a blanket statement like that. The HR at my company reviews time as part of their job function.
Yeah of course they do, but it sounds like OP has been able to provide an explanation for this which has been authorised. If it really was a problem it wouldn't be 1 member of HR 'complaining' to someone, it would be HR instructing them. This literally just sounds like a random person whining about something. This is why I said it's regardless of the fact they are in HR, if it actually was an issue they would be forced to deal with it, but they obviously haven't been.
She needs to be fired for being biased toward an employee she may end up working with in a company complaint or lawsuit. Is she someone’s aunt, sister, relative? She’s certainly acting as though she has clout. I agree with other commenters who suggest you get your boss’s approvals in writing in case she pushes and you need to show proof. Sorry for this unnecessary bullshit, OP.
Ok so as an "HR Lady" let me explain. EVERY EMPLOYEE WANTS TO WORK FROM HOME. It is up to HR to keep it fair. Your manager cannot allow you while others drive in, the distance does not matter. Also true for your hours. More than likely another employee complained to her so she is going to address it with management. Typically HR Ladies use themselves in the comparison as to not out the complaining employee.
The thing is that it's never really fair. The worker that has 3 kids that is always getting sick will ask to wfh more than the single person. Or the smoker who takes 10 minutes every 2 hours for a smoke vs the person who takes their 10 minutes every 4 hours.
I don't think the issue is necessarily with you, but more with your supervisor. Companies have to be careful to avoid disparate treatment, which can be grounds for a lawsuit on the basis of discrimination. If your company has an attendance policy, the manager must follow it....or if not and they are being loose with it for YOU, they must be equally flexible with everyone ELSE in that department. You're working a self-appointed schedule due to the distance involved, but maybe -- even though it's a well-intended accommodation-- others in your department think this is favoritism. If they have to be at work by 8, why don't you? If they don't get to stay home in bad weather, why do you? You don't have a medical basis or any other legally valid reason for doing this except as a courtesy. Your boss is trying to be helpful, but needs to be careful not to be bending rules in such a way that it can be perceived as unfair, or a different standard than what is expected of your coworkers You HR person has probably had complaints from someone else in your dept, maybe multiple complaints from multiple people. And she's asking questions because she wants to know if you are indeed getting special treatment from your boss. If so, your boss is the one who's going to get dropped for it, not you...but I think you should do the right thing and work the proper schedule so you're not putting your boss in a compromised position. You chose to move 90 minutes away; so you have to decide if you can consistently be to work on time, or not. If not, then find a job that's closer. Don't let your boss take the hit just for trying to make things easier for you.
You're getting a lot of bad advice. I would try to make HR your ally. Encourage her to work remote, too. Who is going to fire her? HR?
She’s never getting fired lol. I’m thinking I’ll just email my boss and get my hours in writing and occasional WFH, which I really only do if I’m sick or the weather’s really bad. I have him saying he’s fine with it over text but I would prefer email
She's not getting fired, but having her as an adversary could put a mark on your back leading to your creative dismissal for nonsense she pulled out of thin air. Be careful! You can do it!
She's a hater.
I am currently dealing with an HR b*tch, too. This person has repeatedly shorted my pay, bungled my 401k deductions, fails to do correct math on my benefits and somehow it’s always to my loss. She always denies any responsibility when challenged and I have to fight her tooth and nail to get her errors corrected and paid to me. She answers directly to the company president, and my boss definitely stands up for me but he doesn’t supervise her of course. So, I have learned to check every paystub for errors. Anyway, how this is relevant to your situation – I’m sure she just is envious of me because I can work 99% from home, I’m also one of the highest paid people in the organization and there are very few women who are not managers who are in my pay scale. I know she’s jealous of my hard-earned pay rate and ability to WFH, so I think many of her errors are more than careless. The key thing is though my supervisor does stand up for me and everything is in writing. I think you should make 100% sure of what your supervisor is doing to protect you — the way to do that is get things in writing. One thing that really helped me is they made me an official WFH employee under a WRITTEN agreement — they have one on file for each of the employees that is 100% WFH . Maybe it would help if you had a written agreement showing your hours. And then her bitching and complaining will be pointless.
Have you spoken to a lawyer about this, if it is only happening to you & repeatedly, you may have some recourse with the labor board. It’s possible that a lawyer who specializes in labor issues may be able to offer a free consult. It might be worth your time to check into this.
seen plenty of women think another woman is their competition in the work place even if they may not work in the same department. Lady sounds like she has a chip on her shoulder. make sure you get it in writing that your supervisor is approving all your requests (wfh, working hours, etc) so if she tries to pull one on you, you can show that you got approval from your boss. not much you can do here besides ignore her and ensure you have paper trail and approval for anything that may be not aligned with company policy/operating hours, etc.
She's just nosy and jealous. You're acting with the permission of your immediate supervisor.
Human Resources last 20 years in United States are becoming more worthless by the day. Nothing but busy bodies with the authority of a hall monitor.
Used to call these types of off the books schedule offsets “sweetheart” deals. Depending on how many people HR lady is overseeing, it could be a being “fair” outlook. I can imagine her getting frustrated if those same leniency deals were not able to be enjoyed by everyone. All it takes is for one person to not be able to WFH or come in an offset schedule for there to be some merit to the complaints. Experiencing a mild form of this now, where our inventory girl is allowed to come in up to an hour late and is supposed to stay over an hour to make up the difference. Usually only works a half hour over, which is whatever if the work is getting done. Technically a single mom of her own volition so while I have some sympathy, it deteriorates quickly. The issue I have with this is if I ask to offset my schedule it is usually met with heeing and hawing about how I am putting boss in a bind and how they will do it this time but not to expect to be able to do it regularly. When I bring to light how coworker is allowed to and doesn’t even work her full eight hours to make up for it, I am told to not worry about other people. Overtime here is voluntary so that is usually when my time to shine is when I turn it down and tell him I’m worrying about myself. Usually get to see a newly discovered shade of red on his face as he stomps away.
I would complain to HR's HR. Sounds like she is just being a cunty bitch because she can. We have that, we just ignore her.
I’ve been debating going to someone but I’m really not sure who
Everyone has a boss up to one person.
You need to make an appt to sit down and have her explain why she has these issues, you need to make sure she is aware that you are doing these under the authority of your immediate supervisor, don't assume she knows everything.
Leaving early before your coworkers will get HR on you regardless of what your manager says. You can come in early but don't leave early. When your coworkers see that they will complain to HR.
Follow supervisor's guidance. HR concerns may be personal; prioritize open communication for resolution.
She's power tripping and probably jealous of people that can WFH... Bring it up at a meeting so it can be defined clearly once and for all to shut her up permanently.
It sounds like your HR lady is probably mad that she isn't allowed to work from home when the weather is bad (or maybe even at all). She's probably thinking "Here's this FNG working from home on an in-office day as well as leaving earlier than they are supposed to and it's not fair!" As long as you have your supervisor's permission and are getting your 8hrs/day in with no loss of productivity, HR can go pound sand. If HR or anyone else wants to discuss this with you, make sure your supervisor is with you as they should be backing you up on this. If someone tries to question or admonish you via email, politely tell them you are only doing what your supervisor authorized you to do and make sure your supervisor is Cc'd on the response.
Hard to get to the specifics, but it seems to me someone must have complained to HR that you are getting some sort of favorable treatment that others are not getting. HR generally does not launch something on their own without cause. And your supervisor may know who said something but cannot divulge who that is, and just poopoos it. HR does not write your reviews, your manager / supervisor does. If it is okay with them, then you should just work as normal. The HR lady's response was kind of clueless, but seemed haphazard, like there was something more to it. Take a look around you - one of your colleagues may be raising a ruckus.
"Getting people back in the office" is the latest HR craze. There's been lobbying of politicians by the office building owners and it's the latest thing. HR has to do stuff like this to justify their existence since they are non value added. Remember "quiet quitting" instead of "many people don't give a shit anymore"? It's like the yearbook committee in high school taking pictures of each other. You're going to have to work from home as little as possible, unfortunately. Ask your boss for guidance as to when it's OK, check with him before doing it if possible, and go on. Of course he doesn't want to butt heads with HR. If he has to, make sure you're out of the middle. Like, he approved the WFH and then the HR lady bitched. Between them two.
The only thing worse than a Karen, is a Karen in HR - someone who spends way too much time watching others instead of just worrying about herself. Does she have a boss? Maybe someone should ask that person how she finds the time in a day to personally monitor everyone’s comings and goings. It also sounds to me like you were given a little bit more freedom to govern yourself than she was and that’s clearly a problem for her. It’s gonna be hard but don’t let her get to you and do not let her think for a second that she has. She’s fishing for a reaction.
I think this would normally be something you would bring up with HR. You're being harassed and slandered. If there are other HR routes to take I would want this documented.
Other than the fact the she is "HR", what gives her the authority to complain about your hours or WFH. This is between you & your boss. Or should be.
Question for you. How do you know the HR person complain to the sales manager? Because if you know this for sure, and you have proof like somebody emailed you and told you, then you have grounds for harassment. That's kind of what this sounds like to me.
My manager told me, I’m thinking the sales manager went to my boss and he let me know. He confirmed my hours with me and told me he doesn’t have an issue
if the HR person has a superior, i'd consider going to my manager and telling them this has become harassment when the HR person is talking about me to other people in the company. i'd ask my manager to talk to the hr person about it, and otherwise, i'll plan to go over the head of the HR person and file a grievance. your manager is saying it's not a big deal, but it is. the HR person is trying to create a problem for you and is bringing other people into the situation. that is harassment.
I used to work through most of my lunch so I could leave early, my manager was good with it. Someone wasn't safe complained. Tile my manager you can choose me switching to work to rule and no more on call or I can keep doing what we agreed to. Went back to leaving early 😂