By now, HR leaders across the nation have heard of the kiss cam scandal involving former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and the company’s Chief People Offer Kristin Cabot.
While many professionals have already dissected the viral scandal to see what they can learn from the situation, my thoughts lingered on Cabot’s role in the HR space at Astronomer. Considering most companies have some form of policy regarding relationships in the workplace and relationships involving different power dynamics, it is not out of the ordinary to assume Astronomer did too.
My first thought was you can’t report HR to HR, so what are you supposed to do?
As HR leaders, you’re expected to be the guardians of fairness, compliance, ethics, and integrity within your organization. HR teams set the tone for company culture champion policies that promote equity and trust. Most importantly, HR holds others accountable for their actions in the workspace. But what happens when members of your department bend — or outright break — the very rules it enforces?
In a time when transparency and accountability are more important than ever, HR leaders must hold themselves to the same standards they demand from others.
Hypocrisy, Credibility, and Consequences
When HR fails to follow its own standards, the ripple effects can be devastating. With trust in HR departments already declining, the consequences of internal hypocrisy are growing.
These double standards also have a negative impact on company culture by fostering a distrustful work environment. Employees won’t know who to turn to for help and will lose trust in the fairness and integrity of HR processes.
HR teams won’t just have to face accusations of hypocrisy; they may even have to deal with legal claims from employees. If HR’s rule-breaking affects employees’ rights, it can lead to a number of problems including complaints or lawsuits with government agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or the US Department of Labor. The complaints can even lead to increased scrutiny and reputational damage for the organization.
Trust on the Decline
Trust in HR departments is already low with one survey reporting that only a quarter of employees have complete faith in HR departments to address toxic behaviors in the workplace.
Trust is foundational for HR leaders. It is what gives leaders their effectiveness in creating a positive, productive work environment. If there is no trust in your leadership, you can’t call yourself an effective leader. As a leader, you must actively work to build and maintain trust by demonstrating integrity, transparency, and accountability.
We are only human, so mistakes are bound to be made; but it is HR’s job to be the deciding force for accountability in the workplace. Even if it means holding our team members accountable too.
Not sure where to start? Check out our article Rebuilding Trust: How HR Can Heal a Toxic Workplace.
