Hidden HR: 48% of staff haven't spoken to HR in the past year

Almost half of UK employees have not spoken or liaised with their HR department in the past year, according to a new report.

The annual CIPD survey, in conjunction with YouGov, polled over 1,150 British workers, and found that 48% of them had no contact with HR in their organisation. A further quarter admitted that they don’t know who carries out the majority of HR related work in their businesses.  

CIPD offers a variety of reasons for this, including a lack of visibility. Katie Bailey, Professor of Management at the University of Sussex explained to the CIPD: “In an average organisation on an average day, most people don’t interact with central departments. And when they do, it’s inevitable it will be more routine.”

The survey also suggests that employees are starkly unaware of what HR actually does. According to the report, the majority of staff named administrative and procedural matters as HRs main responsibilities. Ksenia Zheltoukhova, CIPD Research Adviser, commented: “There is a role to play in educating people that HR are the people to come to for values, culture and career progression in particular.”