The Pros and Cons of Reporting Harassment to HR
Reading Time: < 1 minute
… how you got to this page:
Before you consider making a complaint to your human resource representative, ask yourself:
- What outcome do I want?
- Is my HR department able to help me achieve that outcome?
Some examples are:
- Stop the harassment/discrimination
- Put it on the record
- Get your harasser removed from your department, reporting structure or the company
Pros for reporting to HR
- Hands the issue over to a third party to help resolve the problem
- Puts the harassment/discrimination on the record
- Potential to hold the harasser accountable for their actions
- Potential to prevent future harassment and discrimination
- Makes the company accountable to investigate and resolve the issue
- Makes the company accountable for any harassment/discrimination after you report
Cons for reporting to HR
- You give up control to a third party and their process
- HR’s priority and process is to protect the company’s interest first
- Potential for retaliation from the company, including loss of promotions, opportunities, and/or job
- Potential for retaliation from coworkers, including gossip and distrust for “snitching”
- You may be perceived as disloyal to the company
- Your work history will be included in the investigation, even if it is not relevant to your complaint
- Your complaint may not remain confidential during the investigation