Recently, I posted a hot topic poll on LinkedIn. Given the Great Resignation and the amount of dysfunctional leadership, what option do employees have to address and develop a poor leader? Data shows us that employees leave managers; we have given employees no other option. Besides an “anonymous” hotline that employees can call into to report misconduct, there’s really no support system out there to address the problem of poor, ineffective leaders. This is really unfortunate because the employee’s only option is to leave the situation. We’re not giving them any way to try to make it better. Until we find another way, unfortunately, companies and leaders still hold this power. The question I posted on LinkedIn asked if people thought this was HR’s responsibility. Generally speaking, the people working in HR are not leadership experts. Sure, some have the knack for it and some are certified coaches. But, resolving dysfunctional leaders is normally not something we can expect from HR. Should it be? Maybe. There needs to be a solution – a resource that employees can use to address this issue so that it expands their options and companies can retain qualified employees. 

 

Personal story: one time, I naively went to HR about a bullying boss I had thinking they would help me. They did not. This was in a very large, worldwide real estate company with a massive HR department. Their solution? For me to talk to my boss directly about the situation. I said no and started job hunting. A few weeks later, things were worse and I went to HR and asked for an “exit strategy” so I could leave on good terms and help during the transition and receive severance. I was completely transparent with them. Once again, they said they could not do that and they suggested that I speak to my boss directly. A week later, they surprised me with a severance package. I did not appreciate the surprise aspect of this. Turns out, they could do it after all. I’m sure I was their guinea pig. Even a company of that magnitude had no HR ability or knowledge to resolve the situation. By the way, my boss was a C-level executive who reported directly to the CEO. 

 

Bottom line: employees need an outlet to report poor, ineffective, dysfunctional, toxic leaders where it leads to resolution.