Majority of American employees too intimidated to talk to their boss about work issues

Over half of American workers feel they have no one to turn to with a workplace issue, according to a new survey.   The survey asked 2,000 employed Americans about their thoughts toward Human Resources departments and who they would go to should they have an issue in the workplace.  Thirty-two percent of those surveyed without an HR department or representative, said they don't even know who they would go to with questions or concerns or wouldn't go to anyone at all.   Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Bambee, the study also found that a further 50 percent of respondents without HR would turn to their immediate boss or manager should they have an issue or concern in the workplace.  This could present an uncomfortable situation for workers - as six in 10 respondents said they would feel too intimidated to go to their boss or manager with an issue they were having.  On the topic of bosses, despite eight in 10 workers reporting that their bosses or managers do have good communication skills - 64 percent that there is, in fact, room for improvement.  Nearly half of respondents also said their boss or manager is ineffective in how they communicate with their employees.  It comes as no surprise, then, that 65 percent of workers also said they feel they could be better at the job than their boss.  When it comes down to who Human Resources "really" works for, unfortunately, 65 percent of workers said they believe HR is there to protect the company and not the employees.  This may be related to the 23 percent of respondents who never reported an issue or complaint they had.  Over half of these respondents who wished to file a report or complaint but didn't, reported that they felt uncomfortable doing so.  Other reasons for not filing a report or complaint included not knowing who to go to (40 percent) and just not knowing how to file a report or complaint (37 percent).  It does appear the grass is greener on the other side, though.  Of those surveyed with an HR department or representative, seven in 10 have paid them a visit.  Aside from submitting reports or complaints regarding both their co-workers (36 percent) and boss or manager (34 percent), most respondents went to HR for a helping hand.  "Human Resources is a critical part of every business because people drive results," said Allan Jones, CEO of Bambee.

"People management and operations can be challenging though, and HR is always there to help the business and its team members, no matter what."  Half met with their HR representative for help enrolling in their benefits as well as for help understanding their time off.  Next in line for meetings was submitting requests for vacation time - at 49 percent.  More than four in 10 also met with their HR representative for help submitting and understanding paperwork.  After their meetings, a whopping 92 percent said their issue was resolved in a proper manner by their representative.  "Feeling comfortable, happy, engaged, and supported at your workplace is something we all want to experience," added Jones.

"HR is the function of the business that drives this culture forward, creating an environment where workers can thrive."

Over half of American workers feel they have no one to turn to with a workplace issue, according to a new survey.

The survey asked 2,000 employed Americans about their thoughts toward Human Resources departments and who they would go to should they have an issue in the workplace.

Thirty-two percent of those surveyed without an HR department or representative, said they don't even know who they would go to with questions or concerns or wouldn't go to anyone at all.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Bambee, the study also found that a further 50 percent of respondents without HR would turn to their immediate boss or manager should they have an issue or concern in the workplace.

This could present an uncomfortable situation for workers - as six in 10 respondents said they would feel too intimidated to go to their boss or manager with an issue they were having.

On the topic of bosses, despite eight in 10 workers reporting that their bosses or managers do have good communication skills - 64 percent that there is, in fact, room for improvement.

Nearly half of respondents also said their boss or manager is ineffective in how they communicate with their employees.

It comes as no surprise, then, that 65 percent of workers also said they feel they could be better at the job than their boss.

When it comes down to who Human Resources "really" works for, unfortunately, 65 percent of workers said they believe HR is there to protect the company and not the employees.

This may be related to the 23 percent of respondents who never reported an issue or complaint they had.

Over half of these respondents who wished to file a report or complaint but didn't, reported that they felt uncomfortable doing so.

Other reasons for not filing a report or complaint included not knowing who to go to (40 percent) and just not knowing how to file a report or complaint (37 percent).

It does appear the grass is greener on the other side, though.

Of those surveyed with an HR department or representative, seven in 10 have paid them a visit.

Aside from submitting reports or complaints regarding both their co-workers (36 percent) and boss or manager (34 percent), most respondents went to HR for a helping hand.

"Human Resources is a critical part of every business because people drive results," said Allan Jones, CEO of Bambee.

"People management and operations can be challenging though, and HR is always there to help the business and its team members, no matter what."  Half met with their HR representative for help enrolling in their benefits as well as for help understanding their time off.

Next in line for meetings was submitting requests for vacation time - at 49 percent.

More than four in 10 also met with their HR representative for help submitting and understanding paperwork.

After their meetings, a whopping 92 percent said their issue was resolved in a proper manner by their representative.

"Feeling comfortable, happy, engaged, and supported at your workplace is something we all want to experience," added Jones.

"HR is the function of the business that drives this culture forward, creating an environment where workers can thrive."