RE: Ulog Reflections | On Burning Bridges
I guess it's been a while since I worked in an office of any kind, but specifically one that was a highly charged environment as this one sounds. I can't say that I miss it one bit. Even the office I ran as a newspaper publisher, even though that one was much more low key—boredom may have been a problem there. :)
At any rate, I think you've got the unenviable tightrope to walk there, and it's got to wear personally at least sometimes. The one thing that I could see me trying to do is to come as close to the truth in each situation, to determine what was transpiring and why.
I don't know how willing I would be in an exit interview to give my full side. I might be. It would probably depend on the circumstances and whether or not I felt that what I said would make any difference, especially if it meant changing some process wholesale, or removing a bunch of people, including supervisors, who were standing in the way. It would be most difficult to do if I were to blame or at fault for anything, or could be made to look like it, which often happens, too.
Still, it sounds like you are a good fit there, and good for the HR department and thus those who are working there. It also sounds like the new girl is in for an eye opening experience. :) Surely they teach office politics in college. :) Okay, probably not. But maybe they should.
Most of the companies that I have worked with have such a high level of stress and attrition and I am often there to understand and lower down the churn.
It does wear me down at times and hard to keep a positive outlook especially when you see wrong things being done.
This is one of the main reasons why establishing trust and relationships is an important thing for me to achieve with people. So that they would feel that their opinion and words matter and may change things.
Human Resources courses usually have an ethics class but then theory and reality is really different.
I can see where you have to thread your way between theory and reality. Things really should be black or white, but too many times we like to gray them up. And I'm sure by the time you're aware of what's going on, there's a nice little tangled web being woven that's difficult, if not impossible to undo. It's too bad that management doesn't end up at the same ethics training, then expected to adhere to it. Actually, the entire company should be going to it and periodically be tested. Wouldn't that be fun. :)