Question

A vice president (VP) of HR has responsibility for multiple manufacturing sites and is responsible for teams of HR managers and generalists that support each location. All locations operate seven days a week, 24 hours a day. These teams cover all shifts, providing support. Each location is in the process of rolling out updated policies, including enhancements to the company's progressive disciplinary process and an ethics policy that focuses on commitment to mutual respect, ethical decision making, and integrity.

One day, after the VP of HR has left her office, she receives a call from a site HR generalist. The generalist tells the VP that when he returned from his dinner break, the HR office appeared to have been ransacked. Books were thrown on the floor, and name tags were torn off doors and thrown into the trash. The generalist also reports that when security checked the cameras, they reached the conclusion that the site HR manager had done the damage and then had left the facility.
The VP knows that the site HR manager has a volatile personality and has been counseled about it previously. The VP also has recently discovered that the manager has been drinking routinely after work and wonders if the ransacking of the office occurred when the manager returned to the office after a drinking session.
The following day, members of the HR team separately contact the HR VP with concerns about the incident. Which action should the VP take address the concerns of the HR team?
A. Ask the HR team to document their concerns to share with the site general manager.
B. Bring the HR team together and ask the site HR manager to apologize to the team.
C. Request that they schedule time to discuss their concerns directly, one-on-one, with the HR manager.
D. Meet with the HR team as a group, discussing what happened and listening to concerns they have.

Answer 1

The VP of HR should meet with the HR team as a group to discuss the incident and listen to their concerns, aligning with the company's commitment to respect, ethical decision-making, and integrity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Vice President (VP) of HR is responsible for handling a serious incident involving the site HR manager. The appropriate action for the VP to take to address the concerns of the HR team is: D. Meet with the HR team as a group, discussing what happened and listening to concerns they have. This approach permits a collective understanding and discussion of the incident, ensures that team concerns are addressed in an open forum, and allows the VP to gauge the group's sentiment and impact on morale. It also respects the principles of mutual respect, ethical decision-making, and integrity as laid out in the company's updated ethics policy. Following the group discussion, the VP can decide on further steps, such as an investigation and potential disciplinary actions against the HR manager, in line with the company's progressive disciplinary process.