Management AND HR seem to willfully ignore employee concerns.
My reason for saying this is that after years of telling my boss I didn't feel engaged, that my skills weren't being used to their fullest, and that I wanted to progress nothing was ever addressed.
I gave up trying to understand what my boss wanted and spoke to HR. Ultimately their recommendation was to have a mediated discussion with HR present.
The first HR rep I worked with said they would arrange everything but they, as polite as they were, failed to do so and ended up leaving that position for another position in the company.
They never followed up with me.
The second time I brought this to HR I explained what happened with the previous HR rep and again requested the mediated discussion. Instead of arranging the meeting as I requested this second HR member I spoke with went directly to my boss to "express my concerns" even though I told her that I felt like we had hit a wall and formally requested a 3rd party be present.
You can imagine how that went.
I should note that during this whole ordeal I found out I was supposed to be receiving a "9 box" review/coaching session twice a year. The only time that was given to me the -entire- time this gentleman was my supervisor was to explain why he didn't think I deserved a rank advancement.
I should note that after HR going to him directly that he DID encourage me to use company funds to sign up for some training. It was a seminar titled "How To Communicate Effectively with People."
IT was held in a conference room at a LaQuinta Inn close to the airport.
To reiterate on continuing education; That decision is up to your direct supervisor's discretion on whether or not they'll approve anything like that. I asked repeatedly and was constantly ignored or told "we'll see but for right now..." Please see my above description of the seminar he assigned to me.
In summary, if I could go back in time to the date I signed on I'd tell myself that the "growth opportunities" my hiring manager used to rationalize my extremely low starting pay are outright lies and to run in the opposite direction.
Now that I'm gone I can see that nothing was worth the stress and stagnation I suffered enduring such a dead end job with such uncaring management.
