DECISIONPOINT


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For more information, see “In the Matter of Grievance Arbitration between Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Penitentiary Leavenworth, Kansas and American Federa- tion of Government Employees, Council of Prisons Locals #33, Local 919”; award issued August 24, 2012, Hugh J. Perry, Arbitrator.


Case description and analysis provided by: By Glen Kraemer, Hirschfeld Kraemer LLP


Book It!


Against Company Policy by Hattye C. Knight, PHR Reviewed by Terry LaMotte, PHR


Anyone who has been in human resources and dealt with employee relations for any length of time has probably thought to themselves “Boy, I could write a book about what just happened”. Well, that is what Ms. Knight has done in Against Company Policy. She has woven a story rich with characters and multiple plot lines. In fact, one wonders if she has drawn from her imagination or from a wealth of interesting experiences in her career. Either way, pay attention because you might miss some- thing.


The tale starts quickly with a young woman who finds blood on the door of the human resources office at Nesbit Industries when she drops off her resume after hours. As she returns to her car, she is attacked and left unconscious in the street. Within short order, we are introduced to the cast of characters, including Gertrude the head of HR. In Against Company Policy, Hattye Knight does a terrific job developing the personali- ties and lives of those involved in the story, from the victims (yes there is more than


one), to the HR staff, to the police investigating the crime, and to some characters who don’t fit neatly into these categories. I don’t want to give anything away, but suffice it to say the plot has quite a number of twists and turns. As I was reading, I thought, more than once, that I knew which policy was violated, who did it, and how the story would end. It turns out I was wrong on all counts. And, just when you think you’ve met everyone, another character is introduced that ties up a different part of the mystery.


My one criticism is that most characters are continually praying throughout the book. I’m not saying that prayer is a bad thing. Nor am I saying that prayer can’t be included in a story. There are, in fact, a number of times in the story where prayer is appropri- ate. Nonetheless, I was surprised at the number of times prayer was part of the story.


In the Prologue, Hattye Knight writes “Human Resources employees are human… HR staff have feelings – they just can’t show it.” Against Company Policy, is a fun and engaging book that allows the reader to get to know the characters as more than just HR people. It is a fast paced story that anyone will enjoy even if they aren’t in human resources.


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