How should you approach this situation? Which of the two leaders should you talk to, and why?

The leader I would talk to is the CEO.  He is clearly the one who has the most influence.  He evidently has great influence over the COO being that the COO basically wants me to mind my business.  I would approach the CEO by stressing that employees are not happy with the lack of communication and that upper management is responsible for ensuring employees through communication about the state of the organization.  It is an ethical responsibility for an organization to be sociably responsible both within the organization as well as within the community.  By doing so, employees tend to be more prideful of their positions, they have higher morale, the identity of the organization is enhanced, and as always employees tend to perform better (Valentine & Godkin, 2016).  I would explain all  of this to CEO to get my point across as to why he should be more sociable and more open with the goals and the strategic direction of the organization. 

What points, ideas, or other information might you use to approach one or both of the leaders you have to work with in dealing with this situation?

The main point I would stress is that HR should be viewed as the focal point of the organization and that for employees to build solid relationships with not only HR but the organization as  a whole we will need to socialize with them. As an HR professional we must strive to operate ethically because of the many confidential areas involved such as with compensation, employee personal issues, and legal rules and regulations that are stressed by the government.  I would encourage both the CEO and the COO to be more ethically responsible when it comes to operating the company because employees need to know what is going on and that their jobs are secure.  We are the leaders and we must set standards and lead by example in order to be respected by our employees, our customers, and our community (SHRM, 2019).   I don’t see how any company can be ran silently.   As the HR professional in this case it is my ethical duty to ensure that decisions are being made in the best interest of the entire organization and we must engage in activities that enhance our credibility and add value to our brand (SHRM, 2019).  

What might be some of the pitfalls and what are some of the risks in failing to follow guidelines in the employee manual?

Some of the pitfalls with not following guidelines in the employee manual could be violation of employment laws, employees feeling as if they are being treated unfairly, employees feeling as if they can do whatever they want to do, not having respect for others, and unorganized work environments.  The risks of this can be potential lawsuits for not being in compliance, lower production levels, low profits, and little to no growth in the industry.