One thing that I had to learn the hard way years ago is that there's no equivalent to "doctor-patient privilege" for HR people. They can and will use what you say against you, and they will likely relay what you say to other people.
It's admittedly pretty cynical, but at this point I treat HR meetings more like police interrogations, and keep my answer short, minimal, and utilitarian, knowing what I say can and will be used against me. It's not fair to the HR people, most of them are perfectly nice, but they're in a position that's often inherently antagonistic towards workers, since they're generally only called when you're in trouble.
It's admittedly pretty cynical, but at this point I treat HR meetings more like police interrogations, and keep my answer short, minimal, and utilitarian, knowing what I say can and will be used against me. It's not fair to the HR people, most of them are perfectly nice, but they're in a position that's often inherently antagonistic towards workers, since they're generally only called when you're in trouble.