Human Resources: We’re not out to get you!

I’m an HR professional, and I’d like to say a few words in defense of my field.

I’ll begin with a true story: an incident at a warehouse run by one of those big internet retailers. Someone in HR got a call about an employee, a young mother who had to get right over to her daughter’s school because the daughter was sick. The warehouse had a messaging system—texting frontline workers on their individually-assigned scanners (used by everyone to process inventory). So the HR person typed out this message to the mother: “Please come down to HR immediately.” But instead of hitting “Send,” she hit “Send All.” Within minutes, hundreds of employees with guilty consciences converged on HR, certain they were about to be fired—work came to a standstill! It was chaos!

Eventually things got sorted out: the company was very “employee friendly,” and the mother was picked out of the crowd of previously terror-stricken but now relieved workers and given time off to fetch her sick daughter. And, of course, no one was fired, not even the HR person who had hit the wrong button! The story made the rounds, and everyone had a good chuckle.

The moral: A message from HR almost never means you’re getting fired, so don’t panic! HR is not in business to drive employees crazy! We can actually be nice!

But that mistake with “Send All” (which, I suppose, did drive people a little crazy) and the ensuing chaos perhaps makes a troubling point: everyone seems to think that HR is one step above (or below?) the Grim Reaper. People lump us in with your local draft board, or the IRS, or even the KGB! The last thing you want is a summons to come see HR, right? Because the immediate reaction is so often, “What did I do now?” or “What do they want?”

Okay, it’s true that we’re always getting people to fill out some form, or choose from some confusing menu of benefits, or attend another seminar about how to treat your colleagues. And we know these things can be annoying. But they’re also necessary and, ultimately, helpful: those forms keep the paychecks flowing, the benefits pay for a big chunk of your medical expenses, and those seminars make people aware that actions big and small can affect people’s feelings and careers. And these are all big positives!

Some of our jobs are easy— raises, promotions, awards—everyone’s happy. But sometimes the job is tough—administering disciplinary steps, rejecting applicants for open positions, and occasionally, yes, terminating someone’s employment —but as the saying goes, “someone’s gotta do it.” It’s no fun delivering bad news.

The Covid pandemic didn’t help matters. HR was really catching flak in those days.

But please remember: it’s not always bad news! The simple truth: companies want happy hardworking employees, and HR is the major administrative interface tasked with obtaining and retaining topnotch employees. So while it’s true that we represent management, a significant part of that representation is cultivating positive relationships with employees.

What it all comes down to is this: HR isn’t out to get you—we’re out to KEEP you! We’re people too, not ogres, and we’re here, most of all, to help. We’re not saying you have to take us out to lunch—but when we walk past, there’s no need to pull out the crucifix!

So a final message from the friendly HR profession: we succeed when you succeed— so let’s succeed TOGETHER.