Why does HR get a “Bad Rap”?

The job of an HR Professional is to balance on the corporate tightrope between employees and management in the spirit of achieving “fairness”. But the reality is, life isn’t always fair and neither is working in corporate America. The ultimate charter for the HR function is to mitigate legal risk and to design HR programs so that employees are fully engaged and most productive. Companies do not hire employees out of good will, they hire them to achieve productivity, and ultimately generate profits. The negative stigma that goes with the HR function is usually tied to the simple fact that HR has the unappreciated job of helping managers deliver some of the most unpleasant messages that an employee can possibly receive at work.

No one wants to hear that their position has been eliminated, that they failed their performance improvement plan, or that they have to pay 50% more for the same benefits next year. Also, you have to remember that just like any occupation; there are good HR professionals and bad ones. There are plenty of uneducated, inexperienced people acting as HR experts in small and medium sized companies. These imposters use bad judgment and make recommendations that don’t even come close to achieving the best outcome. The role of competent HR is to act as a consultant, advising the decision maker – the manager. Often managers are counseled by HR on how best to handle a situation and due to the manager’s lack of experience, ego, or poor judgment make a bad situation worse.

So before you exclaim “my HR department sucks”, just remember that the business of people is unpredictable and fully dependent on the imperfect communications and actions of human beings. So why would anyone want to work in HR you ask? Well, the truth is, a great HR professional can coach a manager through a challenging situation and guide them to achieve the best possible outcome for the employer and employee. And yes, sometimes the outcome is “fair”. This is a tremendously rewarding professional achievement and is what keeps the blood pumping in the veins of those crazy people who work in the crazy profession of Human Resources.