‘I felt like HR didn’t have my back whatsoever’: Dissecting the profession’s persistent perception problem
Let’s face it — nobody sends a valentine to HR.
Especially one office worker who learned the hard way that the HR department wasn’t necessarily the ally he expected it to be.
His story reads like a script for a film that’s set in the worst workplace ever: ambushed with complaints (on his birthday), watching conflicts that had presumably been resolved become harsh disciplinary actions aimed at him, and ultimately feeling like he had “a target on my back,” despite outstanding performance reviews.
“I felt like HR didn’t have my back whatsoever,” said the employee, speaking under the cover of anonymity.
His journey through HR hell — where he felt forced to “swallow my pride and play the office game” — exposes the unsettling reality many workers face when the people who are positioned to support them become part of the problem.
From delivering employees bad news to hounding them to file gobs of paperwork to assigning tasks many see as a bore and a waste of time, HR people often find themselves cast as the organizational villain: rarely understood or appreciated, certainly never celebrated and sometimes downright feared. HR’s standing was eroded even further during the pandemic.
Tech entrepreneur Vaclav Vincalek points out that often HR fights a losing battle when it comes to enhancing its image among the rank and file. “They are involved at the start with hiring to the bitter end of firing and everything in between,” he said. “Any unpleasant task is offloaded to that department. No wonder it got nicknamed the ‘No Fun Department.’”
It’s no surprise, then, that HR has one of the most dramatic turnover rates of any line of work. According to a recent analysis by the sites GIGAcalculator and JobLeads, HR ranks right up there with food service and retail when it comes to professional unhappiness and job hopping. (See related WorkLife story.)
HR’s perception problem runs deep. Ask most employees about their experiences with HR and you’re likely to hear stories like the ones above — stories of petty policy violations and uncomfortable conversations that come off more like confrontations. Rarely does anyone recall that time HR made their day.
The thing is, experts propose that much of this has nothing to do with the profession or HR people themselves but, rather, organizational shortcomings.
As author and behavioral scientist Carey Yazeed sees it, one of the big reasons HR is, as she put it, “the least likeable department” is because employees rarely see anybody from HR unless there’s a problem, or so it seems. As a result, the chief people officer remains this mysterious authority figure, emerging only when there’s trouble.
“Let’s be honest. HR is usually not proactive when it comes to engaging with employees,” Yazeed said. “Their office is usually ducked off in a remote area of the building, which means few people see them on a daily basis. In addition to being the least liked department, they are also the least visible.”
The language HR uses is also a factor. Workplace strategist Aleya Harris advises people managers to “ditch the corporate speak and talk like a human. No one wants to feel like they’re getting a memo from a robot,” suggesting that this simple shift from policy enforcer to human conduit of essential information can radically alter how messages are received.
Meanwhile, as workplace strategist and veteran HR executive Shannon Clark Johnston argues, the burden for buffing up the department’s reputation shouldn’t fall solely on HR’s shoulders.
“The real issue isn’t that HR needs to do better — it’s that leadership needs to stop sidelining HR and start empowering them as true business partners,” she said. “No one questions what finance, legal or IT does. Yet HR remains the one support function people love to criticize, without taking any accountability for understanding its role in the business.”
Having a company’s entire workforce get more involved in HR decision-making can be another powerful perception shifter. “Stop rolling out policies from the ivory tower and co-create with employees,” Johnston said. “When people help shape the process, they’re invested in the outcome.”
Transforming HR’s image won’t happen overnight, but even small steps stand to improve employees’ understanding and acceptance of the department’s multifaceted function. “HR’s job isn’t just policy — it’s storytelling, culture building, connection,” as Harris puts it. “And when that shift happens, employees don’t just tolerate HR — they trust them.”
And who knows — maybe next year HR will get that valentine.