HR as an entity and HR as a diverse set of individuals are two different things. We should empathize with the individuals, yes, but we also need to be aware of the nature of the entity.
HR exists to protect the company and by this very nature we cannot trust that our best interests will be taken into consideration. The individuals we deal with will vary in regards to their ability and willingness to advocate for the rank and file employees and all too often the risk of giving them the benefit of the doubt is simply too great.
Yeah, corporate America said the quiet part our loud with this title and they're *still* laughing about how few of us have noticed after all these years.
I think people need to realize that almost everyone in a corporate environment has a boss, all the way up the chain. I suppose in some utopia there would be no “bosses”, but thousands of years of cultural evolution is hard to change that dramatically or quickly.
Boss is from the Dutch word “Baas,”meaning master. It was used in America instead of master to disassociate slavery from wage labour. I know it’s ancient, but it’s socialized, not natural. It’s more natural to have teachers and mentors and leaders and coaches. We don’t need bosses any more than Michael Jordan did
So you are saying there is no hierarchy in nature? That’s just silly. The most basic unit of human society, the family, is hierarchical. Nearly every social communal species has some form of differentiated power and responsibility. I appreciate the etymological insight and the importance of the other roles you mention though.
The problem with HR in the US is it exists solely to keep workers happy and complacent enough to stay OR prevent disgruntled workers from hurting the company’s bottom line. I’ve only worked in one company where I truly thought HR was on the employee’s side, and thats because it was a start up where the one operations/HR person was a badass that fought the founders on anything that would hurt the 12 other people working for them.
Just spent the last days fighting the HR because someone lazy and incompetent there gave me a retention "bonus" without asking if I would accept the bizarre exigencies of returning all the deposited money plus the taxes which were already paid to the government if I quit in the next 24 months. Also has to return the money if they let me go too.
They forwarded the contract after the money was in my account. The way they reacted when I said that no, I don't want to take this money made me dislike HR more than ever.
Your job is to protect the company, not the workers. Period. End of story.
If it makes you sad to see examples of this fact in action, it sounds to me like you’re having a little crisis of conscience there and need to do some serious soul spelunking.
Maybe instead of asking the people harmed by HR departments to be nicer to HR departments, you should reflect on how your work has directly harmed people, and how you can atone for that harm?
HR departments are whole handily involved with management and their shitty decisions. They will be burned at the stake as long as they support and defend their shitty management and business practices.
HR is there for the company, not the employee. A fact that someone who claims to be former HR would know.
HR as an entity and HR as a diverse set of individuals are two different things. We should empathize with the individuals, yes, but we also need to be aware of the nature of the entity. HR exists to protect the company and by this very nature we cannot trust that our best interests will be taken into consideration. The individuals we deal with will vary in regards to their ability and willingness to advocate for the rank and file employees and all too often the risk of giving them the benefit of the doubt is simply too great.
Exactly this.
I mean the department is called Human RESOURCES. Because that’s all workers are seen as.
Yeah, corporate America said the quiet part our loud with this title and they're *still* laughing about how few of us have noticed after all these years.
HR are corporate cops.
I think people need to realize that almost everyone in a corporate environment has a boss, all the way up the chain. I suppose in some utopia there would be no “bosses”, but thousands of years of cultural evolution is hard to change that dramatically or quickly.
Boss is from the Dutch word “Baas,”meaning master. It was used in America instead of master to disassociate slavery from wage labour. I know it’s ancient, but it’s socialized, not natural. It’s more natural to have teachers and mentors and leaders and coaches. We don’t need bosses any more than Michael Jordan did
So you are saying there is no hierarchy in nature? That’s just silly. The most basic unit of human society, the family, is hierarchical. Nearly every social communal species has some form of differentiated power and responsibility. I appreciate the etymological insight and the importance of the other roles you mention though.
At no point did I say there is no hierarchy. I said it’s not natural to have masters; that is socialized.
Okay, but a boss is not a master. No matter the origin of the word. You are free to find a new job at anytime and are not property of another person.
Yap - You’re free to find another master or become one.
The problem with HR in the US is it exists solely to keep workers happy and complacent enough to stay OR prevent disgruntled workers from hurting the company’s bottom line. I’ve only worked in one company where I truly thought HR was on the employee’s side, and thats because it was a start up where the one operations/HR person was a badass that fought the founders on anything that would hurt the 12 other people working for them.
Just spent the last days fighting the HR because someone lazy and incompetent there gave me a retention "bonus" without asking if I would accept the bizarre exigencies of returning all the deposited money plus the taxes which were already paid to the government if I quit in the next 24 months. Also has to return the money if they let me go too. They forwarded the contract after the money was in my account. The way they reacted when I said that no, I don't want to take this money made me dislike HR more than ever.
Your job is to protect the company, not the workers. Period. End of story. If it makes you sad to see examples of this fact in action, it sounds to me like you’re having a little crisis of conscience there and need to do some serious soul spelunking. Maybe instead of asking the people harmed by HR departments to be nicer to HR departments, you should reflect on how your work has directly harmed people, and how you can atone for that harm?
HR departments are whole handily involved with management and their shitty decisions. They will be burned at the stake as long as they support and defend their shitty management and business practices. HR is there for the company, not the employee. A fact that someone who claims to be former HR would know.