HR departments see employees as the enemy

I've come across good, indifferent and plain awful HR, in my working life. We call our company HR the Stasi, and the couple of good staff recruited (who were so much better than those already in post and it was obviously so) soon moved on. They have failed on numerous occasions, making some appalling mistakes and will always fall on the management side (which I understand, but not when law is broken!), even when legally wrong, which has happened a few times lately. I think the culture of the company has a lot to do with who is hired and whether the team is good, ours is awful and seems to hate people!

Ok then, please share your wisdom….. what exactly did she mean?

The other teams aren't branded as if their role is to protect you and don't pretend they're there to do anything other than handle the money or whatever. Maybe you should just be called Business Interest or Business Protocol or something. I think it's the pretence that gets a lot of hackles up.

The other teams also don't know far too much about you, nor try to pressure you into giving them confidential personal information that they haven't any right to get. And if any of them are as consistently bad with paperwork as Human Remains (was that term new to you?) are, I haven't experienced it. I suppose there's more incentive to get it right when it's HMRC or the CEO on your back rather than Anna in accounts, but it pisses people off!

When so many people in so many different organisations dislike the same department so much, perhaps the issue isn't the employees - but why am I not surprised that HR is blaming them?

It's like anything. If you invest in HR you get good people. If you invest in IT you get good systems and support. But the idea that HR is full of fluffy yet vicious women pursuing an evil anti employee agenda is ludicrous. I'm sorry so many people have had poor experiences. I've had poor experiences with individual doctors, nurses and hairdressers. But I don't go around saying they are all dreadful.

I think this is very true. The average ratio of HR to other employees is about 1:100. Way too many people to offer a good service to all. I’ve worked at organisations where it’s more like 1:300 and you can’t be more than reactive.

My current organisation is 1:30, every single HR team member is well paid and experienced and my team can actually get stuff done! It’s no accident that it’s the company with the best employee/HR relationship I’ve worked at.

When people turn against an entire profession, e.g. GPs, health visitors, or HR professionals, it is worth taking a step back and thinking about what is going on. Very few people enter a job to do it poorly. Clearly institutions are not investing in HR and instead they are running HR on limited resources which then has an effect on staff’s ability to do their role to a high standard.

From what I can see, employers recruit one or two appropriately qualified ‘expensive’ senior HR staff. And then they have a fleet of junior colleagues who simply do not know about HR laws and practices. The senior people are thus overwhelmed with work and not supported in the organisation. This can create a toxic culture with low morale. And then, the good ones leave. And there are good ones. I don’t think it is fair to just put the blame on individuals. it is generally about the culture of an institution.

No it wouldn't. What's sad is that it's women bringing down women. I despair for the world my daughters are growing up in.

Also, the 'don't forget who pays their wages' comment - the same people as pay yours? Are HR supposed to work for free or something?

I work in the NHS and our HR support is horrific. However, I do not blame the individuals. HR is an extremely complicated area where some legal knowledge is often important. Our trust is employing many inexperienced and new staff who cannot be expected to manage the complexities of the role. They are cutting corners and need to pay more for experienced staff who have the relevant qualifications.

My main bugbear with our HR is that we have a few horrendous staff members. They are getting away with not working and really toxic behaviours. But they are not being managed properly and our team managers are struggling as to how they manage underperforming and difficult employees. We have a community staff member who has not seen one patient since Nov. Our manager wants to get rid of her but is unable to get the right advice from HR.

These threads always go exactly the same way. Normal people understand that HR are just a function and will have good and bad people in it, the same way that the Finance team, or the Legal team, or IT has, and that those teams are often hamstrung by the wants and demands of senior management. But for some reason people always chime in going 'HR ARE ON THE SIDE OF THE EMPLOYER NOT THE EMPLOYEE' like its some great piece of wisdom - the same is true of absolutely every team in the company. Anti-HR threads bring about a lot of freeman of the land/sovereign citizen in the workplace types who claim to care not for policies until they can bleat about it affecting them negatively.

Oh and the endless 'my DH calls HR human remains 🤪 ' comments, well yeah, if that's what you consider to be witty and insightful, maybe it's no wonder you're having issues with them.

Awwww make you feel good did it putting someone else down? Bet that felt amazing hiding behind your keyboard but if that’s what you need to do to big yourself up then you go for it 🙄
obv didn’t get my point about an HR professional helping others that are not in the same company therefore not doing it for the business

I'm not gas lighting at all. I simply don't recognise any of what's being said about HR in my team.

I'm horrified by some of the stories that have been shared but without being in those organisations, how can I fairly and proportionately comment?

As others have said, there are good and bad in all professions. To tar all HR professionals with the same brush is narrow minded and ignorant.

No I dont. Can only speak from my current situation but my manager has been nothing but helpful and supportive. HR have been the absolute opposite.

In response to a pp saying people are using their own localised issuse to make sweeping generalisations, I have encountered poor HR everywhere I have worked. Every single job for the past 20 years.

I'm sure you will all say that I am the problem, not HR. But I've never been fired, on a PIP, had a grievance raised against me, fallen foul of policies (had to educate a previous HR who were trying to not pay me mat pay, thank god for ACAS) etc.

I of course dont think everyone working in HR is evil but I am shocked at how consistently imcompetent large swathes are.

I’m also seen as a problem employee by HR because I pointed out their own policy to them. A friend of a friend has joined HR and every text or email has the HR tone to it when she’s organising a hen do, she’s also giving incorrect advice to friends. It’s only one person but I can see how HR annoy and don’t support people

@NonPlayerCharacter

Yes, we know what you tell people!

Pardon?

Sometimes I wonder if HR wants a more male dominated field if it would get the same hatred and criticism. Same with GP receptionists.

Yes, we know what you tell people!

When I worked as a manager in a large HR department of an organisation, I always told my line reports that our most important customers were our fellow employees and colleagues. Our work was, first and foremost, with their interests in mind.

Sorry to burst your bubble.

We have a winner

I actually come onto the work section of mumsnet to try and help people with HR advice. Maybe won’t bother anymore if HR are hated that much. Go to your Union 🤷🏻‍♀️

“Human Remains” good choice of words 😂

Generally they are, naturally. They act in the lot own interest or that of the company. If managers and HR were reasonable at all we would never have developed Trade Unions. Or still desperately need them.

At my previous job I was told that HR are there to protect the company

In a company as corrupt and as toxic as my previous employer it was plain to see too

No you're not.

Human Remains exists to protect the business. They may incidentally end up protecting you but only if that's in the business' interest. Otherwise their job is to make it look like an accident. Once you realise they do not exist to help employees, there's nothing confusing about it.

If you want workplace help, join a union.