Stop Blaming HR: Understanding the Real Role of Human Resources

Stop Blaming HR for Everything

Pamela Dow’s recent article in the NewStatesman, “HR Britain: how human resources captured the nation,” raises some critical points about the evolving role of HR in workplaces. However, it also perpetuates a narrative that HR is to blame for everything wrong at work—redundancies, rigid rules, toxic managers, or disengaged employees. While this perspective resonates with many, it oversimplifies the reality of HR’s role and responsibilities.

HR Is Not the Decision-Maker

One key misunderstanding is that HR is rarely the ultimate decision-maker in organisations. Most of the things employees get frustrated with—budget cuts, hiring freezes, layoffs, or new policies—are driven by senior leadership. HR’s role is often to implement those decisions, not create them.

This leaves HR in a difficult position. They’re expected to enforce policies, manage difficult situations, and ensure compliance while somehow maintaining employee trust. It’s an impossible balance, yet HR often becomes the scapegoat because they’re the ones employees interact with most when things go wrong.

Misunderstood and Misrepresented

Cultural perceptions of HR don’t help. In popular media, HR professionals are often depicted as bureaucratic, inflexible, or overly focused on policy. These portrayals are exaggerated, but they have contributed to a wider misunderstanding of HR’s role. In reality, most HR teams are working hard behind the scenes to support employees, improve workplace culture, and align organisational goals with individual needs.

For example, HR is often responsible for initiatives like diversity and inclusion, employee engagement, and mental health support. However, their ability to drive meaningful change in these areas is frequently constrained by limited budgets, lack of leadership buy-in, and conflicting organisational priorities.

The Role of HR in Modern Workplaces

HR’s role is to act as a bridge between employees and the organisation. This dual responsibility can create tensions, but it doesn’t mean HR is inherently “against” employees. In fact, many HR professionals advocate strongly for employees behind closed doors, pushing for fairer practices and better policies.

The challenge is that HR is often excluded from key decision-making processes or tasked with implementing directives they had no part in shaping. This disconnect can make HR appear unresponsive or ineffective, even when the underlying issue lies elsewhere in the organisation.

What Needs to Change

The solution isn’t to blame HR, it’s to empower them. Organisations need to involve HR earlier and more meaningfully in strategic discussions. They also need to provide HR with the resources and support necessary to address systemic challenges like poor leadership, toxic cultures, and employee disengagement.

Employees, on the other hand, need to recognise that HR operates within constraints. While HR can and should strive to improve the workplace, they cannot solve every organisational issue alone.

Shifting the Narrative

Blaming HR for every workplace issue oversimplifies complex organisational dynamics and distracts from the real challenges. HR is a vital function that, when empowered and properly resourced, can drive meaningful change.

Instead of perpetuating outdated stereotypes, it’s time to have a more nuanced conversation about the role of HR in modern workplaces. The focus should be on fostering collaboration between employees, leadership, and HR to create environments where everyone can thrive.