Respect for HR

I have worked somewhere where HR lacked respect, but it was a product of that HR team's own making. They had a track record of routinely messing up with the basics (wrong pay, recruitment taking ages, mistakes in contracts etc), took a very old fashioned and adversarial approach to every workplace issue and generally considered staff as an inconvenience. It was a difficult place to work, but as I came in with a change remit, at least it was clear what problems I needed to solve and I was able to distance myself from past failings to a certain degree. I had to work extra hard to earn respect in that role though, but it was all the more valued once I had it.

I also think most HR professionals are kidding themselves if they think everyone respects or understands what the department does. For example, in professional services or financial services it is pretty common for those in revenue generating roles to look down on anyone that doesn't work in revenue generating work and treat them as inferior and unworthy of respect. Certainly when I worked in banking and met people in front office at a networking event and they ask where you work, when I said HR I would often get a bristling reaction or a roll of the eyes and you could see them trying to find a route out to get away pretty quickly! Those in Risk, Compliance or Audit also faced similar reactions - we were of course considered the fun police because ultimately we were the lines of defence against wrong-doing in the organisation. It was a sad reality of the culture, but something that we worked hard to address. Importantly at the top of the organisation, where it mattered, HR was considered valuable and worth of respect, but at the more junior end it was a different story.

I have worked somewhere where HR lacked respect, but it was a product of that HR team's own making. They had a track record of routinely messing up with the basics (wrong pay, recruitment taking ages, mistakes in contracts etc), took a very old fashioned and adversarial approach to every workplace issue and generally considered staff as an inconvenience. It was a difficult place to work, but as I came in with a change remit, at least it was clear what problems I needed to solve and I was able to distance myself from past failings to a certain degree. I had to work extra hard to earn respect in that role though, but it was all the more valued once I had it.

I also think most HR professionals are kidding themselves if they think everyone respects or understands what the department does. For example, in professional services or financial services it is pretty common for those in revenue generating roles to look down on anyone that doesn't work in revenue generating work and treat them as inferior and unworthy of respect. Certainly when I worked in banking and met people in front office at a networking event and they ask where you work, when I said HR I would often get a bristling reaction or a roll of the eyes and you could see them trying to find a route out to get away pretty quickly! Those in Risk, Compliance or Audit also faced similar reactions - we were of course considered the fun police because ultimately we were the lines of defence against wrong-doing in the organisation. It was a sad reality of the culture, but something that we worked hard to address. Importantly at the top of the organisation, where it mattered, HR was considered valuable and worth of respect, but at the more junior end it was a different story.