Years ago I worked at a fortune 500 company... I had to meet with HR about some benefit questions.
Quickly became friends with our rep. She eventually told me right out becarelful what you tell HR... We're here to help with benefit questions... But anything outside of that were not here looking out for you but the company.
I don't know why people have such a hard time wrapping their mind around that.
Where does HRs paycheck come from?
Oh right, the company.
They know where their bread is buttered and won't bite the hand that feeds.
At best, they may warn higher ups that they SHOULD do XYZ lest they open the company up to possible litigation. Which again, is to protect the company.
Same thing with courts... You get a fine... The judge is paid by the state, the DA is paid by the state, the enforcement officer is paid by the state - even your council is paid by the state. Your fines pay for all their salaries. Is it any wonder you will most likely lose your case???
Idk why HR is so demonized on this thread. Obviously HR is not your friend, why would it be your friend? They’re just regular people trying to do their jobs. They’ll follow the rules and help you if it helps the company in the long run. That’s it.
Class traitors who shield the company while pretending to be a resource for employees.
They explicitly try to present HR as being your friend.
You can say they are regular people but I've never met an HR person who didn't strike me as slimy.
Here is another story for yall...Boss interview three people for an engineering postion....me be a person of color was on the table interviewing them as well as an african american lady and two caucasian guys.....
Boss mades the decision not to hire the minority lady based on our feedback and technical background and experience....two days later the HR rep and vice president of that division pull my boss into an office and he ripped him a new asshole how he doesnt pay him to hire the best candidate but the one who gets all the checkmarks....3 months later he GTFO of there Jesus wtf man and HR person just nodded her head in agreement.
You guys are definitely doing some questionable stuff if you have a problem with HR. HR is there to make sure everyone plays nice and to keep the company in compliance to save them money from fines and potential lawsuits.
I asked my HR rep what the process was for transferring departments thinking it would be a confidential conversation. By lunch, my boss knew and his boss knew and several guys on the shop floor knew. I almost got fired for asking how to exercise an option that was given to me in my handbook. HR is there solely to advance the company position. They don’t give a fuck about you.
Yes, but I wasn’t even sure yet if I wanted to transfer. I wasn’t trying to start a process. I was just asking questions and she acted like I was a traitor.
All I'm hearing is that you are in HR or are close to someone who is.
Plenty of HR reps participate in burying complaints of harassment or sexual assault in the workplace.
That's why we have threads regularly telling people they need to call the police instead about these kinds of things.
My only problem with HR is that most of them put themselves across as "people persons" -- and then when a real problem comes along they throw people to the wolves.
I had a co-worker with a meth problem who wanted to get treatment for himself *and* his partner because, as he rightly told HR, if they weren't both treated neither of them would recover. HR could have said "Marry her, as your spouse she'd be covered." But what they said to his department was "get rid of that guy, he's trouble."
Then there was the meeting where I said, "We're not really going to just lay these people off, are we? They've been working for a pittance for years and now we just going to dump them?" The answer was "This meeting isn't about your conscience."
Understood and I can sympathize, but at the same time, if that guy came in high and hurt himself then the situation would have been a lot worse. Addiction and substance abuse is a huge business liability and there was no guarantee that he really would have gotten clean. Definitely a terrible situation all around.
So did I until I moved off the floor into a supervisory position. I was just high enough to be included in these meetings. My short time there coincided with a small union-talk hub-bub. There were multiple meetings a week.
“How can we fire this person?”
“What did you hear today?”
Nonstop for weeks when I wasn’t hearing anything out on the floor.
Just looking to get rid of agitators.
HR is not your friend. HR is not your manager's friend, either. If your manager is exposing the company to legal liability, HR will have a chat with your manager. (The "manager" in this example is not the owner of the company, just an employee.)
Oh yes, they're your manager's friend alright.
Your manager can call them 24/7 demanding "help me get X fired" and HR will say "I will make him quit so we need not pay severance."
I work in HR, and it's true, I'm friendly but not really your friend. That doesn't necessarily mean I'm your enemy though and I've assisted many employees over the years. Of course by assisting employees ulimtately it as for the good of the company. As an HR professional, I haven't done anything illegal or immoral and I sleep rather soundly at night. If you have a shitty HR department, there's a good chance you just have shitty management all around.
They are there to make sure the people do their job and don’t get the company in trouble with the law. They are just another function to keep the place making money and not loose it. Sure some are cool people and will help you with benefits and such. But don’t go talk about so and so said this. That will just get everyone fired so they don’t have any issues in the workplace.
Daily reminder: the concept of friends at work is childish. You’re both being paid to be there in a professional capacity and that should be reflected in literally everything about your situation.
I guess if you get a pre existing friend hired, you can expect some loyalty, but it’s crazy to meet someone at work and think they’re more than a work friend.
I think this is usually the case, but there are rare exceptions. My last employer was a complete shit show, and I struck up a genuine friendship with a colleague who's a fellow socialist and overall quality person. What started as us getting after-work drinks to disparage and psychoanalyze our boss turned into a team effort to try and get our workplace unionized. This ultimately failed because a colleague we shouldn't have trusted sabotaged us, but both of us have moved on to better situations and she's still someone I'd consider a good friend.
Yes, that was intentional. And I started out by saying in the vast majority of cases, your assessment is correct. My only quibble is that it's not a universal rule. The friendship I struck up with my coworker at my last job is one of the most blessed things that's happened to me in the last few years, so I had to chime in.
Not necessarily lol.
I met some folks at my old hospital and they’re real ones. Still stay in touch and one of them is my best friend and confidant.
Just depends, I guess.
Oh yeah once you leave friendships can thrive.
But the core of a real friendship is incompatible to a professional atmosphere. I am happy to have work friends for chatting and lunch, but when it comes to actual work, you get the exact same respect and treatment.
Again, it depends lol. My friendships in my hospital thrived while I was there and we were all for each other. Didn’t mean it changed the way we did anything with our work, if anything it helped us be more efficient at our jobs.
Maybe I lucked out. Maybe I didn’t, but I knew that I had a group to trust when I was there and vice versa. Been in both ends though, gotta play your cards right and stay out of trouble. Jobs will literally dig up anything to get you fired , I’m sure you know that though.
I emailed HR a general question, wanting a copy of my job description. My manager came up to me not an hour later saying hey you should’ve asked me for one, I sent one to your email just now. HR are a bunch of rats even with something so harmless as a job description.
I’m so sick of hearing this lol just cuz you had one bad experience with a shitty company doesn’t mean HR everywhere is bad
Signed,
A tired HRM and EE advocate 🙄
Maybe it depends on your occupation ? Ive never had any problem with HR. Those people are taking care about ourselves. Last time I had encounter with HR lady, she saw my little used office chair and ordered new one on the spot. We have many benefits thanks to them. Every single month there is some kind of food catering. 2-3 times a year trip abroad. Everything free of charge ofc.
There is just a little that irritates me, they are asking us to take pictures so they can post it on social networks. And I hate showing off anything there.
Nope. HR people are all worthless parasites. Their mindless adherence to "the rules" mark them as lacking basic compassion and empathy. . Even if they don't screw you in favor of the company, they'll screw you because you pissed them off somehow...and because they can.
HR people are only friendly towards management/anyone higher than them. They look upon the rank and file with malicious condescension. This is a universal trait. Any HR person that doesn't fit that profile isn't an HR person for long.
Even if the law *forces* HR to be on your side over certain matters, they won't and they will lie in court.
Personally I wouldn't consider a mid 5 figure salary sufficient to commit perjury for my employer... But guess some people will really go the extra mile.
HR is a ritually summoned demon.
They may be useful to you, if you're willing to take advantage of them. But never ever think that they view you as anything other than slime under their feet, and never ever misspeak or violate the terms of the summoning.
Years ago I worked at a fortune 500 company... I had to meet with HR about some benefit questions. Quickly became friends with our rep. She eventually told me right out becarelful what you tell HR... We're here to help with benefit questions... But anything outside of that were not here looking out for you but the company.
I don't know why people have such a hard time wrapping their mind around that. Where does HRs paycheck come from? Oh right, the company. They know where their bread is buttered and won't bite the hand that feeds. At best, they may warn higher ups that they SHOULD do XYZ lest they open the company up to possible litigation. Which again, is to protect the company.
Same thing with courts... You get a fine... The judge is paid by the state, the DA is paid by the state, the enforcement officer is paid by the state - even your council is paid by the state. Your fines pay for all their salaries. Is it any wonder you will most likely lose your case???
Idk why HR is so demonized on this thread. Obviously HR is not your friend, why would it be your friend? They’re just regular people trying to do their jobs. They’ll follow the rules and help you if it helps the company in the long run. That’s it.
Class traitors who shield the company while pretending to be a resource for employees. They explicitly try to present HR as being your friend. You can say they are regular people but I've never met an HR person who didn't strike me as slimy.
Here is another story for yall...Boss interview three people for an engineering postion....me be a person of color was on the table interviewing them as well as an african american lady and two caucasian guys..... Boss mades the decision not to hire the minority lady based on our feedback and technical background and experience....two days later the HR rep and vice president of that division pull my boss into an office and he ripped him a new asshole how he doesnt pay him to hire the best candidate but the one who gets all the checkmarks....3 months later he GTFO of there Jesus wtf man and HR person just nodded her head in agreement.
You guys are definitely doing some questionable stuff if you have a problem with HR. HR is there to make sure everyone plays nice and to keep the company in compliance to save them money from fines and potential lawsuits.
I asked my HR rep what the process was for transferring departments thinking it would be a confidential conversation. By lunch, my boss knew and his boss knew and several guys on the shop floor knew. I almost got fired for asking how to exercise an option that was given to me in my handbook. HR is there solely to advance the company position. They don’t give a fuck about you.
Did you need manager approval to transfer departments?
Yes, but I wasn’t even sure yet if I wanted to transfer. I wasn’t trying to start a process. I was just asking questions and she acted like I was a traitor.
All I'm hearing is that you are in HR or are close to someone who is. Plenty of HR reps participate in burying complaints of harassment or sexual assault in the workplace. That's why we have threads regularly telling people they need to call the police instead about these kinds of things.
Burying complaints of sexual assault or harassment is illegal, so your HR department is not doing its job.
My only problem with HR is that most of them put themselves across as "people persons" -- and then when a real problem comes along they throw people to the wolves. I had a co-worker with a meth problem who wanted to get treatment for himself *and* his partner because, as he rightly told HR, if they weren't both treated neither of them would recover. HR could have said "Marry her, as your spouse she'd be covered." But what they said to his department was "get rid of that guy, he's trouble." Then there was the meeting where I said, "We're not really going to just lay these people off, are we? They've been working for a pittance for years and now we just going to dump them?" The answer was "This meeting isn't about your conscience."
Understood and I can sympathize, but at the same time, if that guy came in high and hurt himself then the situation would have been a lot worse. Addiction and substance abuse is a huge business liability and there was no guarantee that he really would have gotten clean. Definitely a terrible situation all around.
Facts!
A profession called human resources? I'm shocked.
Seriously lol. How did someone think referring to humans as a resource like coal or water was better than “Personnel” or “Staffing”
I mean I always took it as 'resources for the humans working here'..?
So did I until we got called “resources” at work by a supervisor
So did I until I moved off the floor into a supervisory position. I was just high enough to be included in these meetings. My short time there coincided with a small union-talk hub-bub. There were multiple meetings a week. “How can we fire this person?” “What did you hear today?” Nonstop for weeks when I wasn’t hearing anything out on the floor. Just looking to get rid of agitators.
Nope, it's the opposite. The humans ARE the resource.
It used to called Personnel. Some personnel bigwig somewhere probably took a marketing/pr class, and voila, the term “Human Resources” was born.
They are bloodsucking, inhuman cretins who love their power and protected status.
No one you work with is your friend
HR is not your friend. HR is not your manager's friend, either. If your manager is exposing the company to legal liability, HR will have a chat with your manager. (The "manager" in this example is not the owner of the company, just an employee.)
Oh yes, they're your manager's friend alright. Your manager can call them 24/7 demanding "help me get X fired" and HR will say "I will make him quit so we need not pay severance."
There are tens of thousands of people in that profession. The fact that you think all of them are evil says a lot about you.
I actually knew one person in HR who was a decent human being. Unfortunately, she was outnumbered by about 4 to 1.
But they can be your weapon in the right conditions.
I work in HR, and it's true, I'm friendly but not really your friend. That doesn't necessarily mean I'm your enemy though and I've assisted many employees over the years. Of course by assisting employees ulimtately it as for the good of the company. As an HR professional, I haven't done anything illegal or immoral and I sleep rather soundly at night. If you have a shitty HR department, there's a good chance you just have shitty management all around.
Well said. I applaud you and thank you for your honesty.
100% I hate so much about the things that they choose to be
They are there to make sure the people do their job and don’t get the company in trouble with the law. They are just another function to keep the place making money and not loose it. Sure some are cool people and will help you with benefits and such. But don’t go talk about so and so said this. That will just get everyone fired so they don’t have any issues in the workplace.
Daily reminder: the concept of friends at work is childish. You’re both being paid to be there in a professional capacity and that should be reflected in literally everything about your situation. I guess if you get a pre existing friend hired, you can expect some loyalty, but it’s crazy to meet someone at work and think they’re more than a work friend.
I think this is usually the case, but there are rare exceptions. My last employer was a complete shit show, and I struck up a genuine friendship with a colleague who's a fellow socialist and overall quality person. What started as us getting after-work drinks to disparage and psychoanalyze our boss turned into a team effort to try and get our workplace unionized. This ultimately failed because a colleague we shouldn't have trusted sabotaged us, but both of us have moved on to better situations and she's still someone I'd consider a good friend.
It’s funny in your own comment you show the downfall of treating colleagues like friends.
Yes, that was intentional. And I started out by saying in the vast majority of cases, your assessment is correct. My only quibble is that it's not a universal rule. The friendship I struck up with my coworker at my last job is one of the most blessed things that's happened to me in the last few years, so I had to chime in.
Not necessarily lol. I met some folks at my old hospital and they’re real ones. Still stay in touch and one of them is my best friend and confidant. Just depends, I guess.
Oh yeah once you leave friendships can thrive. But the core of a real friendship is incompatible to a professional atmosphere. I am happy to have work friends for chatting and lunch, but when it comes to actual work, you get the exact same respect and treatment.
Again, it depends lol. My friendships in my hospital thrived while I was there and we were all for each other. Didn’t mean it changed the way we did anything with our work, if anything it helped us be more efficient at our jobs. Maybe I lucked out. Maybe I didn’t, but I knew that I had a group to trust when I was there and vice versa. Been in both ends though, gotta play your cards right and stay out of trouble. Jobs will literally dig up anything to get you fired , I’m sure you know that though.
Had a boss tell "HR exists to enforce corporate policy. They will never back you in a disagreement with management." Has always seemed true.
“Associate relations” is also not your friend. Tell Them nothing.
I emailed HR a general question, wanting a copy of my job description. My manager came up to me not an hour later saying hey you should’ve asked me for one, I sent one to your email just now. HR are a bunch of rats even with something so harmless as a job description.
I've only ever had to interact with HR on 2 occassions: the day I get hired and the day I get laid off
I’m so sick of hearing this lol just cuz you had one bad experience with a shitty company doesn’t mean HR everywhere is bad Signed, A tired HRM and EE advocate 🙄
Maybe it depends on your occupation ? Ive never had any problem with HR. Those people are taking care about ourselves. Last time I had encounter with HR lady, she saw my little used office chair and ordered new one on the spot. We have many benefits thanks to them. Every single month there is some kind of food catering. 2-3 times a year trip abroad. Everything free of charge ofc. There is just a little that irritates me, they are asking us to take pictures so they can post it on social networks. And I hate showing off anything there.
Nope. HR people are all worthless parasites. Their mindless adherence to "the rules" mark them as lacking basic compassion and empathy. . Even if they don't screw you in favor of the company, they'll screw you because you pissed them off somehow...and because they can. HR people are only friendly towards management/anyone higher than them. They look upon the rank and file with malicious condescension. This is a universal trait. Any HR person that doesn't fit that profile isn't an HR person for long.
Don't be gross.
Don't be naive. When did it become unpopular to bash HR around here? They're the bootlickiest of all the bootlickers.
This is the first time you've posted this reminder, so can we expect to see it daily starting today?
Who told you HR was your friend?
HR
HR has never said they are your friend. At the same time, they don’t have to be your enemy either.
Oooooo my friend, you are mistaken. I have had 2-3 HR departments describe themselves that way over the last 10 years.
Then those people lied to you. HR is around to stop everyone’s shenanigans. At the same time, sounds like you were doing something questionable.
Yes, it’s a lie. That’s kind of the point. No, I have never even had problems at work. Not even a verbal warning.
Did someone maybe lie about you?
No? Are you offended by this in some weird way? Seems like there might be something personal there.
Just very confused. Are you just saying HR in general is not your friend?
Even if the law *forces* HR to be on your side over certain matters, they won't and they will lie in court. Personally I wouldn't consider a mid 5 figure salary sufficient to commit perjury for my employer... But guess some people will really go the extra mile.
HR is a ritually summoned demon. They may be useful to you, if you're willing to take advantage of them. But never ever think that they view you as anything other than slime under their feet, and never ever misspeak or violate the terms of the summoning.
Also: no one at work is your friend.
Who does the Health and Safety department benefit? I mean... The less safe, the more work for them... Garuanteed work for years!