The system. And final straw.

"I don't get it."

"Why work with people then?"

"They are part of the system."

"And the least people people."

"You'll ever meet."

I'm in a well-known coffee chain. Friday. With a respected collegial friend. He's educating me about Human Resources. Why it's anything but human.

I've worked with thousands of people. In numerous organisations. Across a handful of industries. Over four decades.

And.

There is one oxymoronic paradox I still struggle to make sense of:

How HR people get to be HR people?

An untheoretical conundrum. Practical and evidence based. The worst sides of humans charged with the care, health and well-being of an organisation's most critical resource – its employees.

And. Me.

Systemic bullying. Constructive dismissals. Harassment. Threats. Lies. Set ups. Broken promises, agreements. And laws.

From the leaders and subordinates of the departments set up to look after its people. And culture.

And. Me.

Again.

A sickening irony. And seriously severed system.

But, like it or not, humans need systems. Fabricated walls that protect. Reinforced foundations that structure and regulate our lives. We are messed up without them. Like colouring outside the lines.

Because here it is. The gift and wisdom shared over a sickly-sweet almond pistachio latte:

HR people are systems people. Not. People people. With one primary purpose: to protect their organisation from its greatest threat. And risk.

Its employees.

The math is simple. And brutal.

Research shows HR professionals experience "empathy fatigue" at rates higher than emergency room doctors. They literally get trained out of their humanness. After five years, they're 33% less people-focused than when they started.

Think about that.

The people hired to care about people.

Stop caring.

About people.

Research on "helper syndrome" reveals people entering caring professions burn out fastest when systems prevent them from actually helping. Like teachers who can't teach. Nurses who can't nurse. And HR professionals who can't human.

I've worked in these systems. Designed to teach "HR helpers" to no longer see people as people, but as potential problems. Which in practice sounds like:

"Have you documented that?"

"I'll need that in writing."

"You need to follow the policy."

Rarely ever the human response leaders like me, long for:

"Are you okay?"

"How can I help?"

"That sounds really hard."

"Let's work this out together."

Why?

Because caring is a liability and empathy is potential evidence. If humans err. If mistakes are made. If we end up in an industrial court of law.

And then one day…

In the middle of a HR haystack. You find a golden needle. An HR professional living up to the ideal. With values and behaviours to match. A real human. Resourced with truth, honesty, integrity. Virtue.

A human you could put your trust and loyalty in. Without all the answers. But with courage to keep asking the questions. Who refused to sell out. And sacrificed himself.

For me.

Who broke the mould. Whilst trying to fix the system.

He couldn't save HR. But he saved this human from it.

That's really how HR people get to be HR people.

One by one, learning to choose: the system or the human.

Most choose the system. And last.

He chose the human.

And lost the game. But won the prize.

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