15 years after ‘Why We Hate HR’

In 2005, Fast Company magazine published its infamous ‘Why We Hate HR’ article which stated that “the human-resources trade long ago proved itself, at best, a necessary evil – and at worst, a dark bureaucratic force that blindly enforces nonsensical rules, resists creativity, and impedes constructive change.”

In 2015, I reflected in my HR Magazine column that “the recession of 2007 to 2009 and its aftermath proved them wrong, with many organisations – guided by forward-looking HR leaders – finding creative, compassionate ways to support their workforces through the downturn, thereby ensuring they had retained the talent they needed to be competitive when recovery eventually came.”

I suggested, however, that “the warnings of ‘Why We Hate HR’ are still worth revisiting 10 years on, as they provide a salutary reminder of what our profession might so easily have become.”

HR has come a long way in 15 years, and we should take collective pride in what we have achieved. However, as the Covid-19 pandemic forces us to create a ‘new normal’ in our workplaces, I think its warnings are worth revisiting once more.

Click here to read the original 2005 Fast Company article:

Click here to read my August 2015 HR Magazine column:

Copyright OrgShakers: The global HR consultancy for workplace transformation founded by David Fairhurst in 2020