I just went to the Human Resources office at my work to ask about getting some paperwork and they pretty much yelled at me like I was a child. Then I thought about it…they’ve been like that whenever I’ve had to go over there…the three women there are always angry and always mean. A lot of my friends/family have the same problem… I’m sure it isn’t universal, but I was just wondering it I always happen to encounter unfriendly HR people or does this happen to you too?
I’ve noticed that I am no longer a human being to my company. I am now a “resource.”
As in: “The resource will fill out this form …”
Not exactly “mean”; more like contemptible. They regard me with contempt; I regard them with contempt.
I am not a resource … I am a free man …!
Ahhh, one of the benefits of no longer working in the “corporate” world - I no longer have to deal with the self-important bitches that collectively are the “human resources department”. No, it’s not just you, or your company. I’m sure there’s some nice ones somewhere, but I’ve never encountered any.
Ever heard of
Catbert: The Evil HR Director ?
Wanna hear something funny?
We in management don’t like HR people either. They’re always whining about some silly grievance or another, or making excuses about non-performing employees. While we’re tearing our hair out worrying about how we’re going to sell more product to stay in business, they’re complaining because the employee handbook isn’t up to date or some other silliness.
It must suck to be in HR and have enemies all about.
Typically, the HR people have far too cushy a job. They don’t wish to work for a living, and you probably know more about the ins and outs of your benefits than they do! For one example, I had to prove to my HR people that the Federal Regs define the birth of my child as a life-changing event, and I have a legal right to change health insurance without open season! (Yes, I had to go to a Law Library, dig up the proper section of the CFR, and quote line and verse to them!!! For Pete’s sake, it’s their job to stay abreast of these things!!!
Overall, I agree with you, and I have nothing positive to say about HR people. Well, calling them “people” is about as nice as it gets, folks! Good luck! Give 'em hell, Harry! - Jinx
I used to work in HR. I loved it. And I loved the people I worked with. We knew everyone in the company by name and face (300+) and knew their particular situations. We had all the forms everyone could ever need organized alphabetically right by the door so they could just take what they needed. If they couldn’t find it, we gave it to them. They knew everyone’s benefits backwards and forwards, along with the relevant laws and regulations.
And we did a lot of work. Quite frankly, we had to deal with a lot of crap from stupid employees. We had to mediate disputes between managers and their managees. We had to deal with lawsuits from ex-employees, or threatened lawsuits (we worked with legal on these). We had to make sure current company policies didn’t violate the law and that what some of the managers tried to implement didn’t break the law. We had to make sure everyone UNDERSTOOD what company policy was so they didn’t sue us if they got fired.
It was a lot of stuff to deal with. And if it had been a large corporation with a lot of regulations and rules and probalby a lot of whiney, stupid people coming to us who didn’t understand, know, or appreciate what we did I’m sure we would have started to become a little bitter.
Neurotik Ooooh, tell us more about disputes! Give up the dirt! How difficult is it to effectively mediate a dispute between someone who can fire you and someone who has no power over you at all?
Re the OP: Been about fifty-fifty. Of course, at least one of the evil HR people was sleeping with a high-level person. Bit sticky, that, and against company policy.
Just out of curiosity, Neurotik, is it typically against company policy for HR to lie to employees? I mean absolute lies. Like saying, “There was no such memo between Mr Money Bags and Ms. Crush the Workers and no one is discussing canceling this year’s bonus” even when the networks guys have sort of nudged a team toward the memo that says “no bonuses this year,” and the read receipts from Ms. CtW and members of the HR team which prove that they all read the memo. Shouldn’t the HR folks at least just bullshit, if confidentiality must be maintained?
The strange thing is that I work at a small university…by no means a large corporation. I’m not sure why the 3 HR ladies are so evil. I didn’t come in complaining about anything, all I wanted was to pick up some paperwork that I needed to fill out…which they refused to give me too, by the way. I’ve never come to them for anything other than paperwork for benefits and stuff…
I am a good one, honestly! I have always worked in HR, and enjoy it. While I have worked with some amazing people, I agree that there are some horrors out there. It’s a 2 way street, though.
One of my pet hates is having to advise Line Managers how to deal with simple, common sense team management issues, when these Managers get paid at least 3 times as much as me…
I work very hard, and last year my company went bankrupt and I had to sort out telling 250 people in 20+ different countries that they didn’t have a job any more - different dismissal requirements/laws in each country, not to mention the personal/emotional aspect of knowing all these people, and also knowing I was out of a job too once all the yucky stuff had been done.
Thankfully most of the employees appreciated I was in a horrible situation too and was trying to do everything right, but I did cop a fair bit of abuse.
j.c. I never lied about any confidential info - if someone came to me with a rumour I knew was false, I would say so. And if it was something I knew about, I just said that they have to realise I am in a tricky position and I can’t discuss that particular topic. Usually they knew this but were trying it on to see if I would let anything slip!
The HR Director at our company, Ingrid, is a doll. Not only is she pleasant on a day-to-day basis, but she really helped me out when I had to take emergency leave to take care of my mother a couple of months ago.
Here at TDOT, our Personnel/Inhuman Resources people are best compared to a cross between werewolves & slimey, smarmy lawyers.
Every one of 'em is a fun as a fistula.
Dealing with them is like getting the shingles.
I’ve been in IT consulting for umpteen years working on HR/Payroll/Benefits systems, and I’ve worked for 2 vendors of such software.
Some observations (which don’t really answer the question, but may help) are:
HR people are usually “different”. To explain, a large part of their job doesn’t consist of a series of logical steps toward a result (say, like Payroll). They deal with a lot of “soft” issues - personality conflicts, legislative interpretation and the like. It takes a particular personality to work in the discipline.
HR people get asked for the flakiest stuff, with unreasonable deadlines. Ferinstance, the Company wants to know how much it would save by cutting out a particular line of business (and the bodies conducting it). Try pulling that together without some high tech tools, factoring in hard $ and soft costs (benefits, perks, expenses.) Additionally, they either have to do it in secret or aren’t in on the reasons for what they’re doing. It ain’t easy bein’ them.
I don’t usually find them mean. I do find them difficult to pin down on decisions, adherence to deadlines and consistency.
You seem to have gotten more than your fair share of meanies.
An aside:
I was consulting (as an employee of my firm) to a large US-based bank in NYC. An edict was handed down that all IT consultants and employees would be required to take drug tests and be fingerprinted. I protested on the grounds that consultants were not employees of the Bank and were not subject to their employee policy, that the Bank would not indicate who would see the results, that the actual employers of the consultants would not see the test results, who the testers were, etc. (Imagine the impact of a botched test on a consultant). My argument was based on civil rights.
I was asked to visit a nice lady in HR. After hearing my objections, she began to counsel me on an assumed drug habit. WTF?! I couldn’t get it thru this young, college-educated, black woman’s head that it was about someone’s rights.
If William Stoughton had decided to burn HR people instead of Witches, the Salem Trials might have never ended. By and Large, the HR people who have had dealings with my department are demanding, abusive, and condescending (which is quite humorous given that my people are 30-50 IQ points smarter than they are). And the “sleeping with the married boss” stereotype is Well Deserved in what I’ve seen: they’re the Lewinsky’s of the Corporate World.
have to say, the HR folks at the college are not mean at all. they are, however, dumb as stumps.
i still remember my first faculty/staff orientation- we were going over sexual harassment and inappropriate remarks/contact. the HR rep said ‘now, this is what it says in the books. i think it’s just silly, myself. i’m a very touchy - feely person, and i just can’t help touching people when we talk. well, whattever, i’m sure y’all know how to act.’
wtf?
I try to deal with the HR as little as possible. I always feel like when I walk into the HR office, they’re sizing me up. An “Is-this-guy-really-worth-what-we’re-paying-him?” sort of thing.
Regarding the OP: Are the HR people mean? Well, I can always tell when the HR director is approaching, because I can hear Darth Vader’s music 5 seconds before she actually comes into view. 
Usually whenever she pops her head out of her cave, it’s to announce some sort of life-altering change for the employees-- i.e. layoffs. She may be a very nice person IRL, but to be honest, she just gives me the willies.
Happy
One very relevant question nobody has so far raised - why do all HR females wear sharp suits and shoes that CLICK down non-carpeted floors so you can monitor their progress before they land like vultures at your desk? Is this some subtle powerplay?
If so, the best form of defence is for us all to buy shoes that click - stilettoes, tap-dancing shoes, steel-capped boots, whatever.
The HR people at my company are really nice. And they work pretty hard.
Everyone’s different, I guess.
RickJay, I’m with you!
I like to hang out with 3 of the HR folks at my company. Whenever we have a company get together or picnic, etc. they are the people that I’ll spend my time with. Very funny, real nice people.
I guess since that’s the case, I’m on their good side. I have yet to see their wrath.
As to the clicky shoes: we’ve got 4 women in that group, and 2 guys. The guys obviously don’t click. But 3 of the ladies are pretty casual types, often wearing mules. I don’t think I’ve ever heard them click down the hall. The other one is a bit more formal with suits and stuff, but she’s a gal who’s into more “sensible” type heels than stillettos.
I can’t believe I just did a shoe analysis of our HR department! 
We don’t mediate disputes with anyone who can fire us. We have a small HR staff (only 6 of us) and our department head is great, so we don’t have disputes with her. Mainly we do it with other departments, so neither party has any power over us whatsoever. The only people who can fire us are our department head or the CEO. And we don’t get into disputes with the CEO, y’know. So that’s just a silly question.
It’s not against company policy to lie to employees about something like that. I don’t think it’s a good idea and we tend to just be vague and evasive with bad news until a decision has been finalized then we are upfront with the news. But no, not against company policy.