Why Does HR Always Get The Blame?

If you’ve spent any time in HR, you’ve felt it: the side-eye, the tension, the “HR did this to me” moment.

Layoffs happen.Promotions don’t go through.A new policy is introduced and suddenly everyone’s world is upside down.

And who catches the heat?

Human Resources.

But here’s the reality, and it’s not always easy to explain:

We don’t usually make those decisions.

Leaders do. Finance does. Senior exec teams do.

What we do is carry out those decisions. And we do it in a way that’s legal, ethical, consistent, and (we hope) human.

We’re the face of the hard stuff. The ones who sit across the table during a termination and say, “I’m sorry, this is happening to you, and it isn’t a reflection of your worth.”

We’re the ones who explain the why behind a denied promotion, knowing full well we didn’t block it, someone else did. Remember, we don’t work directly with employees – managers do.

We’re the ones asked to roll out yet another policy no one asked for, and we’re expected to somehow make it sound like a good idea. Unless of course it’s legally mandated or part of compliance.

And yes – it’s SO frustrating. Because while we’re delivering tough news, it’s easy for others to step back and say, “That was HR.” Even when the real issue is a poor-performing manager who didn’t step up. Or a company-wide budget cut. Or a leadership decision made behind closed doors.

So, how do we deal with it?

We remain clear on the message.

We don’t dance around the truth or hide behind legal language.

We explain what we can and enough to bring some clarity to a not-so-clear situation. We own what’s ours. And if HR messed up, we say it. If something could’ve been handled better, we apply it next time. And most importantly, we stay consistent even when no one’s clapping.

Because good HR isn’t here for the credit. We’re here to protect people through the mess. We’re here to make sure hard decisions don’t become harmful ones. We try to bring order but also compassion (we are dealing with people after all). We don’t shy away from the hard conversations; we show up for them, every single time.

Blame will come either way. That part doesn’t change.

What matters is how we carry it.