Every profession comes with its own reputation.
Say “HR Specialist” and you’ll probably trigger a very specific reaction — usually based on someone’s past (and often not-so-great) experience.
It’s a bit like saying: nurse, car dealer, city council member.
Each title carries a set of expectations — fair or not.
But there’s one big difference:
Not everyone has had a personal experience with a nurse or a car dealer.
But everyone who has worked — at some point — has had contact with HR.
And since our role in most companies is fairly similar — somewhere between business goals and employee needs — it’s easy to form strong (and often vocal) opinions.
We often get caught between two fronts:
- protecting the company from people-related issues
- and protecting people from company-related issues.
Ideally, those two goals align.
When we take care of our people, we strengthen the organization.
But when the focus shifts too far toward protecting the company, HR becomes “the enemy” in the eyes of employees.
And suddenly we’re not the support — we’re the obstacle.
Where do those stereotypes come from?
Usually: bureaucracy. Delays. Rules. Rejections.
But what people rarely see is the why behind them — or how much effort HR puts into building fair, transparent, and scalable processes.
💡 And here’s a truth I’ve learned with experience:
HR doesn’t become “strategic” just because someone gives you that title.
You grow into it — with every case you handle, every conversation you navigate, every policy you try to implement with empathy and structure.
And yes — in most companies, HR is the first point of contact.
Even when the question is about train bookings, IT access, or where to get an invoice. Because it’s just easier to ask HR.
So where do we draw the line?
For a long time, I tried to be the flexible one. The helper. The one who always found a workaround.
But that flexibility eventually worked against me.
It blurred boundaries. It created unfair exceptions. And it made it harder to say “no” when I really needed to.
So now I say no more often.
Not because I don’t care.
But because I do — about clarity, fairness, and making sure everyone feels secure in a system that works the same for all.
Saying no doesn’t mean you’re cold.
Sometimes, it means you're protecting something more important: trust.
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