Human Resources Blog - Spark Hire

Counterpoint: Why HR is a Necessity, Not a Necessary Evil

Human Resources departments are taking a lot of flack lately. It seems the Toby Flendersons of the world have given poor HR people a bad rep. I’m here to tell you, though, that not only do I love HR (and no for the record I am not an HR manager) but that HR is crucial to the success of a company and its workplace environment.

You may see HR as a necessary evil, or even an unnecessary evil, which plays bad cop to your workplace fun and games. HR staffs, however, do a lot more than just get people in trouble. They keep the structure of a company intact.

A company needs someone on the inside to enforce rules and put everyone at ease that they work in a safe and comfortable workplace environment. Without an HR team in place, keeping the safety of its employees at the forefront, a company can fall prey to not only problematic lawsuits, but a toxic workplace environment. Not all companies can afford to have an HR team, but if you have more than a few employees, even one in-house HR person can save countless hours from other busy employees and give employees a safe haven if problems arise in the workplace environment.

HR departments play vital roles in maintaining a healthy workplace environment. The US Government has a system of checks and balances to ensure stability and balanced power. So think of HR as a sort of judicial branch of your company. There are the executives, the employees (sort of like Congress), and HR departments which enforce the agreed upon laws. It’s not a perfect analogy, but it works to showcase how important HR departments are to the success of a company. A good HR team isn’t caught up in the minutia and red tape this article describes, they are instead focused on keeping a happy workplace environment with productive employees, avoiding legal ramifications in the process. A good HR team is a necessity.

Do you think employees in your office view HR as a necessary evil or a necessity? Share in the comments!

IMAGE: Courtesy of Flickr by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Jen Schiller

Jen works as a Marketing Project Manager for a restaurant, a kitchen assistant for cooking classes, helps with database management, does some freelance writing, and more. She received her B.A. from the University of Maryland in Government & Politics in 2011. Currently, she resides in the Washington, D.C. area and is an avid sports fan.

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