If HR Feels Useless, Here Is the Real Reason
Do this before you blame the wrong team.
You are right to be frustrated
HR feels useless in most workplaces. That is not a complaint. That is a fact.
You ask a simple question. You get a vague answer. You raise a concern. It turns into a 12-step process. You work hard. A favourite still gets promoted. You want fairness. You get paperwork. You want speed. You get delay.
That frustration is valid. The target of that frustration is wrong.
The real problem is not HR
HR looks useless when managers avoid leadership.
Managers avoid hard conversations. HR becomes the dumping ground. Managers do not set clear goals. HR gets asked to fix performance. Managers play favourites. HR gets asked to handle morale. Managers ignore bad behaviour. HR gets asked to calm the team.
Every time a manager says “HR said,” they are hiding. Every policy you hate exists because a manager refused to make a decision.
Weak management creates bad HR. Bad HR creates friction. Friction creates the feeling that HR is useless.
What I have learnt the hard way
Policies do not grow companies. People do.
I learnt this through years of getting it wrong and watching others get it wrong. To this day, I build every process around people first. The policy does not take centre stage. The person does.
And I will be honest about what makes me angry.
I hate watching a manager ignore common sense. I hate seeing them reach for an outdated policy instead of thinking. I hate the ones who barely lift a finger to help their own employee, then shrug and say “my hands are tied, it is company policy.”
Your hands are not tied. You just do not want to untie them.
That is not HR failing. That is leadership failing. And the employee pays the price.
What good actually looks like
When the system works, you do not notice HR. You notice flow.
Hiring feels clear. You know the steps. You know who decides. You get updates. Pay feels consistent. You know the range. You know what moves you up. Performance feels honest. Your manager gives feedback early. Nobody saves issues for year-end. Complaints feel safe. You get timelines. You get outcomes.
None of that requires more HR. It requires managers who do their job.
Test your workplace
Answer yes or no to each question.
1. Do you know who owns decisions: your manager or HR?
2. Do you get clear answers within 48 hours?
3. Do rules apply to favourites too?
4. Do managers give feedback early?
5. Do promotions have clear criteria?
6. Do pay decisions have clear reasons?
7. Do serious complaints get handled fast?
8. Do people trust the process even when they dislike the outcome?
9. Does “my hands are tied” get used more than common sense?
If you answered “no” to five or more, you do not have an HR problem. You have a leadership problem.
What you can do about it
If you manage people
Stop hiding behind policy. Own your decisions. Give feedback within 48 hours. Run weekly one-to-ones. Set goals in writing. Act on poor performance within 30 days. Document facts, not feelings. And if a policy does not make sense for the situation in front of you, say so. Fight for your people.
If you lead the organisation
Train managers before you promote them. Measure manager quality, not HR activity. Cut policies. Build principles. Make these non-negotiable: fairness over favourites, evidence over opinions, speed with care, one standard for all levels.
If you have no authority
Use the checklist above to diagnose your workplace. Name the real problem. When you raise concerns, be specific: “My manager has not given me feedback in six months” is actionable. “HR is useless” is not.
If the system will not change, decide whether to stay or leave. That is the only choice you control.
The one-day reality check
Do this in one day. It will change how you see the problem.
Step 1: Write the friction list. List the top 10 things that waste time at work. Slow approvals. Confusing pay decisions. Hiring delays. No feedback. Favouritism. Endless meetings.
Step 2: Label each item. For every item, choose one: manager issue, system issue, or skill issue. Most problems land on managers.
Step 3: Pick three fixes only. Choose three that remove the most friction. Publish pay bands. Set manager one-to-one standards. Create a seven-day hiring process map.
Step 4: Put dates next to each fix. No dates means no change.
Removing 90% of HR would not fix your workplace. It would expose how much your managers rely on HR to avoid leadership.
The friction you feel is real. The cause is not where you think.
What management behaviour would you change tomorrow?
