Is it normal i've worked in 2 workplaces and still don't understand who hr are?

What do HR actually do besides the famous 'hiring and firing' and why would it ever be in my interests to talk to them as a low-level employee? Nobody has ever explained this to me before.

From what I've picked up from my workplaces, HR exist to officialize whatever my line manager says, and I've never been encouraged to talk to them except when my manager said I needed to get them to sign an administrative form. But online sources seem to suggest otherwise - even like they could actually be on my side. What's the score here??

It was my line manager who recruited me and who encouraged me to leave (in my last workplace anyway), HR just 'rubber stamped' whatever she said. The last time I spoke to HR they just looked at me in the way people look at you when they know you're in trouble.

Can someone please enlighten me? Whose side are HR really on, and how much do I need to be concerned about things I say being potentially used to get me fired?

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Comments ( 4 )
  • Nickvey

    HR works for the best interests of the company. if you cost the company money , they might get fired.

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  • RoseIsabella

    I talked to Human Resources when some old bastard was harassing me.

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  • suckonthis9

    HR is a codeword for Human Redundancy.

    It's all politics, without the practical aspect of politics, which makes it all redundant.

    They aren't on anyone's side, but their own fat, greedy, and lazy backside.
    They suffer from the same affliction as most politicians, most bureaucrats, many corporate managers, many union executives, some CEOs, police-criminals, security and surveillance personnel, among others:
    Most of them didn't actually do an honest hard-day's real-world work in their life, and the one's that did, probably did so minimally, and so long ago that they didn't realize that they were becoming old, senile, demented and corrupt.
    They also didn't recognize that the world around them had changed significantly.

    Nearly all of this could have been averted, if large corporations (including governments) had have adopted policies where all such personnel must have had a minimum of at least 5 years, full-time, ground-level work experience in their field, or in a closely related field, with few exceptions. Meaning: they would have had to most likely got dirty, doing something useful in the real-world.
    Also, that they would be limited in their tenure to a reasonable length of time.
    Also, no appointments for so-called priviledged persons.
    They would also have needed a degree in sociology and /or business management, or the like, in addition to this.

    But it's too late now!
    They needed to do this 20 years ago, at the latest, and 40 years ago, or more, would have been better.
    Society and civilization is collapsing, because of this, and there are too many people in society with no real-world work experience, and nearly all these Human Redundant people will likely die, because they don't have the first clue of what to do, to survive what's coming, and there aren't enough of us left to help them.

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  • lordofopinions

    They also have Employee Assistance Programs to handle things that may be affecting your work such as your spouse threatening divorce or you have a drinking problem. Lots of other support. In the above they could refer you to marriage councillor or for alcohol rehab. Check with them to ask what services they provide in case you need them.

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