What’s on the agenda today?
Hey {{First Name| there}},
You know it. Your employees know it. And now 100 business leaders have put it on record.
This week we're getting into the uncomfortable truth about why HR is still struggling to earn trust and what actually needs to change.
In This Edition We Cover
😬 Why people still hate HR — the data
🔍 The real reasons behind the resentment
💡 What 100 business leaders say needs to change
✅ What HR should actually do differently
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1️⃣ The Numbers Are Not Pretty
Fast Company surveyed over 1,500 people and the results should make every HR professional uncomfortable:
😶 51% say HR is not responsive when they raise a concern
📉 75% say HR is ineffective at helping them achieve professional goals
🚫 56% say HR adds very little or no significant value
😨 86% of workers in a March 2026 survey said they were afraid of their HR department
Fast Company first ran a cover story called "Why We Hate HR" in 2005. It is now 2026. And the numbers have barely moved.
2️⃣ Why the Resentment Is Still There
Here is the honest answer: HR works for the business, not for the employee. And employees know it.
As SHRM CEO Johnny Taylor puts it: "Part of the frustration is that both sides believe you represent them."
Technology was supposed to fix this. Instead it made things worse — ATS black holes, bot-driven screening, and now AI putting 9.3% of HR roles at high risk of replacement, with recruiting going first. The "human" in Human Resources is getting harder to find.
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3️⃣ What 100 Business Leaders Said
Fast Company asked 100 executives — including 66 CEOs — one question: what would make HR more effective? Four themes kept coming up:
🎯 Become a talent engine, not a rule keeper — tie HR's scorecard to whether the business got better people, not process compliance
🤝 Get a real seat at the table — not a courtesy invite, but actual ownership of workforce strategy
📊 Measure outcomes, not activity — retention of top performers, manager quality, internal mobility. Not time-to-hire
💬 Separate trust from compliance — employees cannot trust the same department that manages their layoff
4️⃣ What HR Should Actually Do
The message from 100 leaders is clear: stop optimising for the business's comfort and start building trust with the people inside it.
Here is where to start:
📋 Make your reporting pathways real, not symbolic — if employees are afraid to use them, they do not exist
🎯 Own talent outcomes, not just talent processes — time-to-hire is a process metric. Whether your best people stayed is an outcome metric
🤝 Get off the admin and into the room — the leaders who said HR should "sit with their crew for one hard week" are right. You cannot fix what you do not see
💬 Say whose side you are on — and mean it — the loyalty confusion is destroying trust. Be honest about what HR can and cannot do for employees
🤖 Use AI to handle the admin — not the humans — let AI screen, schedule, and process. Keep humans in every decision that affects a person's career
21 years since "Why We Hate HR." The data has barely moved. The question is whether this generation of HR professionals will be the ones who finally change that.
🎉 What's Coming Up!
TSOW HR Meetup in Chennai | September 12 — An interactive session for HRs who want less theory and more "this worked for us." Save your spot!
TSOW HR Meetup in Gurugram | September 12 — An HR meetup for meaningful dialogue and shared learning. Get your seat while spots last.
TSOW HR Meetup in Hyderabad | September 12 — Connect, learn, and grow with Hyderabad's HR community. Don't miss your chance to be in the room!
TSOW HR Meetup in Vadodara | September 12 — Build meaningful connections with Vadodara's HR community over conversations that are practical and refreshingly honest. Join the Meetup
💬 Do you think HR has earned more trust in your organisation — or less? Drop it in #general-q&a — our leaders are ready to answer. 🙌
The HR Pulse lands every Tuesday. Got something to share? You know where to find us.
