I was at a party enjoying festivities around the pool and sitting next to an IT Manager from a Fortune 100 company. When he learned about my vocation as an Executive Coach, he shared with me his frustration with his company’s HR department. For a few years he’d wanted to find a way to fire two underperforming, non-protected class employees. Finally he saw the opportunity to make a move; the company was going to do a reduction in head count, so he put these two employees on his list of three to let go. HR blocked that move and actually had him remove two “A” players instead. He didn’t elaborate on HR’s reasons, but they likely had to do with seniority, loyalty over performance, or the potential for legal action.
I am accustomed to hearing such stories when I work with Global 100 companies or Fortune 500 companies.
Does HR wield too much power in your organization? Are they assisting or inhibiting leadership? Share your stories.
