Dear Start-Up CEO — Don’t Hate Me Because I Work in HR

Pleased to Meet You, Let me introduce myself -

Hi, I’m Jasmine! Let me tell you a bit about myself.

I “grew up” in a traditionalist industry. And yet, my mind constantly whirred with the question “why is it like this?”. I was never satisfied with the status quo. I questioned everything that seemed like total nonsense.

Zero Days Since Last Nonsense

Sometimes I thought I was crazy because I saw patterns and solutions that seemed obvious, but confounded others. I found success by jumping in and finding fixes, making process and systems improvements, and solving people’s problems. As I moved up, the challenges became even more confounding, the solutions simple but mired in bureaucracy. My job became near impossible sometimes.

I think that as an entrepreneur, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Oh, and there’s one more thing….

I work in human resources.

Let me explain!

Gen Y And Predictable Unpredictability

I can say with blunt honesty, everyone hates HR. But no one more than you, my dear start-up CEO. We can give it a fancy new name, call it People Operations, call it Culture Leader, call it whatever you want.

Everyone hates HR

In fact, the entire tech industry associates HR with everything that founders loath about the old economy. Stodgy, crusty, inflexible, bureaucratic and unyielding HR.

These energetic, enthusiastic, visionary creators, inventors and thought leaders shun and shy away from anything that resembles human resource management.

I am here to bridge that gap

Like most Gen Ys, I have changed industries and have taken charge of my own career progress by seeking out my own opportunities. It turns out, that for all the same reasons why I railed against the traditionalist system, I’ve found my passion in the start-up culture. But now, immersed in a fast paced industry, working with entrepreneurs and visionaries, it’s those same skills that I bring to the table.

Let me tell you, my skeptical Start-Up CEO, that what I’m saying about HR is true of us pretty much all of us that work in the field. I am not the lone possessor of these skills. Indeed, not! I would argue that this is a highly skilled group as a profession. By virtue of education, training, and development, nearly everyone working in the HR field is trained at having a keen eye for problem solving.

I’m here to explain that yes, even you need HR.

You need us on your team.

Let me explain why you want us on your team.

1. WE’VE SPENT OUR ENTIRE CAREERS FOSTERING RELATIONSHIPS

Our stock and trade is empathy. We pride ourselves on being nosy enough to know everything about you, but discrete enough to keep all of your secrets locked in a vault forever.

Whether working in talent recruitment, or training and development, the key enabler as an HR professional is to work collaboratively by fostering relationships.

2. FAIRNESS AND TRANSPARENCY ARE VALUES WRITTEN ON OUR SOULS

We know that the bloated, bureaucratic corporations of old, plagued by scandal after scandal sicken you. They sicken us too. You likely started your company because you were so passionate about solving the world’s problems that you just couldn’t imagine doing anything else with your life. You built a company with culture, inclusiveness, and thoughtfulness in all the details. You communicate with your team regularly because you actually care about what they think and are experiencing. You want the team to be empowered, to understand the inner workings and decisions of the company, and truly BE transparent. You despise lip service. You are all about action and results.

We hear you!

No one gets more upset by unfair treatment than those who work in HR. We give our blood, sweat and tears to make it right for employees. Welcoming them to the company, ensuring that they are taken care of when they are sick or injured, making sure they can access their benefits, finding ways to foster a healthy, vibrant and inclusive space.

We value efficiency and transparency in policies and processes even more than you!

These values are the very fabric of what draws us to HR.

3. WE ARE YOUR GREATEST ALLY

We want nothing more than to see you and your ideas succeed.

Why? Because we are here to support you! We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t believe in the vision. We would be somewhere else, quietly and happily earning a pay check in a much easier industry. Only the devoted can really survive the start-up culture gauntlet. If we are here, it’s because we care deeply.

We are certainly not the enemy. Chaos is the enemy. Failure is the enemy. Fickle markets are the enemy.

Us, we are your allies.

4. YOUR OPINION MEANS MORE TO US THAN ANYTHING

Nothing, absolutely nothing get accomplished in HR without your buy-in. We are relationship builders, teachers, mentors, motivators, coaches.

We do everything in our power to get your buy-in, and then work on the even more challenging task of getting employee buy-in to make it all work.

5. WE ACTUALLY KNOW A LOT ABOUT THE RISKS YOU ARE TAKING

We have degrees, a professional designation, multiple years of work in the field, and are constantly undertaking professional development to make sure that our knowledge and skills are fresh.

We know exactly what kind of risks you are taking as an entrepreneur. We know exactly what you are going through. We know all of your secrets, remember? We are here to help!