Ex-Microsoft VP of HR: Avoid HR If You’re Having Workplace Issues

As the former Microsoft VP of HR I can assure you that HR is not your friend.

20 some years ago a woman named Barb inspired me to take up a career in HR. I saw how she cared for employee wellbeing. I saw how she cared for workplace equity and anti discrimination. I saw how she cared for fairness. I wanted to do what she did.

Unfortunately I feel like I’ve done nothing much of the sort.

Hiring managers have hired based on personal biases despite my warnings against it. Employees have been fired despite my advocating against it. Layoffs have always been out of my control. I’ve investigated friends for wrongdoing and always was compelled to show findings in line with management accusations. (The findings were already in line with management accusations, but I never liked the subtext). DEI is a joke and at the end of the day all the company cares about is the appearance of being diverse (although never at the executive level, unless you count an all white cisgender female executive team not as exclusionary but inclusive because women, I guess). The red tape and politics and bureaucracy get in the way of any progressive HR policies or practices and you’re all left on a big, squeaky, rusty hamster wheel getting dizzy and sick and with everyone hating you.

Or maybe that’s just my cynicism talking and HR is actually a wonderful employee advocate all the time for all the employees.

🤷🏻‍♂️