How much authority does HR actually have?

manpreet Best Answer 2 years ago

Everyone's favorite enemy: Human-Resources.

I have the perception that people in HR think they have more influence than they actually do.

Background:

I work in a rather large software company. Some months ago, an employee at my workplace has requested an increase in pay after working with us for a while without any increase.

His supervisor approved it without question, but HR outright blocked it without providing any reason. The supervisor escalated this to his manager, but still could not get a response from HR. When then escalation continued, and we're almost at the top person now, no response could obtained from HR.

Another story:

I am currently sharing an office with someone at our client's site. Someone from the HR department just walked in looking for them as part of a "site inspection", basically just wanting to "check up on them".

Another story:

I have heard many cases where HR has summoned employees to their office for various reasons.

My (perhaps incorrect) view is that I report to my supervisor and HR are just clerks to whom I do not answer. How can they overrule upper-level management, summon people, and go around "checking up" on staff?

My question is:

How much authority does HR actually have in the workplace? Are they in the right in the scenarios I mentioned above, or am I just hating too much?

manpreet 2 years ago

Well in the words of the esteemed RichardU elsewhere on this stack:

HR is not your friend

But more seriously the answer really is that they have as much or as little authority as senior management gives them, and this will vary from organisation to organisation. I've worked places where where they essentially had none and were purely an admin/support function.

As can happen in various departments across companies they can sometimes attract people who like to go on something of a power trip and that can be very unpleasant for others in the company if it is either unchecked by senior management or where the behaviors are actually within the remit and authority given to them by senior management.

That said the majority of HR people I've interacted with at various jobs have been lovely people and all too often the things they do that annoy others is just a case of them enacting policies or edicts that have been given to them by organisation so don't jump straight to the "hate" - you may well be just shooting the messenger.

The only example you gave that sounds remotely egregious is the blocked raise but even that is something I would resist condemning them on automatically because there might be more to the scenario the you know.