According to Ms Samuel in this interview, a lot of corporate CEO’s are scared of the HR heads because HR has seeded managers all over the companies and the people in companies are, through such managers, loyal more to the HR departments (from whence their positions came) than the CEO.
I’m no fan of HR departments, but that seems ludicrous on its face — at least in any serious business. What kind of company would ever give HR the ultimate decision-making power when hiring ANYONE (let alone senior managers) outside of the HR department?
Years ago we got a new HR person at my location and she immediately started trying to force her way into running departments and telling managers how to run their departments. She tried my department and made several suggestions, none in person but via other people in my department to be given to me. I finally told the last one she sent to go tell her I’ve run this department for 20 years just fine, when I need her help I’ll ask for it. She got the message and left me alone until she retired.
Once HR takes over your company you are doomed. My public institution had a new president who promoted HR into management and it was a disaster. Lots of retirements, lots of resentment, lots of arrogance toward employees by HR. No employee would interact with HR department unless absolutely necessary.
The new president was a total disaster and replaced after 3-4 years and the new president ignored HR. With that employees begin to completely keep anyone and especially the HR director at arms length, no interactions and many times employees would call systems office HR and go over the directors head. She served another two years essentially ostracized by the employees she allegedly represented. She burned a lot of bridges during her management tenure and spent two years friendless before retiring.