Is hiring HR an investment or an added expense? Does HR have a polarised or multifaceted role? These are the questions we often find employers struggling with. Like any other profession, even HRM has its fair share of HR stereotypes and Myths. Our brains tend to take that cognitive shortcut. Curious to know the reality?

Read on, right away to find out the frequent presumption and myths of HR.

8 Common Misconceptions about HR

Let’s go through the misconceptions about HR that many of us may have!

Let’s see how contrasting the facts are in real!

Misconception 1: Hiring An HR Is An Extra Expense

In general, startups and SMEs HR deem HR as an extra expense when first starting. This is one of the first common misconceptions about HR. The value of HR is often ignored since it is difficult to correlate it to revenue directly.

HR professionals make efforts to bring balance between the organization and its employees. And thereby, create a winning team. It is a fact that any business should not ignore. HR attracts and retains talents that would fit & serve the organizational needs.

They work out a proper organizational structure. The structure is backed by appropriate processes like induction, hiring process, and compensation systems.

HRs also frame policies to establish transparency and fairness in the organization to create credibility for the leadership team. Hence, HR is not an added expense but an asset to the organization.

Misconception 2: Companies Employ HRs to Hire & Fire

HR professionals are hired especially to HIRE & FIRE. This is one of the most common myths of HR that drifts around them quite often.

HRs aim to find the right talent for the organization. HR looks for employees and resources whose aptitude can help the company to expand. They find the best fit for the required job roles in the company. It is true that when Human Resource Management began, the intent was to manage the hiring and firing of employees.

In modern times, HR aligns the existing employees through training interventions. Offboarding the non-performers is the last option. Have you heard of the theories X, Y, and Z?

McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y

Theory X assumes that most people are unintelligent. They lack the aptitude for creativity. Command and Control is how the management approaches its employees to get results.

Theory Y assumes that if the work conditions are favorable, work can be fun for the employees. This will let them be self-directed toward their creativity to meet organizational objectives. It can fuel the motivation to work to satisfy their esteem and self-actualization needs.

William Ouchi came up with a further evolved concept, “Theory Z”. It assumes that the HRM seeks to build cooperative and well-bonded relationships with their coworkers. In turn, employees remain loyal to the organization. It assumes that the employees want to maintain a work-life balance, and if given the right management support the employees will show their utmost capability in their jobs.

So, HR professionals nowadays focus on bringing improvements in the performances of existing employees & the work culture. Offboarding existing employees & hiring a new candidate is the last resort!

Misconception 3: HR Cares ONLY About the Company

“HRs care about the company’s interest ONLY”. “They care only about the management.” These are also some well-known misconceptions about HR.

Yes, HR does care about the company’s interest. But, the employees’ interest is also paramount at the same time. HR acts as a mediator in case there is a conflict between employee and employer’s interests. Improving employee engagement and job satisfaction rates is one of many job roles of an HR.

It is a part of their role in a professional space to resolve issues related to harassment, discrimination, bullying, gender inequality, etc. It is their responsibility to act on a complaint, no matter who is involved. They ensure that everyone in the organization acts ethically. They work for the entire organization.

So, it is erroneous to say that HR only cares about the company’s interest.

Misconception 4: Human Resource Management Functions in Seclusion

This is another misconception about HR that is often presumed to be true. “Human Resource Department operates in isolation”. It is clear from its name itself that it works for the employees and the organization.

HR professionals work on the inputs they receive from top management & employees. They need to make fair decisions when resolving any issue or framing any policy.

They may have an upper hand in making decisions related to employee well-being. But, they never work in isolation. The HR team requires collaboration & coordination from the managerial and operational levels also.

Every Line Manager of every vertical is also an HR Manager as far as their team is concerned.

Misconception 5: There’s No Need For HR Professionals To Be Creative

Many presume is HR professionals need not be innovative. This myth of HR is born out of conventional notions.

Humans are the species with the highest complexities. And, to deal with complex emotions, one of the needs is to be innovative. So, HRs have to be innovative to comprehend employee relations in their organization.

Moreover, to come up with productive & strategic solutions when the company encounters problems, figure out a synergistic work culture that benefits every employee, accept the changes, and figure out a way to make the changes applicable, an HR professional needs to be innovative in their approach.

Misconception 6: HRs Need Not Have An Understanding Of Business

“HRs don’t require to have acumen in business. HRs don’t understand the revenue objectives of the company. Data literacy is not their thing.” Don’t you agree that this is the most common misconception about HR?

To analyze the problems and bring up tactical policies in the organization, HR Professionals must have that aptness in business. In today’s times, they need to be commercially savvy, to understand the business. HRs are always on the frontline when dealing with the industry’s restructuring or downturn/upturn.

Misconception 7: HR & Admin Are The Same In Every Organisation

Many companies consider HR & Admin to be the same. For many companies, indeed they have clubbed two of these functions together. But are they the same? Let’s find out!

HR used to be addressed as the “Personnel, Industrial Relations & Administration. This outlook has now changed. An HR professional is more than just an administrator. In small organizations, HR performs administrative duties. Like maintaining personnel records, generating reports, and managing the paperwork related to onboarding.

But ideally, HR is all about managing human resources. The misconception exists because both departments work for the employees. The HR manages the employees in the establishment, Whereas, the Admin manages the establishment in a way that benefits the employees. HR does it through employee relations, employee engagement, performance management, recruitment, training & development, and everything directly related to the development of Human Resources.

But the Admin takes care of the employees in indirect ways by managing the daily activities & deals with the support functions related to the employees. Like personnel records management, managing the safety & cleanliness in the office premises, canteen management, transportation, etc.

Misconception 8: HR Does Only Compliance Work

“HRs only deal with legal compliance in the organization” This is another generic misconception about HR. This myth of HR also limits the actual job role of HR. The term compliance suggests conforming to a rule like a policy, or a law. HR is indeed expected to ensure that the company meets all legalities concerning the employees.

In the meantime, HR is also expected to make sure that the employees understand the rules that the company abides by. They align workplace policies with local and federal law. They also act as consultants, coaches, and confidants who amalgamate human assets into the full scope of business operations.

The experts in the field of Human Resource Management have mastered the art of shaping the organizational culture. HR experts are responsible for enabling organizational performance. Not only through compliance but also by leading or influencing people, projects & processes.

Dr. Rob Silzer, M.D of HR Assessment and Development says “Financial Resources may be the lifeblood of a company, but Human Resources are the brains.” This is why, HR is an asset to any organization.

Some Facts Related to an HR’s Multifarious Job Role

• • HR manages employee retention, because of which there is a decrease in attrition rate. Without an HR, organizations face a high attrition rate. Thereby, new recruitment invites have a cost between 75% to 230% of the CTC.69% of employees say that they would work better if their efforts were effectively recognized. HR plays a big role in recognizing the efforts put in by employees through the Performance Management System (PMS).

• • 66% of organizations believe that PMS helps them in increasing productivity. High productivity results in increased revenue and decreased costs.

• • Well begun is half done. Hence when HR recruits the right fit, it helps the company in saving costs and increasing revenue.

• • HRs facilitate a synergistic culture at work by creating and managing strategies, policies, compliance, and operations. It is to the door of an HR where all these paths converge. And, HR welcomes all these objectives with optimal solutions.

Didn’t you find the stated facts in contrast to the misconceptions about HR? Since it is a people-facing role, HR stereotypes are bound to be. As a career option, one can consider being as one gets to imbibe a lot in a multifarious role.

HR Professionals have a multifaceted role in any organization. Their efforts are to strike the right balance between employee expectations and organizational needs.

FAQs Related to HR Myths

Here are some Frequently asked questions related to HR and the misconceptions related to Human Resources:

What is the Role of the HR executive?

An HR executive role consists of multiple responsibilities that benefit both, employees and the management fairly.

• • Manage the recruitment and selection process in an organization. 

• • Conducts induction process for new employees.

• • Enhance the functioning of the organization through meticulous planning and implementation of policies. 

• • Bridge the gap between management and employees through fair policies, employee benefit programs, grievance redressal systems, compliance management, etc. 

• • Organize various pieces of training for current employees depending on the organizational needs. 

• • Drive employee engagement activities to foster a conducive work environment.

• • Ensure a smooth offboarding process, so that the employee parts ways with the organization on good terms.

How to Become an HR in India?

The bare minimum requirement to qualify to study Human Resources (HR) in India is to complete higher secondary education.

To become an HR, one can opt for (Masters of Business Administration) M.B.A after B. A (Bachelor of Arts) or B.Com. (Bachelor of Commerce). A better way though is to opt for B.B.A (Bachelor of Business Administration) which has the option of specializing in HR, and further, doing an MBA in Human Resource Management.

What is an HR Recruiter’s job?

An HR recruiter’s job is to create and execute recruitment strategies & fill the positions in the organization. If the HR recruiter works in a recruiting company, then the objective is to provide other organizations with the right candidates for the organization that outsources their recruitment requirements.

The responsibilities of the recruiter include searching for candidates online, creating job descriptions, posting on job portals, screening the resumes, and finding suitable candidates for the organization.