In this week Q&A With Jane, a reader shares the reality of working in HR. What happens when you’re the only one in HR, handling payroll, employee grievances, compliance issues and constant workplace burnout. Our resident HR advisor Jane Harper explains why burnout in HR is so common, how to set boundaries when you’re the only HR professional in your company, and what steps to take if your company won’t invest in proper HR support.
A reader writes:
Dear Jane,
I’m the only HR for a company with about 30 employees, and some days I feel like I’m one email away from a breakdown. When I got hired, the role was pitched as “HR Coordinator with lots of growth potential.” I must admit that I’ve handled a lot over the past three years. From paperwork to onboarding and everything in between. In the past, this seemed like an exciting opportunity to learn for me to move up the ladder.
When I look at teams within the organization grow, I realize that I’m a one-man army with little to no help or support. I handle payroll, employee grievances where I spend hours sitting in back-to-back one-on-ones with people, to compliance training. Now, compliance training isn’t part of my job role, however, I’ve spent hours learning state reporting laws off YouTube tutorials because the company cannot budget for actual training.
Then there are the “little extras” that look like a 20-minute task but somehow land in my lap. The year-end holiday party planning? That’s all me. Need someone to set up the new office coffee machine? All me. Ordering swag for new hires? HR. At this point, “people operations” means anything vaguely related to human beings, from fixing the faucet to stocking tissues in the bathrooms.
What really drains me is the expectation that I can solve every problem. If two employees don’t get along? “You need to talk to HR.” If someone’s laptop isn’t working? “Ask HR, she’ll handle it.” If the company wants to implement a performance review system within a day? That’s me writing the forms, training managers and making sure no one mutinies when they realize they’re actually being evaluated.
It’s not like I’ve never asked for help! Whenever I do or try to explain that one person cannot sustainably do all of this, I hear: “But you’re doing an incredible job! We don’t need more staff.” It’s like being punished for slowly drowning.
For the longest time, it’s just me and my Google Drive folder, wondering if this is what working in HR feels like, or if I’m burned out in HR, or I’m simply in the wrong place.
Jane’s advice on how to combat burnout in HR
Let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room. What you’re describing isn’t an HR role. It’s an endurance test wrapped inside a Christmas present. You didn’t sign up to be a payroll clerk, event planner, therapist or compliance officer, and office supply chain manager rolled into one.
There’s a reason why so many “HR Department of One” forums exist online. It can be an isolating role, and you’ve landed in the middle of it. Here’s how to start to take back control:
Redefine the job, in writing
Right now, your role is a bottomless inbox full of requests. Create a list of your core functions and a separate list of add ons (holiday parties, swag orders, and being the unofficial helpdesk). Share it with company leadership, framed as: “Here’s what I’m responsible for today. Here’s what’s falling outside HR scope. To continue growing this role and serving the company well, we’ll need to decide what stays with HR and what should live elsewhere.” It’s would be harder for them to brush off your overload when it’s clearly written in black and white.
Ask for tools
You don’t necessarily need a full team right away, but you do need systems. Payroll automation, compliance software, and even something as simple as a shared project board can reduce your workload. If leadership balks at the cost, remind them that errors and turnover are far more expensive than investing in proper HR tools.
Stop taking on everyone’s “extras”
The next time someone says, “Can you fix the so and so machine?” try “That’s actually not an HR function, let’s loop in Facilities/IT/Operations.” It isn’t rude to draw boundaries at work. Everyone needs boundaries to survive and thrive in their role.
Find community outside your company
Since you don’t have HR colleagues in your team, make sure you have support elsewhere. Online communities or even LinkedIn group can act as lifelines where you can swap templates, vent or remind yourself you’re not crazy.
Think long-term
Not all company deserve an HR department of one. Some are too big to justify leaving you solo. If leadership refuses to resource your role properly, it may be worth looking for a place where HR is respect as a strategic function.
You need to remind yourself that you’re not bad at HR or failing at HR. You’re carrying a workload designed for multiple people and still showing up. That makes you a resourceful and resilient employee than most people out there.
Are you facing a tricky workplace dilemma? Write to Jane Harper with your questions on workplace conflict, policy issues or people management problems. Your situation could be featured (anonymously) in a future column.
Don’t let the changing world of work derail your hiring instincts. Send in your HR queries with the subject line ‘Ask JANE HARPER’ at info@thehrdigest.com.
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