I can’t give more approval for this woman, she handled everything so well.

The backstory is that Cloudflare overhired and wanted to reduce headcount, rightsize, whatever terrible HR wording you choose. Instead of admitting that this was a layoff, which would grant her things like severance and unemployment - they tried to tell her that her performance was lacking.

And for most of us (myself included) we would angrily accept it and trash the company online. Not her, she goes directly against them. It of course doesn’t go anywhere because HR is a bunch of robots with no emotions that just parrot what papa company tells them to, but she still says what all of us wish we did.

(Warning, if you’ve ever been laid off this is a bit enraging and can bring up some feelings)

  • alienanimals@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    129
    arrow-down
    15
    ·
    11 months ago

    HR are all class traitors. Their sole purpose in life is to pay you as little as possible and protect the people at the top who are stealing everyone elses’ profits. Fuck anyone working in HR.

    • pearsaltchocolatebar@discuss.online
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      78
      arrow-down
      51
      ·
      11 months ago

      That really isn’t true, and you would know that if you were actually familiar with HR.

      HR, for stuff like this, is just the messenger. Some exec told them to fire people, and gave them a directive on who to fire. The HR reps couldn’t answer her questions because they likely don’t know the answer.

      Yes, the job of HR is to protect the company, but mostly that’s protecting the company from the company breaking labor laws.

      But, I’m sure I’ll get downvoted to hell because the hive mind loves to shit on HR, which is exactly what the execs are wanting. They’re scapegoats.

      • alienanimals@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        47
        arrow-down
        7
        ·
        edit-2
        11 months ago

        I am very familiar with HR at multiple fortune 500 corporations.

        You’re so close to getting the point. You realize HR are the executives’ scapegoats. HR’s purpose is to serve the rich assholes fucking everyone else over. Anyone working HR is complicit whether they’re intelligent enough to realize it, or just a useful idiot. Execs want and need their scapegoats. People should realize this and avoid HR (class traitor) jobs.

        • ThyTTY@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          5
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          11 months ago

          Well, if you’re working for that company in any other role your purpose is to serve the rich assholes anyway.

        • Fushuan [he/him]@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          11 months ago

          Anyone in the company is serving the rich assholes fucking everyone else over. All the money they are producing goes to the rich assholes.

        • Fizz@lemmy.nz
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          15
          arrow-down
          16
          ·
          11 months ago

          Just don’t get a job in HR and no one can get fired. It’s that easy guys.

          HR is a legitimate job and serves and important purpose in the structure of a company. You can’t dismiss it by saying their purpose is to serve rich assholes because that’s the purpose of every job at a company. That’s work, that’s most jobs.

          • owen@lemmy.ca
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            11 months ago

            Except HR’s entire purpose is to insulate management. They’re not exactly producing anything

            • Fizz@lemmy.nz
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              arrow-down
              2
              ·
              11 months ago

              Production of goods is not relevant at all there are plenty of valid jobs that do not produce anything. Having an HR department in a large company allows other departments to focus on what they are good at and have HR handle all the employee contracts, hiring, firing, complaints, performance reviews, leave etc.

              • owen@lemmy.ca
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                3
                ·
                11 months ago

                All those tasks you listed are really the responsibility of management. HR is basically the grease between the decisions of upper management and the reactions of the lowly prawns

                • Fizz@lemmy.nz
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  2
                  arrow-down
                  1
                  ·
                  11 months ago

                  They can be the responsibility of management in smaller companies but at scale they require a department.

      • BottleOfAlkahest@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        34
        arrow-down
        9
        ·
        11 months ago

        I worked in HR for a while and 80% of the job was telling managers/execs “you can’t do that to an employee”. It was defending the employee, arguing for better programs, planning events for employees/associates/team members. I paid for a Christmas event out of my own pocket one year because I was told there was no funding. I never got badmouthed or trashed by a manager. But after fighting everyday for associates it was really disheartening to see them say stuff like the person youre replying too. It’s one reason people who aren’t corporate shills get out of HR. You spend your day advocating for people and they turn around and spit in your face. After awhile you just ask yourself why am I turning myself inside out for these people who hate me?

        • TheLowestStone@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          13
          arrow-down
          8
          ·
          11 months ago

          I’ve literally never worked at a company where HR advocates for the workers. In 20 years, I haven’t seen it happen a single time.

          • asqapro@lemmy.ml
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            13
            arrow-down
            9
            ·
            11 months ago

            The HR team at the company I work for absolutely advocates for me and my coworkers. Their job is to protect the company’s interests and the workers being empowered is in line with the company’s interests. A close friend and coworker had a PM try to deny her benefits (both PTO and insurance) and HR stepped in on her behalf and forced the company to give her what she was owed. The HR team is always available to answer questions about how insurance works and how to plan for retirement, plus they go out of their way to host a yearly Christmas party and other major events. The companies you worked at might have had bad HR teams, but that doesn’t mean every HR team is bad.

            • spacecowboy@sh.itjust.works
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              7
              arrow-down
              3
              ·
              11 months ago

              HR is to prevent liability, not to protect or advocate for workers. Sometimes those lines end up crossing, but it’s not the job of HR.

              • GilgameshCatBeard@lemmy.ca
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                4
                arrow-down
                6
                ·
                edit-2
                11 months ago

                How about you let them tel you how HR is at the do Pant they work for since you have no idea who they are or where they work.

                  • GilgameshCatBeard@lemmy.ca
                    link
                    fedilink
                    arrow-up
                    5
                    arrow-down
                    3
                    ·
                    11 months ago

                    So tell me how the HR where they work at actually handled things since you’ve worked with them. Actually, first: state the name of the company they work at so I can check your work.

            • GilgameshCatBeard@lemmy.ca
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              4
              arrow-down
              5
              ·
              11 months ago

              This totally goes against what people want to believe. It’s not being downvoted because it’s untrue, it’s being downvoted because the kids don’t like it.

        • spacecowboy@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          8
          arrow-down
          4
          ·
          11 months ago

          Oh come off of it. Your job is to tell those managers and executives “you can’t do that”. You are there to prevent liability. I’m not calling you a bad person or class trader like above, but that’s what your job is.

      • jimbo@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        19
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        11 months ago

        Nothing you said contradicts the claim that HR people are class traitors. HR only cares about labor law so far as they can achieve management’s goals without landing the company in legal hot water. It’s absolutely not about any concern for the people themselves.

        • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          8
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          11 months ago

          No one in any business cares about their customers or coworkers any more than they have to. Why would you think that the person at the supermarket cares about the weird story you have to tell them?

          HR doesn’t care about you because they don’t know you. Your coworkers barely care about you. Do not think people you work with are your friends. HR has no moral reason to do anything other than their jobs. Don’t rely on them for legal advice. They are just a mouthpiece for what has already been decided.

      • ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        11 months ago

        I’ve interacted with lots of HR employees over the years. And for quite a while my wife worked in that field, so I’ve had some ‘inside’ insight into the field. And I largely agree with you.

        Like with any field, there are good people and bad people in there. My wife (and most of her colleagues) was one of the good ones. She intervened many times at her old job to stop out of control managers from firing store employees for bullshit reasons. Yes, part of that was to avoid the company getting into legal trouble for it. But an equal part was because she wanted to help these employees, because they were clearly being mistreated by their managers. And while not to that level, I’ve been helped by other decent HR people who went above and beyond company policies to help me during things like bereavement and healthcare needs.

        I’ve also dealt with some absolute shit-heel HR people. People who would spend almost all day spying on employees using CCTV to try to catch them doing something - anything - that they could write them up for. People who would go out of their way to hide and ignore evidence of managers vindictively punishing employees who they (the managers) didn’t like. People would use their power as HR professionals to exploit vulnerable employees for sexual motives.

        It’s a mixed bag. To say all HR people are good is facile (side note: I know you weren’t doing that). And equally, to slate all HR employees is also wrong.

    • scarabic@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      11 months ago

      It is actually such a shitty job and while good people may find themselves in it, only bad people stay in it for long. If you’re a great person and just spend your time bringing sunshine to employees then you were rolled in luck before you went into the fryer.

    • angrymouse@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      7
      arrow-down
      12
      ·
      11 months ago

      This is the nature of the HR as a sector, not the ppl that work there. The lumberjack is not responsible for the deforestation. If you dont have any collective to help ppl stand their ground they will only follow orders to buy the milk.

      • alienanimals@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        9
        arrow-down
        7
        ·
        11 months ago

        You’re the kind of fool who thinks some of the nazis weren’t bad, they were just following orders.

        • angrymouse@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          5
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          11 months ago

          You literally compared HR workers with the nazis, and you are not the first I saw in this thread, wtf are you all eating? You talk with ppl like that IRL?