I am a huge fan of great HR teams, and a strong advocate for staffing HR properly. I think HR deserves to move beyond simple HR metrics and use big bold metrics that win arguments with the CFO.
But sadly, not everyone is bold. Some HR folks are so fearful that they become positively toxic.
How can you tell if your HR team is toxic to your work environment? Look for any hint of condescension. If your conversations with HR sound like Dana Carvey’s “Church Lady” or Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter, then it’s time to re-staff your HR department.
There is a reason why the least competent people exhibit the most condescension – frantic desperation to preserve their own status within the team. (Oddly, the people who are most eager to “enforce the rules” are often the least accountable for delivering results.)
And this phenomenon does not just occur in HR. One thing is for certain – no matter what department they work in, your organization is always better off when you don’t tolerate judgmental people who walk around lecturing others in their “kindergarten teacher voice.”
So, if you are the hiring manager with an important position to be filled, you must be vigilant to ensure that toxic group dynamics do not interfere with your ability to hire the most qualified candidates, and internal teams tend to be most condescending toward group outsiders, like the very people you are considering hiring.
To protect yourself from toxic interference in your hiring practices, download this guide.