Of course, HR is important, and they prevent a lot of lawsuits. Still, I confess I often wonder why it is that an HR employee, who has never done a job like yours, worked in a department like yours, managed an employee like you, studied in a field like yours, or knows anything about your work would be responsible for deciding whether or not you should be hired for a certain job. But that is often the case.

HR Departments are known for their cookie cutter policies and treat people like cookie cutter employees. They give you an employee number, and that is how they often refer to you from the time you’re hired. You’re now number 2703-418, and that number is associated with you until you leave the company - indeed, even after you leave the company. That is a number that will show up on their reports and will be used when giving you your raises, your promotions, your terminations, your discipline, etc.

If you’re late, you get a verbal warning. Late again, and you get a written warning. After that you’re terminated. “Look everyone, number 2703-418 was late today. It’s time for his written warning!”

As I said, I understand there are some fantastic HR personnel out there that do some good work for their companies. Still, I cannot help but wonder how much better companies would be if they responded to employees as individuals rather than numbers who had committed a certain infraction a certain number of times.

For example, I have known a lot of employees who respond well to written warnings. Those warning motivate them to perform better. But some employees get so angry at a written warning they resign on the spot. Some are resentful and, therefore, don’t work as well even though they stay with a company. So I only argue that managers should use their own creativity and intuition in responding to employee needs.

Another reason that HR’s treatment of employees is bad is that it does not improve a company. Steve Pavlina discusses the concept of cookie cutter employees in his excellent blog, which you can read here. The example he uses is that “Cindy has a plant on her desk,” when it’s against company policy, but I think we can even get less absurd than that. If an employee shows up late for work, HR has a tendency to brainwash that employee and torment him until he learns to show up on time. But does being punctual make you a good employee? Think about it. If you show up on time, does that mean you’re going to make a contribution the rest of the day while you’re there? I think I would rather have an employee that is consistently ten minutes late that makes a contribution to the company than a cookie cutter employee that consistently shows up on time. And the employee that shows up ten minutes late might actually have some free will left in him that will drive him to greatness in a company rather than the timid employee that shows up on time just because he’s afraid of being punished for showing up late.

Nick Corcodilos also discusses the silliness of HR Departments on his excellent website Ask the Headhunter. He discusses a number of ways to get beyond HR Departments that would otherwise prevent you and other qualified employees from getting a job in their companies.

I have said that I’m not here to bash HR Departments. That is true. I have two reasons for writing this article. One, I encourage HR employees to consider what they really contribute to a company. Is it that critical to punish every single employee exactly the same way? Is it really? Will a ten thousand dollar lawsuit actually make a big difference if you’re able to save an employee’s tenure that would take the company to the next level?

The second reason I write this article is to encourage all people to NOT be the cookie cutter employees that are so prevalent in workplaces today. If you’re always on time, I encourage you to see what it is like to show up late, just once. Can you do it, or does fear overwhelm you? Are you afraid of the Big Bad Boss that will scourge you if you show up five minutes late for work once a week?

I’m also not saying that you should necessarily be a nonconformist. If you want to show up on time and if you feel that is good for your soul, then do it. But while you’re at work, you have an obligation to your employer (silly as they are sometimes) to make a real contribution while you’re there. That means you might get a written warning once in a while because you take an idea high enough in the chain of command that it won’t get killed by some petty supervisor who finds you were insubordinate. Yes, you’ll get in trouble. You’ll have a reputation for it. But you’ll be making a difference, and isn’t that what it’s all about?

To heck with Human Resources. They do some good things now and then, but really not enough. And if you follow the path of MOST resistance, you will find more reward than following the cookie cutter path Human Resources has set out for you.