At a recent end-of-year staff celebration, a truth about workplace dynamics revealed itself. In preparation for the event, the HR department had initiated a poll asking employees to nominate outstanding departments, managers and individuals in various categories, like innovation, contributions, leadership, among others. The response was enthusiastic. But when the final list was read, the HR department and its members were missing.The HR team that designed the poll, championed the recognition, and even moderated the event, was not recognised by the employees whose welfare it had safeguarded throughout the year.This came against a background of implementing enhanced employee retirement benefits, bereavement cover, mentorship and employee assistance programmes, lactation rooms, installing an HRIM System for seamless processes, and resolving countless staff issues with fairness.Read: Putting employee wellness at the heart of businesses key to successThese were in addition to the important but often invisible responsibilities of strategic workforce planning, talent development, succession management, and driving culture transformation. None of these efforts translated into recognition.The outcome was hard to ignore. The incident triggered a moment of reflection about why HR remains one of the most misunderstood and least appreciated functions in some organisations. Some reasons come to mind.Staff benefit from HR’s work daily, but the relationship they have with the HR staff after recruitment is often indirect and direct when there is a problem.Employees are more emotionally connected to their line managers, who guide their routines, solve operational problems, and advocate for them in visible ways like providing additional resources.HR, on the other hand, works behind the scenes, designing systems rather than leading teams, negotiating benefits rather than delivering daily instructions, and handling sensitive issues.Many of HR’s most meaningful achievements are long-term, like organisational change, others are drastic-like downsizing, mergers, which affect job security. Many are confidential, especially those involving strategic business shifts, discipline, conflict resolution, griThis structural distance often creates a skewed perception. Employees tend to remember HR’s role in difficult moments, but overlook the quiet wins. A well-negotiated medical cover does not come with HR’s name on it.An effective HRIMS is experienced as convenience, not as a strategic investment. A stable workforce, improved productivity, and career progression appear to happen naturally, even though they are outcomes of deliberate HR planning and painstaking work with executives and department heads.Talent management and career development, which require endless dialogue, analytics, coaching, and alignment with business strategy, rarely attract praise because the value unfolds gradually and indirectly, and may face resistance.Why is HR misunderstood and not fully appreciated by employees? The answer is not for HR to demand praise, but to rethink how it builds connections with employees.HR carries the burden of advocating for employees in boardrooms, absorbing organisational pressure, counselling distressed staff, and simultaneously enforcing decisions that can make them appear not compassionate.A department responsible for people must invest in emotional presence. Simple, consistent interactions, brief departmental visits, informal conversations, participation in team moments, and regular communication can humanise HR.Employees are more likely to appreciate what they understand, and more likely to trust what feels familiar. When HR communicates its achievements throughout the year, shares impact stories, and uses data to demonstrate progress in engagement, wellness, and talent growth, it builds visibility without appearing pushy.Internal storytelling becomes a strategic tool for redefining the department’s identity. Instead of saying “introduced lactation rooms,” say “We helped new mothers return to work with comfort and dignity”.Qualify and quantify achievements using metrics and data like, number of jobs saved, careers grown from learning and development programmes, workplaces made safer and reduction of accidents, emotional health improved through wellness initiatives, systems strengthened, and efficiency improved through an HRMIS system. Create small celebrations of HR initiatives, like an enhanced new health cover.Visibility alone is not sufficient. Organisation Leadership teams should create frameworks where cross-functional contributions are recognised alongside operational achievements.Leaders could allocate budgets for departmental appreciation initiatives like luncheons or quarterly achievements. HR can guide such initiatives.Read: Employee recognition:The underrated productivity fuelRecognition should not be a once-a-year moment; it should be a continuous culture-building process supported by deliberate leadership action.The incident at the end-of-year party is therefore a reflection of a broader disconnect between what HR does and how the workforce experiences it.For HR to be acknowledged as a true business partner, it must bridge the relational gap by being present, communicating effectively, engaging authentically, and amplifying its strategic value.At the same time, the leadership must champion a culture where all contributors, including of HR department, are appreciated for the roles they play in sustaining organisational culture, performance and growth.HR leadership must also interrogate its leadership styles. Well-meaning gains may be lost if the leadership does not demonstrate skills that create a strong connection with employees.HR must also tell its own story more meaningfully, intentionally, and leadership recognise that the people who care for the employees also deserve to be felt and cared for.The writer is an HR Strategist, Leadership and Career Coach, and Founder of Pristine Management Solutions. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
