That's the viral line from Jennifer Sey, who founded XX-XY Athletics in March 2024. She thinks Human Resources is just the "social-justice police." According to her, they are nothing more than a department of hall monitors: "They produce nothing. They monitor our words. They tell us what we can and cannot say. They inhibit creativity. It's bad for business."
Let's clear this up:
HR is not the problem.
HR is not your censor.
HR is not some DEI-driven thought police force trying to ruin your fun.
What HR is—done right—is the foundation of every successful, scalable, and sustainable company. It's the function that recruits the people who build your business, builds the culture that retains them, and puts the guardrails in place to keep you out of court and off the front page.
Want innovation? You need people.
Want people? You need culture.
Want culture? You need HR.
Who's addressing burnout, fixing dysfunction, making sure your managers actually know how to manage, and keeping you out of court? Spoiler alert: It's HR.
Any company that wants to grow needs HR to have a real seat at the table, shaping strategy alongside finance, operations, marketing, tech, and every other core function.
If your idea of "freedom" is the ability to ignore harassment, pay women less than men, deny accommodations, and build a company where "disruption" means no rules and no respect—then you're not running a business. You're running a liability factory.
HR doesn't kill creativity; it enables it—by creating a workplace where people feel safe enough to take risks, speak up, and do great work.
Requiring employees to be respectful human beings isn't a threat to your bottom line. It's the bare minimum.
So no, HR isn't the problem. HR is the reason your company hasn't burned to the ground.
Let's clear this up:
HR is not the problem.
HR is not your censor.
HR is not some DEI-driven thought police force trying to ruin your fun.
What HR is—done right—is the foundation of every successful, scalable, and sustainable company. It's the function that recruits the people who build your business, builds the culture that retains them, and puts the guardrails in place to keep you out of court and off the front page.
Want innovation? You need people.
Want people? You need culture.
Want culture? You need HR.
Who's addressing burnout, fixing dysfunction, making sure your managers actually know how to manage, and keeping you out of court? Spoiler alert: It's HR.
Any company that wants to grow needs HR to have a real seat at the table, shaping strategy alongside finance, operations, marketing, tech, and every other core function.
If your idea of "freedom" is the ability to ignore harassment, pay women less than men, deny accommodations, and build a company where "disruption" means no rules and no respect—then you're not running a business. You're running a liability factory.
HR doesn't kill creativity; it enables it—by creating a workplace where people feel safe enough to take risks, speak up, and do great work.
Requiring employees to be respectful human beings isn't a threat to your bottom line. It's the bare minimum.
So no, HR isn't the problem. HR is the reason your company hasn't burned to the ground.