I’m Not the “Nice HR Lady”
who is tolerated around
the boardroom table.
Who gets carried away
with regulations, policies,
laws designed to make
everyone’s life miserable,
to be swatted away
like an annoying mosquito.

I don’t need the pat on the head,
the eyeroll
the we won’t get sued
the just don’t you worry
the leave the decisions
to the adults
that is to say, the CEOs,
the COOs, CFOs, CIOs.

I’m the HR director
who sits with the young
administrative assistant
in the blue cotton blouse
who—head down, brown hair
falling forward, almost
covering her face—
tells of the manager
who groped her
from behind as she stood
making copies at the Xerox
machine. Who laughed
when she pulled
away. She says
it makes her sad
because she had looked
up to the manager.
She says she was afraid
of coming forward.
She’s afraid she will
lose her job.

I’m the HR director
who tells her she has done
the right thing.
That I will investigate,
protect her privacy
keep it confidential
(as much as I can).

I’m the HR director
who sits with the manager,
hears his story. Who talks
with witnesses, who takes
copious notes. Who sends
emails to the company lawyer
attorney-client privilege.

I’m the HR director
who prepares the paperwork,
requests the final check,
tells the manager he can
no longer work
for the company.
Who collects his keys,
credit card, locks him out
of his computer.

I’m the HR director
who sits with the young
administrative assistant.
Tells her the issue has been
resolved. The manager
is gone. That she is safe
at least for now.

Poet’s Statement

During my career in HR, including the years when “Personnel” was the moniker for the function, I always felt that HR was the customer service department for the employees of the company, both management and line staff.

It often seemed that HR was not taken seriously. Operations, sales, and finance were where things happened for the organization. It was an uphill battle to demonstrate the value of HR to the organization’s success.

My poem, “I’m Not the ‘Nice HR Lady,’” demonstrates this by showing how the value of human connection through HR is what matters.

About the Poet

Jan Hanson is a retired human resources director who lives in Santa Ana, California. Her poetry reflects her personal history, including her professional experiences, as well as her passion for justice. She draws inspiration from a creative community of writers and is a wife, mother, grandmother, and alto singer in a quartet. Her work has appeared in Anacapa Review, Quartet, Women in a Golden State, Remington Review, and LAdige Review. Her first chapbook, I’ll Never Play the Hammered Dulcimer, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2019.

About Humane HR Musings

This post is part of our Humane HR Musings series, our creative platform for exploring and expressing ideas, experiences, and perspectives related to humanising the world of work. Encompassing poetry, fiction, nonfiction, visual concepts, and other forms of creative and written expression, the series examines the human experience of work, workplace relationships, organisational culture, and the values that shape how people work and interact. It provides a space for diverse voices, imaginative interpretations, personal reflections, and thought-provoking concepts that invite readers to reflect on the many ways work can become more humane, inclusive, and people-centred.