If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve felt the frustration of trying to deliver meaningful change in HR, only to find yourself stuck in reactive tasks. We talk a lot about “adding value” in HR, but what does that really mean? More importantly, what do we do when we feel like we’re failing at it?
Let’s explore the common struggles HR professionals face in proving their worth, why the traditional mindset around “value add” might be flawed, and what we should be doing instead.
The Reality of HR Work
From the moment we enter the HR profession, we’re often thrown into the reactive, day-to-day work: handling employee issues, managing conflicts, and putting out fires. Over time, as we gain experience and develop strategic ideas, we start to feel the frustration of not being able to focus on bigger projects. We dream of working on culture transformation, leadership development, or engagement initiatives, but the reality is that we’re constantly being pulled back into the immediate needs of the business.
This can lead to a cycle of frustration, self-doubt, and burnout. We feel like we should be doing more, that we should be proving our strategic worth, but instead, we’re stuck coordinating office pizza Fridays when we want to be influencing company culture at a deeper level.
The Problem With “Proving” HR’s Value
A huge issue in HR is the pressure to constantly justify our existence. There’s a long-standing narrative that HR needs to “prove” its value by contributing to the bottom line. But who is actually telling us that? Most of the time, we impose this pressure on ourselves. Rarely do organisations explicitly ask HR to deliver “value-added” activities; they ask us to do what needs to be done for the business to function effectively.
If no one is actually defining value-add for us, why are we setting unrealistic expectations for ourselves? More importantly, why are we measuring our worth against an ever-moving goalpost?
The Unsustainable Solutions We Default To
When we feel like we’re not delivering enough strategic value, our default response is often:
- Working longer hours: We tell ourselves that if we just work late or put in time on the weekend, we’ll finally get to the work that “really matters.”
- Trying to get more resources: We assume that if we had more team members, we could finally focus on the value-add projects we care about.
- Taking on more: We keep saying yes, adding more projects to our plate, hoping this will finally make us feel like we’re making a difference.
None of these solutions are sustainable. They lead to resentment, exhaustion, and eventually, disengagement.
A Different Approach: Redefining Value in HR
Instead of chasing an undefined, self-imposed idea of “value add,” what if we shifted our perspective? Here are some key ways to rethink our approach:
- Detach Emotionally (Without Caring Less)
The advice to “just care less” never sits right with HR professionals. We’re in this field because we genuinely care about people. Instead of caring less, try caring differently. Focus on what you can control. Stop taking every request as a reflection of your worth and start setting boundaries around your time and energy. - Adopt the “Bronze Package” Mindset
Think about companies that offer different service levels – gold, silver, and bronze. Right now, you might be operating at a gold-standard level, always available, always solving, always saying yes. But what if you intentionally shifted to a “bronze package” for certain tasks? You’d still be delivering value, just in a more sustainable way. - Recognise Organisational Priorities
If your company consistently prioritises reactive tasks over strategic projects, that’s a clear signal of how they perceive HR’s role. You have two choices: accept that this is the value they recognise and focus on excelling within that space, or acknowledge that their priorities don’t align with your professional goals and make a change. - Shift From the “Gap” to the “Gain” Mindset
A powerful concept from the book The Gap and The Gain suggests that we often measure our success against an ideal (the “gap”), which leads to perpetual dissatisfaction. Instead, we should measure our progress based on how far we’ve come (the “gain”). Instead of focusing on what you haven’t achieved, take stock of the meaningful work you have done.
The Hard Truth (And an Encouragement)
Sometimes, we have to accept that our current organisation isn’t set up to support the level of strategic HR work we aspire to. That doesn’t mean we’ve failed, it just means we need to reassess where we can truly thrive.
If you’re feeling stuck, ask yourself:
- Who is defining “value add” for me? Is it me, my organisation, or a mix of both?
- Am I measuring my success based on unrealistic ideals?
- What small changes can I make to create space for the work that really matters to me?
You don’t have to work yourself into the ground to prove your worth. HR is valuable simply because it supports the heart of every organisation -its people. The way you work should be sustainable, fulfilling, and aligned with your professional aspirations.
So, what’s one small shift you can make today to take back control of how you define your value in HR? Let’s start there.