I am approaching a year in my role as an HR Generalist and I hate it.

Anonymous

September 15,2023 at 8:03PM UTC

Welcome to Fairygodboss!

We’re the largest online career community helping women achieve their career goals. Gain access to articles, jobs, events, and a supportive network of women and allies. Membership is free, always.

I am approaching a year in my role as an HR Generalist and I hate it. So much so, I am not even sure I want to be in HR anymore. The mission and most of the people within the company are great, but being a team of two in HR is extremely isolating and its being reflected in my job performance.

I am usually a fairly hard worker, disciplined and organized. When I started here, I was highly motivated, engaging and in great spirits. Some of the things I've experienced while here have completely diminished my joy, excitement and passion for human resources.

I am not here to make excuses about my performance or even complain about my place of employment, because the truth is I set myself up for this. I took a more challenging role because I felt like I would be able to learn more. I usually adapt fairly quickly, but adapting here has been difficult.

My current manager also plays a huge factor in this. In a team of two, I never feel like we are on the same page. Weekly meetings consist of the same information shared in updates from the beginning and end of the week, but no clear guidance or instruction.

I truly believe the company has a great mission, while I also believe that I am a good/valuable person; the two combined is just not a good fit.

This is the first time in a long time where I've completely disliked all aspects of my job. I want to quit, but continuing my career in HR isn't looking promising. nor fulfilling.

Has anyone ever transferred outside of HR? What have been your experiences? What roles did you find were engaging and fulfilling to transition ? I welcome any advice.

Why women love us:

Daily articles on career topics
Jobs at companies dedicated to hiring more women
Advice and support from an authentic community
Events that help you level up in your career
Free membership, always

5 comments

Share your insight

Join an authentic community that helps women support each other at work. Share your professional experience or ask for advice — you can even post anonymously.

5 Comments

Join the conversation

AnonymousSeptember 15,2023 at 8:55PM UTC
I'm in HR, have been for about 15 years now. Before you throw in the towel completely on HR, consider looking for a different opportunity. I was 10 years at one place, started as an HR admin, left as a senior generalist, and gained a wide range of experience during that time. I was ready for a new opportunity, but man did I not think through what that would look like, what I wanted to do. Ended up as a department of one HRD for a nonprofit and hated every minute of it. At one point, I thought it was time to look for a career outside of HR, but I didn't. Took some time to really think and consider what my next step should look like, what I wanted to do with my career. Ended up in a chaotic environment with a not quite stabilized HR team, but for the most part, I enjoy what I do, have a support boss and a team I enjoy and company leadership that has trust in me. And I continue to learn.
JennySeptember 16,2023 at 2:51AM UTC
Its hard when your heart is no longer in it. I wonder if your boss isn't making in challenging or supporting your growth? Most jobs suck. BUt I hope you can move to another role. Its tough to get a recommendation if you don't like your current job. Is there a way to temporarily put in more heart or has it already burned all of your energy? I've been in your shoes, its not fun.
JennySeptember 16,2023 at 2:52AM UTC
One boss I had used to mutter I hate this job every hour. She would show up in work out clothes and twice a day reply to group emails with exclaimation points to look engaged lol. Sometimes you have to fake it.
Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistSeptember 16,2023 at 3:53AM UTC
Are you sure it's not your current position?
Cause it sounds like you have a crap manager.
I would suggest you consider going to work for a larger organization where there would be more options for you to choose from. Just off the top of my head in my organization, different things you could do in HR: HRPB - a generalist role, we have a separate on-boarding team, we have a separate learning and development group with tons of different positions, we have a separate benefits team, we have a separate compensation team, we have a Talent Acquisition team, we have a Talent Acquisition Marketing team, we have a Recruiting Support team.
You might want to explore your options before you throw in the towel.
asmith13September 18,2023 at 6:44PM UTC
While I will tell anyone that HR is not for everyone, you might try more of a specialized area of HR for a while (i.e. compensation or benefits) to see if a role like that is a better fit for you.
I have lots of HR friends (myself included) who hate certain aspects of HR but really like others. When you are a generalist, you kind of have to do all of it and it isn't something everyone is going to enjoy doing.
Best of luck to you!