Why I Left My Career in Human Resources

I worked in the Human Resources career for 25 years and recall my first human resources job when the industry was still calling it “personnel”! I was an HR assistant responsible for all the department administration and setting up new hires for their first day of work. The worst part of the job was completing background checks using an outdated AS/400 system. Wow, I’m dating myself here! I was going to college in the evenings studying social work while working my HR job by day. I was learning so much about the field along the way. However, I bought into what society defines as success and realized I continued my career in HR because of the money, not because my heart was in it. I left HR because the money didn’t matter anymore, the stress became unbearable, and I was no longer challenged by the work.

Staying Because I Made a Great Salary

There is a school of thought that one should pursue their passion because then it doesn’t feel like work. Well, my passion in my younger years was purely financial! I wanted to get out of the cubicle and have the corner office gaining professionalism and respect. What I failed to realize is that HR for me became a soulless job. It is not fun firing folks, watching them cry when they have issues with the boss, or personally not having friends at work (besides my coworkers in HR). At some point, I didn’t care how much I earned in HR. After I gave my life to Christ, my perspectives and priorities changed, and I no longer desired the money.

HR Carried Unbearable Stress

For me, the stress of working in HR became unbearable. Imagine preparing a case suited to a manager’s desire to terminate their subordinate, and you had to be the bearer of that news! Someone on Friday would be wondering how to make their mortgage payment and you are the person who justified the termination. Sure, employees fire themselves the experts say, but if you have a heart it doesn’t matter who carries the message, it still burns and can ruin someone’s life! The person I became as a Christian woman, no longer carried the need for power. I literally became sick to my stomach having to handle employee relations on a regular basis! The stress became unbearable, and HR was no longer desirable.

I Was No Longer Challenged

Learning about HR best practices, business strategies impacting the bottom line, and how people should be managed was no longer interesting to me. I realized that I was no longer being challenged in my work and ultimately it was time to leave. I humbly knew in my heart I was no longer effective in my work and now it had become just a job. While this may be okay for some, it was not for me. In my life, I reached a point where I wanted to make an impact on other people. I suppose an altruistic and selfless concern became front and center and this is why I left my career in HR.

“He made himself nothing and took upon Himself the very nature of a servant”. Philippians 2:7