There’s a silent weight that many HR leaders carry — the kind that doesn’t show up on strategy decks or KPIs.

They’re expected to lead transformation, drive culture, and hold organizations steady through disruption. Yet, when decisions that truly shape those outcomes are made, HR is often watching from the sidelines.

Everything becomes an “HR problem.” Engagement. Retention. Morale. Burnout. But how do you fix a system you’re not empowered to design?

That’s the paradox of modern HR leadership: expanded responsibility, limited authority. Expected to steer the ship but rarely invited onto the bridge.

The cost is quiet but real — emotional exhaustion, eroded trust, and a disconnect between what organizations say they value and what they enable.

At Harris & Jane, we’ve seen how this imbalance ripples far beyond the HR team. It weakens culture, confuses accountability, and slows strategic momentum.

It’s not an HR issue. It’s a leadership design flaw — one that costs more than most leaders realize.

The future belongs to organizations where People strategy is business strategy. Where HR is not a compliance custodian, but a co-architect of performance, belonging, and change.

A seat at the table isn’t enough. Give HR the power to lead.