Courage to Callenge

Why HR Must Hold Leadership Accountable

Human Resources is often seen as the steward of culture, compliance, and care for the people in an organization. But its role is deeper and more disruptive than that. At its best, HR is a strategic conscience of the organization, one that must be empowered to challenge leadership decisions when they conflict with ethics, employee wellbeing, or long-term organizational health. When HR fails to challenge problematic behaviors, it becomes complicit in enabling them. Silence, in this context, is not neutral, it is endorsement.

HR as a Strategic Partner, Not a Subordinate

Strategic HR is not about taking orders from leadership and executing without question. True partnership means being in the room with a voice that speaks truth to power. This includes questioning leadership decisions that compromise fairness, integrity, psychological safety, or compliance.

When HR professionals are empowered to ask hard statements, such as this isn’t legal, or this isn’t aligned with our values, they protect not just the workforce but the organization itself from reputational, legal, and cultural collapse.

When HR avoids challenging toxic behaviors or unethical decisions, it signals that such actions are acceptable. This erosion of accountability can lead to a slow decay of trust, increased turnover, employee disengagement, and in extreme cases, public scandal. The phrase "That's just how leadership is" becomes a shield for inaction, and it’s a dangerous one.

​In May 2022, a Canadian media personality, publicly alleged experiencing workplace harassment and gender discrimination during her tenure at a Canadian Media company, specifically on a Canadian FM morning show. The employee indicated that despite raising concerns internally, including escalating them to the CHRO and then to the CEO, her complaints were inadequately addressed, leading her to file a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission. In any organization, HR needs to challenge the executive team and if they do not, they remain complicit.

This situation underscores the critical role of Human Resources in addressing and challenging leadership decisions related to workplace culture and employee well-being. When HR fails to act on such concerns, it can perpetuate harmful behaviors and expose the organization to legal and reputational risks, not to mention public scrutiny.

HR’s primary loyalty is not to leadership, it is to the organization. For all entry level HR practitioners, I encourage you to understand this and live and breath it. HR is not for the leadership team or the employee group, HR’s role is to support the best interest of the organization. Blind loyalty to leaders over people compromises the integrity of the role. Courageous HR leaders understand that the hardest conversations are often the most important ones—and that disagreeing with the CEO can be an act of service, not defiance.

In a world where businesses are continually scrutinized and dissected on how they treat their team, how can HR build this type relationship with the leadership team? Some ideas include ensuring there is Psychological safety within the executive team, A clearly defined mandate that includes safeguarding ethical leadership, support from governance structures (like Boards or compliance committees) when escalation is required and of course, access to data and insight to inform and support HR’s stance (think collaborations with employment law firms)

This is not about creating a combative culture; it’s about ensuring the health of the organization through constructive conversations.

Organizations with 50 or more employees often reach a tipping point where informal HR practices are no longer sustainable. That’s where Unlimited HRM Solutions Inc. steps in. We help organizations:

• Establish clear, enforceable HR directives that protect people and the business

• Design and implement workplace investigations protocols that are fair, trauma-informed, and legally sound

• Build leadership accountability systems that prevent toxic behaviors from being normalized or ignored

• Train HR teams and managers to handle difficult conversations, identify red flags, and escalate concerns appropriately

• Develop psychologically safe workplaces that attract and retain diverse talent

If an experienced, high-profile employee feels silenced and unsupported, imagine how difficult it must be for a junior staffer. The risks from legal, reputational, and cultural, are far too great to ignore.

Organizations that grow beyond 50 employees need more than an Office Manager or an HR Generalist, they need a strategic partner. Unlimited HRM Solutions Inc. offers fractional HR leadership, policy development, and full-spectrum support so your internal HR team doesn’t have to navigate high-stakes scenarios alone. If your organization employs an Office Manager, allow us to support them in all HR-related initiatives. It's in the best interest of your organization as well as you.

Here to support,

Carmelinda Galota, CHRL