13 HR Quotes To Inspire and Motivate HR Professionals in 2024
“To empower effectively, we must first empower ourselves.” These are thought-provoking words from Dean of AIHR, Erik van Vulpen. The HR profession is often a rewarding but also demanding career, and as HR, we sometimes need a bit of a pep talk to inspire and remind of us the impact we can (and do!) make in the organization.
When you Google “HR Quotes”, you get more than three hundred million results. Many of these are quotes we have come across all too often, though, and as a result, they have lost their inspirational or motivational effect.
In this article, we share a selection of HR quotes that will inspire and motivate you. Most of them come from our very own Subject Matter Experts and AIHR’s People Team!
Contents
Motivational HR quotes
HR professional quotes
Funny HR quotes
Motivational HR quotes
#1
“Dear HR Pros: You are an employee. You are a human being.”– Laura Mazzullo
This powerful, short quote serves as a reminder to HR professionals, particularly because we sometimes get so wrapped up in taking care of everyone else that we forget about ourselves.
Laura recommends taking your paid time off (PTO) to rest and recharge. Also, to set expectations in your role. For example, advocate for a budget to help you do your job well and prioritize your professional learning and development.
→ What you can do:
- Check out Laura’s full post here.
#2
HR is not just simply about helping the people of the organization. It’s also about helping the organization meet its objectives. As HR practitioners, it is essential to align your people-oriented goals with the business goals to facilitate success for both the business and its employees.”
→ What you can do:
- When designing or implementing a new policy, initiative, or strategy, ask whether the approach is good for the organization and your people.
#3
“Collectively, HR has the potential to truly be a force for good that makes a positive impact on organizations and societies if we have the courage to step up to the challenge.”– Dr. Marna van der Merwe
At AIHR, we believe that HR can be a force for good that balances the needs of individuals, organizations, and society to deliver mutually beneficial value. HR holds a distinct position to make a contribution and impact across six wide-ranging areas:
- Accessibility of work
- Equality and fairness
- Human-AI interaction
- Voice for societal issues
- Human wellbeing
- Climate adaptation.
→ What you can do:
- Read our in-depth article ‘HR as a Force for Good: Driving Positive Change in Business & Society’ by our subject matter experts, Dr. Marna and Dr. Dieter Veldsman.
- Implement the recommended 4-step approach as a starting point for your organization’s HR for Good initiatives.
#4
Dr. Veldsman emphasizes the transformative role of HR in unlocking individual potential. HR professionals should view their work not as mere resource management but as a catalyst for personal and professional growth.
HR professionals can foster a culture that values and nurtures each employee’s unique abilities. By doing so, they contribute to organizational success and the fulfillment and empowerment of individuals within the workforce.
→ What you can do:
- As HR, think of ways to involve employees in building a culture that values and nurtures each employee’s unique abilities.
#5
“In hard times, urging people to stay positive doesn’t boost their resilience. It denies their reality. People in pain don’t need good vibes only. They need a hand to stay steady through all the vibrations. Strength doesn’t come from forced smiles. It comes from feeling supported.”– Adam Grant
While this quote isn’t directly (or uniquely) aimed at HR professionals, Adam does beautifully describe part of what HR’s role entails here. Creating a transparent work environment where people feel supported during the good and bad times.
A lot of what HR has to deal with on a regular basis can be referred to as hard times, employee grievances such as sexual harassment, employees who are seriously ill, layoffs, disgruntled staff, and the list goes on. It’s in these moments that the people involved need to feel supported – this goes for employees as well as the HR team.
→ What you can do:
- As an HR team, organize a workshop around how to best support employees – and each other – in hard times.
- Ask HR professionals from outside the company, for example, in an online or offline HR community, for tips and best practices.
#6
“If you struggle to be the company cheerleader, wear their branded clothing, post jobs on their behalf, or have lost your excitement for working at the organization, the problem is not HR; maybe you hate it there.”– Julie Turney
Julie Turney is a former HR professional turned HR for HR Coach. She is also a vocal advocate for self-care within the HR community.
Julie fully understands the challenges HR professionals face, including mental health issues and burnout.
Recent reports indicate how burnt-out HR professionals are. Post-covid challenges, a chronic lack of support and unappreciation, and an increased workload are some reasons why 98% of HR professionals report being burned out, and 88% admit they dread going to work.
→ What you can do:
- It is time for HR professionals to start practicing HR for HR. Julie has created a concept called SAFE HR, which is a good starting point. In a nutshell, it entails:
- S – Self-awareness. Recognizing your strong points as well as areas for improvement.
- A- Act. Engaging in difficult discussions with leadership to express your needs and the support you require.
- F – Forgive. Allowing yourself to move past projects that didn’t meet expectations, focusing instead on your accomplishments.
- E – Educate. Commited HR professionals take full responsibility for their own professional growth, including skill enhancement, technological literacy, and understanding the needs of their People Team. They do everything in their power to be the best HR professional they can be.
- Read our article about HR for HR, which shares nine actionable tips for HR’s well-being.
#7
This advice is true for all of us, whether we’re in HR or not. However, HR has had to navigate some negative perceptions of the department. An aspiring HR professional encountered a negative attitude to HR on Instagram reels. People had scathingly commented that the HR department was a useless department and most actively disliked HR.
In one of AIHR’s podcasts, Steve Browne also discusses HR’s poor reputation and where it comes from. He believes that part of it is due to the fact that people base their experiences with HR on if something went wrong, and then that becomes their framework reference. The other part, he believes, is coming from HR itself, focusing more on the negative than the positive when it comes to people.
So, there is work to do on that front.
→ What you can do:
- Define the value that you bring as an HR professional. If there is an area where you don’t feel confident in, find support or opportunities to develop and equip yourself
- Have confidence in the value, knowledge, and expertise that you bring to the organization. This confidence will help you when others have an opinion or negative perception of what you do
- Consider how, as an HR department, you can communicate that value to executives and employees in the business.
#8
“Belonging is not the same thing as feeling like you fit in. Belonging is when you feel valued for everything that makes you stand out.”– LIZ FOSLIEN
In the LinkedIn post that accompanies one of her signature illustrations, Liz explains that when we feel pressure to conform, we tend to hide who we really are. We also stay quiet instead of sharing what we know, even if it would benefit the team.
This is food for thought for HR professionals and teams. How can we create a culture where people feel confident to share their ideas because they feel a sense of belonging?
→ What you can do:
- Read our Rethinking DEIB authored by Dr. Dieter Veldsman and Neelie Veldsman (that’s me)
- In this piece, we share a multi-level perspective on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging with practical tips on creating a DEIB environment in an ever-evolving space.
HR professional quotes
#9
HR professionals need a broad range of skills to succeed in their roles. Essential HR skills include role-specific and soft skills, business acumen, and digital and data literacy. Not only will these skills help HR practitioners develop their careers, but they will also contribute to the organization’s success.
Moritz emphasizes the importance of combining business-related skills, such as data literacy, with people-related skills, like empathy and understanding. It’s this variety of skills and finding the right balance between them that makes working in HR so exciting – and challenging at the same time.
→ What you can do:
- Take a look at our overview of 18 HR skills every HR professional needs to get an idea of what skills you might want to develop or brush up on this year
- Based on your assessment, check out various HR courses or certificate programs and sign up for the ones that seem most relevant and exciting.
#10
“The biggest skill we need to learn is how to collaborate with technology. I do not refer to using technology, but rather to the ability to see technology as a value-adding partner in productivity.”
– Dr. Dieter Veldsman.
The advent of generative AI like ChatGPT has accelerated the need for HR professionals to use technology (and become more efficient).
This rapid adoption of AI also requires HR to guide the organization and its employees in its adoption and use. It will be up to HR to create policies around the use of these new technologies.
But HR cannot serve as a guide if we don’t see (and use) technology as a value-adding productivity partner.
→ What you can do:
- Assess how technology is or can be a value-adding partner in productivity within your organization, starting with your own HR team.
#11
Erik emphasizes the role of HR in unlocking individual potential. To do so, HR needs to unlock its own potential first.
This requires HR professionals to identify skills gaps and prioritize professional development goals to develop the skills and competencies needed to provide business value and people value. It also means acknowledging when to focus on wellbeing and developing resilience in a rapidly changing work environment.
→ What you can do:
- As an HR professional and as an HR team, ask: What do I need to enable myself, and what do we need as a team?
Funny HR quotes
#12
“What’s it like to be a recruiter?” “Imagine a browser with 2487 tabs open.” “All. The. Time.”
– Author unknown
Recruiters frequently find themselves balancing multiple candidates with the expectations of eager yet occasionally impatient hiring managers. All the while, they must meticulously manage the stages of the hiring process.
It’s a lot to manage.
→ What you can do:
- Hold an intake meeting with the hiring manager to understand more about the job and the ideal candidate so that you can align the recruitment process with the hiring manager’s expectations
- Set realistic expectations with the hiring manager
- Communicate clearly and consistently during the recruitment process to manage candidate expectations.
#12
Dieter highlights the importance of understanding your role in HR. Being the people’s advocate at times means that you have to be the voice of reason.
This means that sometimes you will have to take the unpopular stance, and be the one that asks, “what are the implications if we do or don’t do this?”. HR is about treating people fair so they respect you, not about trying to be “liked”.
→ What you can do:
- Take a moment to reflect on some of your recent decisions. What motivated you to take a particular stance?
- What is the level of respect for the HR function in your organization? A great way to assess the current perception of HR is to conduct an HR Impact Survey and gather feedback from stakeholders.
#13
A fun, lighthearted quote to wrap up our list of HR quotes. Something that many people in HR may have thought at least once in their careers.
So much is expected of HR professionals — from leadership, employees, and our peers. Sometimes people can inadvertently think we are miracle workers. But we are not.
→ What you can do:
- Stay calm and keep smiling.
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