Why HR Professionals Keep Coming Back (Even When They Fantasize About Quitting Daily)

Let’s be honest: working in HR can feel like being the designated adult at a never-ending middle school dance. There's drama, there’s confusion, and someone’s always crying in the break room.

Yet somehow, HR professionals keep coming back. Every. Single. Day.

Yes, they daydream about quitting. Sometimes dramatically—like tossing their badge in the air, walking out to a slow clap, and opening a cozy bookstore in the mountains. But do they actually leave? Nope. Why? (Well, some do escape!)

Because deep down, HR people are wired to help. They’re the weirdos who genuinely care about employee well-being, team dynamics, and making sure people don’t throw staplers at each other in meetings. It’s a calling... mixed with just a little masochism.

Sure, the job involves policy enforcement, awkward conversations, and deciphering the fine print in PTO requests that sound suspiciously like someone booking a last-minute trip to Coachella. But despite the headaches, HR sticks around—because when things go right, when someone gets promoted, when a toxic team turns a corner, it’s worth it.

So the next time your HR friend sighs deeply while sipping their third coffee by 10 a.m., just know: they're tired, slightly unhinged, but still showing up—because helping people is kind of their thing.

Even if they'd rather be in that bookstore.