Dear Manager: Your Last-Minute Request Isn’t the Center of HR’s Universe

We get it—managing a team is no small task. You’ve got deadlines, personalities, and meetings coming out of your ears. But here’s something HR wishes more managers understood: your last-minute fire drill is not the only thing on our plate.

You have a team of five. HR supports everyone. That’s hundreds of employees (possibly more), dozens of moving parts, and a daily to-do list that includes compliance, hiring, employee relations, benefits, training, legal landmines, and helping other managers with their “urgent” requests, too.

So when you swing by with a “quick favor” that absolutely has to be done right now, and act surprised when we can’t drop everything… please know: it’s not personal. It’s logistics.

HR isn’t a personal assistant department. We’re here to support the entire organization, not just your team. Planning ahead, respecting timelines, and giving us context can help us help you faster—and with fewer collective eye twitches.

So next time you think, “It’ll just take HR a minute,” remember: we’re probably already five meetings deep, solving three other crises, and somehow still smiling. (Mostly.)

We love to support, but we also love boundaries. Let’s meet in the middle, shall we?