Human resources was designed to support people and help organizations grow. Over time, the function has drifted away from that purpose. In a recent LinkedIn Live conversation, Fearey CEO Aaron Blank joined Amanda Mayo, founder and CEO of FIT HR, to unpack how HR became disconnected from the realities of work and what it will take to reset it.
Learning HR Before Studying HR
Amanda’s perspective on HR was shaped long before she formally entered the field. By the time she stepped into her first HR role at age 20, she had already spent years working in customer service, hospitality, sales, accounting, and collections. Those early experiences gave her a deep understanding of how workplace decisions ripple beyond the office. “I understood early on that work decisions don’t just stay at work,” she said. “They follow people home. They affect families and our communities.”
Her first HR role was working directly for a founder and CEO, which gave her a front-row seat to entrepreneurship. She saw not only “the freedom, the impact, and the pride of building something special,” but also “the pressure, the risk, the responsibility, and the stress.” That experience shaped her belief that culture is not theoretical. Every policy has real human consequences, and employees feel culture long before leaders articulate it.
When HR Shifted Away From People
Amanda believes HR’s drift toward compliance and reactionary decision-making accelerated over the past several years, particularly after COVID. “HR seems to have gradually shifted from a people-centric function to more compliance or reactionary,” she said. While risk management and structure are important, she argued that this shift pulled HR away from how work actually happens and weakened trust across organizations.
Part of the problem, she explained, is how HR is trained. “HR isn’t trained on business,” Amanda said, which often results in teams that are technically correct but disconnected from outcomes that matter to leaders and employees. Aaron acknowledged that this disconnect is visible from the leadership side as well, noting that “every business owner and leader thinks about HR in a host of different ways,” which influences whether HR is seen as a strategic partner or a last resort.
Culture Always Shows Up
The conversation also explored how internal culture inevitably becomes visible externally. Referencing viral workplace moments like the Coldplay kiss cam incident, Amanda emphasized that these situations are rarely isolated events. “If there’s dysfunction internally, it will eventually show up externally,” she said. Policies may look good on paper, but they do not prevent cultural breakdowns. “Policies don’t save you. Behavior does.”
In today’s environment, organizations rarely have time for slow or carefully managed responses when things go wrong. Culture is most visible in moments leaders cannot control, which is why Amanda stressed that trust and accountability must already be embedded in how people work together. “If your culture only works when no one’s watching,” she said, “it’s just not working.”
Rebuilding HR as a True Partner
At its best, HR functions as a true partner to leadership. Amanda emphasized that this partnership must be built on trust, respect, and alignment. “That partnership has to be a good fit,” she said. “If it’s not, there’s going to be distrust and shutting down. But once that match is good and solid, it’s magical.” In those environments, HR does not have to choose between empathy and accountability. Both can exist at the same time, strengthening the organization rather than slowing it down.
Looking ahead, Amanda sees HR continuing to evolve into a more strategic and collaborative role that helps align internal culture with external brand. Her advice to leaders was clear and direct. “Truly partner with your HR person,” she said. “And do it as early as you can. Earlier is better.”
Watch the full LinkedIn Live conversation with Aaron Blank and Amanda Mayo to hear the complete discussion on culture, leadership, and resetting HR for the future.