I've been berated by people (especially HR people) for giving this advice, but I couldn't agree with this more. HR does not exist to help the employee, period.

I've been berated by people (especially HR people) for giving this advice, but I couldn't agree with this more. HR does not exist to help the employee, period. Because they manage benefits, it's easy to get confused and think of them as your advocate, but they are not. If you have an issue in the workplace, you first must figure out what to do, and then you talk to HR. It should be your last step.