HR gets a lot more hate than they deserve. I've built several startups, and I do get the the whole "we don't need no stinking HR to tell us how to treat people

HR gets a lot more hate than they deserve. I've built several startups, and I do get the the whole "we don't need no stinking HR to tell us how to treat people!" vibe. It's definitely true at small companies and one of the great things about startups. But it doesn't scale. Onboarding a new employee at a larger company involves coordination with IT (laptop and account setup), security (badges and access), legal, accounting (payroll and tax info), and a bunch of things I probably don't even know about. If I had had to put all my work on hold and do this myself for each new employee, my productivity would plummet. Also, it's not my job to understand the nuances of labor law or how it's reflected company policy. If a team member asks me, for example, "Does my broken arm qualify me for disability accommodation?" I want to have an expert I can refer them to rather than having to go on somme corporate scavenger hunt to get the answer.