> I've seen many junior employees hold the wrong expectation of HR in terms of who's on their side "Friend or foe" is a super reductive way to look at it, and

> I've seen many junior employees hold the wrong expectation of HR in terms of who's on their side "Friend or foe" is a super reductive way to look at it, and will limit your ability to actually understand what is going on. To the generic employee, HR thinks of you the same way a farmer treats cattle. Within the range you are judged to be worth, they want you content, quietly productive and enjoying whatever perks they throw your way. But if you're problematic in some way, you're only worth so much effort. And worse, if whatever is wrong with you threatens to spread to the rest of the herd (eloquent expressions of shared discontent, organizing, even being a bit of a natural leader, if they're paranoid), well, who employs things that threaten them?