The HR Uprising: Why People Leaders Must Reclaim Their Power Now

Let me be direct: Traditional HR is failing us.

After 20 years leading HR transformations, I've watched this pattern repeat: Organizations talk about culture while treating HR as a checkbox exercise. They preach best practices but fail to embody them. And when things break—and they always do—everyone acts surprised.

The recent $11.5 million verdict against SHRM proved what many of us already knew. As I wrote in my post When the "Experts" Get It Wrong, even the world's largest HR organization was found liable for racial discrimination and retaliation. Their investigator had attended one training session and "could not remember specifics" when questioned.

This is the gap we must close.

Why We Need an HR Uprising

Right now, HR leaders are navigating everything - layoffs, mental health, rising costs of total rewards, and a technology revolution. You're managing anxious teams while carrying everyone else's capacity as yours erodes. And the traditional playbook? It's designed for a world that no longer exists.

In Leading Through Ethical Crossroads, I shared how marketing and communications professionals struggled to advance their missions while protecting their values. One truth emerged: You cannot pour from an empty cup.

In Co-Conspiring Resilient Organizations, I challenged us to reconsider what it means to be true partners—allies who act in harmony to create workplaces where everyone belongs and thrives. As Dr. Bettina Love stated in her keynote: "Everybody is talking about change, but your values haven't changed. If your values don't change, the structure stays the same."

This is why compliance-first approaches fail. They can't address what's really breaking our organizations: trauma, disconnection, and toxic hustle culture.

Join The HR Uprising

On Monday, January 26 at 12:00 PM EST, I'm hosting a FREE live webinar: The HR Uprising: How People Leaders Take Back Power from Chaos, Layoffs, and AI Hype.

This kicks off AllProfit HR’s 6-week Workplace Empowerment Masterclass series—completely free through February 26.

This isn't another compliance workshop. This is your invitation to reclaim your power as a strategic leader. To build trauma-informed cultures rooted in psychological safety. To refuse the false choice between humanity and ambition.

Register now →

The uprising isn't about rebellion—it's about reclamation. And it begins with you.

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