During this past weekend’s massive East Coast snow and ice storm, the police department in Louisville, Ky., made quite a splash on social media.
The Louisville Metro Police Department took a decidedly humorous approach to how it cautioned drivers and commented on road conditions—and spiking bourbon sales—on social media platform X. Some of the posts received thousands of “likes,” and #LMPD was trending for a time.
The attention became part of the joke—as did HR.
On Monday, the account wrote that the social media team was being called in for a meeting with HR about its viral posts, and then “live Tweeted” throughout the “meeting”—sharing a photo of a “long, boring hallway” leading to the HR office, noting there’s “nothing human” about HR and feigning a tussle as HR sought to confiscate the team’s phone.
“They were big angry. We can’t take a joke in 2026,” the account wrote, which was followed by an “apology” and a recounting of HR’s final words: “We’ll be monitoring your posts.”
Funny? Yes. But for HR? Pouring salt in a very old wound.
That HR was branded the “bad guy,” stopping all the fun that employees were having, is likely familiar territory for most HR professionals who are long accustomed to being known as the rules police.
A recent survey by MyPerfectResume, for instance, found that nearly 90% of employees polled fear their HR representatives. In another study, nearly three-quarters of employees say HR is just a puppet for leadership.
The proof is in the X comments. When LMPD issued its fake apology, a sea of comments followed, with many users falling for the joke. They evidently hadn’t been following the hyped-up “HR meeting”—but still universally blamed the people function for the apology and change in tone. Comments included:
“HR is where all good ideas go to die.”
“Spoil sports.”
“HR, go home.”
“Just when things were getting good, HR goes and ruins it.”
5 ways to reshape HR’s image
HR may have evolved to a point that it is now one of the most strategic contributors to business success, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily grown past employee perceptions of it being the “rules enforcer,” according to Nancy B. Hammer, vice president of communication at CHRO Association, who wrote about HR’s ongoing image problem.
After all, HR is the main department associated with “hiring and firing,” fueling “reputational obstacles” that are made worse by a general lack of understanding among employees about HR’s full responsibilities and negative experiences with HR in previous roles.
“Leading companies have elevated the function to address many of these concerns, but unresolved employee concerns risk destroying positive organizational culture,” Hammer writes.
It’s a challenge that may grow increasingly problematic for HR, as the intensifying compliance landscape could have HR needing to focus more than ever on enforcing the “rules.”
In this environment, how can HR shift the narrative—and its image?
CHRO Association offers five strategies:
Invest in incoming talent: Younger workers tend to have better perceptions of HR; perhaps because they lack longer resumes and, thus, have a lower risk of bad experiences with HR. Capture and nurture that optimism, Hammer says.
Share HR’s story: Many employees only see HR’s hiring and firing work, but not the broader talent strategy it is tasked with designing and implementing. Find opportunities to raise the profile on HR’s real impact.
Lean into tech: As AI enables faster, smoother interactions with HR, it may ultimately strengthen employee perceptions of the function.
Play up the human element: HR should aim to be seen as an “employee advocate,” offering support for both day-to-day issues and long-term career development.
Give employees a voice: Empowering employees can have “immeasurable benefits” in how they think about their employer—and HR.
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