HR Myth#5: “HR is the boss's job...we don't need a dedicated person."

Employee Perspective

“I didn’t know who to turn to.” “When I first joined, everything was handled directly by the boss, offer letter, salary, leave, even problems in the team.” “At first, it felt casual. But over time, things got messy.”

“I wasn’t sure who approved my leave. Sometimes my manager, sometimes the boss.”

“When a co-worker made inappropriate comments, I didn’t feel safe reporting it as I didn’t want to upset the boss.”

“And during my performance chat, it was just about numbers, no real discussion about development.”

"Here, people issues were not a priority; unless they caused a business problem."

Employer Perspective

“We’re small, we're only in this region, I can handle HR myself.”

Most SME owners and some leaders mean well when they say this
“I know my team personally, I don’t need HR.”
“Why hire someone to do what I already do?”
“HR is just forms and payroll.”

But here's the hidden cost when HR has no owner

⚖️ No structure = inconsistent decisions
📉 Employees feel unsupported or confused
🧯 Conflicts are delayed or mishandled
🤖 Admin work takes over the boss’s time
🔁 High turnover, low morale, poor growth

The Truth ?

Even in a team of 5–10, someone needs to own the people function.

HR is more than admin, it's

🧭 Culture
💬 Communication
🎯 Clarity of roles and expectations
🌱 Growth and development
🛡️ Risk & compliance

Options for businesses

1️⃣ Appoint an internal HR champion

Someone organized and people-oriented; start with basic tasks, leave tracking, onboarding, pulse surveys

2️⃣ Use a simple HR system

Leave, claims, attendance, documents, employee handbook, all in one platform; saves time & creates transparency

3️⃣ Outsource HR strategy

Retain an HR consultant or part-time HR partner, Get help with hiring, policies, conflict management, people planning

4️⃣ Create basic HR SOPs

Simple documents: how to apply for leave, file complaints, request training, etc. Consistency = less drama

A real example

A business with 25 staff but no HR, the boss handled it all until staff started quitting unexpectedly. Why?
No feedback > No growth path > Unresolved tensions

We helped him set up basic HR structure with Monthly check-ins + Policy clarity + JDs and KPIs and in 3 months, turnover dropped. Staff were happier. The boss had time to focus on growth again.

Final Thought

👉You don’t need a big HR department.
👉But you do need someone to take HR seriously.

People won’t stay in places that feel disorganized, unfair, or unsupported no matter how good the business is.

I am Kevin Goh, Empowering People & Businesses | Building Modern HR for the Evolving Workplace
#HRMythBusters #Leadership #FutureOfWork

This article originally appeared on LinkedIn by Kevin Goh – Director. You can read the full post here. Adapted and shared with permission.