That’s the title of a recent post on Execupundit. Seven reasons are given, and I thought I might take a shot at expanding a bit on Michael Wade’s insight.

1. HR is a notorious gossip-mill. That’s true for some employers. Being a clearinghouse for all kinds of information, it’s easy to find out something juicy or alledgedly juicy and pass it along. It happens sometimes because a person in HR is trying to suck up to someone else or come across as knowing things that no one else knows. Regardless of the reason, it should never happen. It will make any HR organization ineffective, if not hated. You lose the respect of the person about whom you’re gossiping — and the person you’re passing the gossip along to.

2. HR lacks the clout to take on an abusive department head. That also can be true, but sometimes, it’s just because HR won’t take on the department head. It’s important for HR to have the support of the powers that be to stop abuse. That’s something you need to talk with the powers that be about and have agreement on. If you have the clout but still won’t use it, then you won’t have it for long. If the powers that be won’t give you the clout and stand behind you when you act, then dysfunction will rule.

3. HR’s first tendency is to side with the organization and rarely with the employees. HR can easily find itself between a rock and a hard place in this regard. As tough as it can be to be neutral, that’s what is required of an HR professional. You represent the organization, but you’re also a representative for your employees. Sometimes, siding with the organization will be necessary, but if you’ve developed a trusting relationship with employees, it’s much more likely that your decision will be accepted as ok. But you also must side with the employee when required. If fairness isn’t part of HR, then it won’t be part of a company.

4. HR cannot — or will not — protect employees against retaliation. There’s no middle ground on this one. Retaliation is unlawful in many situations, and if HR isn’t committed to preventing it, no one will be. Retaliation lawsuits are on the increase, and if there is one kind of case that the current U.S. Supreme Court has routinely sided with employees on, it’s a retaliation case. You’re responsibility to protect employees from retaliation must be backed up by the powers that be — even if the retaliation is coming from one of the powers that be. If that’s not the case, your company will make a lot of lawyers happy.

5. HR is more interested in being right than in doing right. You can do both, of course, but an HR hallmark should be always doing — or trying to do — the right thing. The perception of fairness is largely in your control.

6. HR lacks the expertise to solve the problem. That can be taken care of with experience and training. The point is that you want your HR team to be equipped with whatever it takes to solve people problems in the workplace. So, you need to do whatever it takes to equip them and keep them equipped. Make sure your new HR people feel free to come to you for advice when a problem arises. If you determine that a member of you HR team can’t solve problems, then he needs to move on out.

7. HR is a mysterious and distant group and its members are seldom seen out in the field. If you don’t get out among your employees regularly, you’ll be worse than mysterious. You have to know employees to deal with them. That’s particularly true when it becomes your job to deliver bad news or intercede in a difficult situation. Staying in your office or at corporate headquarters instead of mixing regularly with your employees will doom your career as an HR professional.