Crisis of Courage Part II: HR Needs Moral Courage

“The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.” – Dante Alighieri (attributed, based on his work, the Inferno)

Quick recap: In Part I, I discuss how most major corporations lack courage and really don’t care about you as their employee. There are exceptions, yes, but not many. Mostly, they care about placating a wanna be dictator in Donald Trump. They want his favor and his money. They don’t care about doing what is just and right. The theme is pretty much, “yes, Mr. President. Let me bend over at your pleasure.” Who loses this? Employees, as well as society at large. Their lack of courage has consequences far beyond their shareholder meetings.

So, where does this lack of courage and empathy on behalf of big businesses leave Human Resource professionals? In a ridiculously unfair spot.

HR, ideally, should be the ethical backbone of organizations. As businesses bend the knee – or extend the right arm from the shoulder into the air with a straightened hand – HR professionals must decide whether to be passive administrators or courageous leaders. I believe now is the time that all HR leaders to champion justice, transparency, and accountability. We need this more than ever.

HR was never just about compliance, but today, we must think much bigger than that historic, narrow definition. Our country, our brothers, sisters, and people from all walks of life are in this together – no matter what side they claim to be on.

I get it though. It’s hard to have moral courage when you have bills to pay, mouths to feed. It’s not easy being a revolutionary thinker – and worse, an actor.

Many HR professionals, who once positioned themselves as advocates for fairness and inclusion, have found themselves bound by fear—fear of retaliation, fear of rocking the boat, and fear of challenging the status quo. Rather than taking a principled stand, too many have chosen self-preservation or appeasement.

While some HR professionals have taken a stand, too many have cowered in fear of backlash, valuing their job security over what is right. The results of this cowardice? The following:

1. HR’s Role in Suppressing Wage Transparency: An article from Harvard Business School discusses the complexities of pay transparency and its potential unintended consequences. library.hbs.edu
2. The Quiet Dismissal of DEI Leaders Post-2020: Bloomberg Law reports on Boeing dismantling its global diversity, equity, and inclusion department amid organizational restructuring. news.bloomberglaw.com
3. Lack of Accountability in Workplace Misconduct Cases: A Forbes article highlights how leadership issues can lead to accountability problems within organizations. forbes.com
4. Corporate Silence on Social Justice Issues: Research published by the Fox School of Business examines the negative consumer responses to companies remaining silent on social issues. news.temple.edu
5. Failure to Address Rampant Workplace Harassment: A CNN report covers a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and discrimination within Uber, highlighting systemic issues in addressing workplace misconduct. money.cnn.com
6. Corporate America’s Use of AI to Discriminate in Hiring: Wired reports on federal warnings to employers about the discriminatory potential of AI in hiring practices. wired.com
7. HR’s Resistance to Flexible Work Models: An article from HR Future explores the challenges and resistance faced in implementing flexible and hybrid work models. hrfuture.net
8. The Pay Gap HR Won’t Acknowledge: The New York Times Guild provides an analysis of persistent pay disparities within The New York Times, underscoring issues of wage inequality. nytimesguild.org
9. HR’s Complicity in Firing Pregnant Employees: HR Dive reports on a case where an employer allegedly created a misleading paper trail to justify the termination of a pregnant HR employee. hrdive.com

It’s a wonder why people hate HR.

Reclaiming HR’s True Purpose: Courage as a Moral Imperative

There are forces at work that are far beyond any single individual’s ability to respond. What are we supposed to do?

HR can play a crucial role in pushing back against the fascist undertones creeping into business and leadership. It won’t be easy, especially in corporate environments that prioritize profits over principles, but HR professionals who truly believe in justice, fairness, and ethics can take meaningful action. Here’s how:

1. Expose Corporate Hypocrisy & Demand Accountability

• Hold leadership accountable for anti-democratic behaviors, such as suppressing dissent, retaliating against employees who speak up, or fostering toxic work environments.
• Demand transparency in decision-making, especially around layoffs, DEI rollbacks, and any anti-employee efforts.
• Refuse to whitewash or sanitize unethical behavior in HR policies.

2. Stop Being the Shield for Corrupt Leaders

• Too often, HR is used as a buffer between corrupt executives and their employees. Instead of protecting leadership, HR must act as the guardian of ethics.
• If leadership is engaging in discriminatory, exploitative, or authoritarian behavior, document it, escalate it, and don’t let it go unchecked.
• Push back when asked to create policies that harm employees for the sake of control (e.g., mass surveillance, remote work regression, wage suppression).

3. Refuse to Enable the Erosion of Worker Rights

• Advocate for whistleblower protections and safeguard those who report wrongdoing.
• Work for wage transparency and work to eliminate pay disparities that benefit the powerful at the expense of others.

4. Leverage HR’s Role as a Culture Shaper

• Ensure that DEI efforts are not performative but deeply embedded into the organization’s policies.
• Actively combat disinformation and fear-based rhetoric within company culture.
• Promote values-driven leadership, rather than blindly following whoever sits at the top.

5. Push for Ethical Business Practices, Even When It’s Unpopular

• Challenge leadership on partnerships with unethical organizations that promote oppression or corruption.
• Advocate for ethical AI hiring and workplace surveillance policies that don’t disproportionately harm marginalized groups.
• Expose HR complicity in discriminatory hiring, promotion, and retention practices.

6. Create Safe Spaces for Employees to Speak Freely

• Encourage open dialogue about leadership behavior, politics in the workplace, and unethical decision-making.
• Implement employee-led ethics councils that report directly to the board, ensuring that HR isn’t just leadership’s mouthpiece.
• Protect whistleblowers and activists who take a stand within the organization.

7. Quit When Necessary & Call It Out

• If HR leaders are forced to compromise their ethics, leaving is sometimes the most powerful statement.
• When possible, speak out against the wrongdoing—whether it’s through anonymous reporting, public writing, or industry advocacy.
• If you can’t change the system from within, refuse to enable it.

HR’s Moment of Reckoning

HR is at a crossroads. It can either continue to enable authoritarian-style business practices and corporate fascism or fight back. It won’t be easy, but if HR professionals fail to act, they are complicit in the erosion of workplace democracy, fairness, and justice.

If you’re in HR, ask yourself: Are you protecting people? Or are you protecting power?

I challenge all HR professionals to not allow cowardice be the defining trait of our field. Marcus Aurelius believed that courage is the foundation of all morality and virtue – courage is the will to act despite fear, the ability to speak truth to power, and the resolve to do what is right even when it is unpopular – or when it hurts us, especially so.

Is doing nothing easier. Yes, but remember, we all commit injustice by doing nothing.

As HR leaders, we must:

• Challenge unethical decisions, even if it means confronting senior leadership.
• Protect employees from retaliation when they raise concerns.
• Advocate for fair pay, transparency, and equity.
• Push back against toxic workplace cultures, rather than enabling them.
• Lead with integrity, setting the standard for others in the organization.

If we do not, history will not judge us kindly. We must reject moral cowardice and embrace the courage to fight for ethical workplaces, justice, and the ideals that make HR worth fighting for.

The question remains: Will we answer the call? Or will we look away?

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