The HR professional at the centre of extreme work: working intensely?

Abstract

This paper sought is to provide a unique examination of what constitutes extreme work for the HR professional, and in turn the extent to which HR professionals are engaged in such work. Granter et al. (2019) multidimensional theoretical framework of work intensity (organizational, temporal, emotional and physical) challenges was used as an anchor to explore and understand these issues. The paper is based on a thematic analysis of interviews with Australian HR professionals capturing the nature, complexity and intensity of their role, and the implications on the HR professional, inclusive of those resulting from the dark side of HR. Granter et al. (2019) work intensity challenges (organisational, temporal, emotion and physical) were found to be intrinsic to the role of the HR professional; the complex and intense nature of the role further found to pose a risk to the HR professional’s health and well-being, thus supporting the contention that HR is an extreme form of work. In establishing HR as a form of extreme work, this research offers a unique contribution that not only adds to the extreme work literature but also further supports the idea that work intensity is critical to the conceptualisation of extreme work.

Keywords:

• HRM
• HR professionals
• extreme work
• work intensity
• dark side of HR

Introduction

Extreme work, as a socially constructed paradigm, conceptualises and normalises extreme types of work, including work intensity and long working hours (Granter et al., 2015). Traditionally, extreme work denoted extreme jobs with inherent risks, such as policing, emergency services, working in war-torn countries, or working more than 60 h a week (Hewlett & Buck Luce, 2006). More recently, the notion of extreme work has been extended in the common vernacular of capitalism and modern working environments. Extreme work is redefined as including increased work intensity, resulting from both work complexity and long working hours (Granter et al., 2019; Wankhade et al., 2020). Work intensity has evolved due to increased competitive pressures inherent in a capitalist society, which in turn has created organisational environments where unrelenting demands are made of employees, especially those in executive and complex organisational roles, like human resource management (HRM).

HRM, as a profession, has been characterised as complex due to the multiple and often conflicting roles of the HR professional (Ellehave & Ulrich, 2021; Legge, 2005). The negative, and at times emotionally intense aspects of the HR professional role have been identified as the ‘dark side’ (Collins, 2010; Kulik et al., 2009). The dark side has been linked to increased work intensity or overwork (Tehrani, 2010; Ulrich et al., 2013) which we argue, can be considered as extreme work (Granter et al., 2019; Wankhade et al., 2020). This paper addresses the question: to what extent are HR professionals engaged in ‘extreme work’? In doing so, we consider what constitutes extreme work for the HR professional. The paper uses Granter et al. (2019) theoretical framework as an anchor to explore and understand these under-explored questions; specifically, the nature and meaning of work for HR professionals. The paper positions the HR profession within the extreme work literature, which provides the structure for the method, analysis, and findings, in turn informing the discussion, implications and conclusions. This paper therefore addresses the importance of understanding work intensity in the context of extreme for the HR profession.

Extreme work, work intensity, and the dark side of HR

Before considering extreme work, it is important to recognise that the concept of ‘extreme’ has largely been linked to extreme events. In an organisational context, the concept of extreme is ‘where one or more extreme events are occurring or are likely to occur that may exceed the organization’s capacity to prevent, and result in, an extensive and intolerable magnitude of physical, psychological, or material consequences to—or in close physical or psychosocial proximity to—organization members’ (Hannah et al., 2009, p. 898). Examples of extreme events specific to the organisational context include downsizing and restructuring, both of which can have a profound impact on employees.

The notion of extreme events within organisations can also be linked to the notion of extreme jobs. Extreme jobs are those jobs where employees consistently perform work tasks which are by their nature ‘extreme’ due to the inherent risks they pose to the incumbent’s physical, psychological, and emotional well-being (Hewlett & Buck Luce, 2006). For example, those performing extreme jobs are working at the extreme, dealing with trauma and life and death situations (paramedics, police, emergency department personnel). Wankhade et al. (2020, p. 50) refers to these jobs as macro type extreme jobs, characterised as ‘all-consuming of an individual’s senses, emotions and lives’. Hewlett and Buck Luce (2006) argue that extreme jobs can also encapsulate highflyer C-Suite professions, where the individuals employed in these positions make a psychological choice to work intensely and by doing so, they wear the extremeness of the job as a ‘badge of honour’. Even within extreme jobs, the personal perceptions of extreme can be considered a ‘necessity’ of the job, and thus not viewed as extreme (Granter et al., 2015). For example, working in the emergency department of a hospital, and the exposure to potential ‘extremes’ within the job, is recognised as simply part of the job.

As argued by Wankhade et al. (2020), it is misleading to consider the extreme concept as a macro organisational level issue only. Wankhade et al. (2020) expand the work on extreme to everyday routine contexts. Accordingly, the everyday routine contexts occur at the micro individual level; extreme is evidenced through every day work experiences, such as, bullying, boredom, poor job structure, lack of autonomy. Such experiences, over time, have implications for the health and wellbeing of employees. Therefore, the notion of extreme is being applied and normalised within everyday working environments, so it is not the job that is extreme but the work within it (Carnevale & Hatak, 2020; Granter et al., 2015). Extreme work or working extremely can be identified within the everyday activities performed within a workplace and are magnified by extreme contexts at the organisational level (Wankhade et al., 2020). Extreme work is indeed on the increase (Granter et al., 2019; Turnbull & Wass, 2015; Wankhade et al., 2020).

In the context of work, Hewlett and Buck Luce (2006, p. 51), suggest that the elements of extremity at the micro individual level include working over 60 h a week and five of the following characteristics: unpredictable workflow, fast-paced work under tight deadlines, inordinate scope of responsibility that amounts to more than one job, work-related events outside regular work hours, availability to clients 24/7, responsibility for profit and loss, responsibility for mentoring and recruiting, large amounts of travel, a large number of direct reports, or physical presence at workplace at least 10 h a day. Other conceptualisations of extreme work maintain the metric of 60 h or more a week as their starting point (Turnbull & Wass, 2015). However, others contend that extreme work incorporates elements of work intensification (McCann et al., 2008).

According to Green et al. (2022), work intensification is defined as the increased effort (the intensity) employees must deliver at work, resulting from increased economic pressures and other societal changes (Green, 2004). Boxall and Macky (2014) postulate that work intensification requires consideration of more than just an expansion in the hours worked in a day. They argue such an approach is often ambiguous because of the reasoning behind why people choose to work more hours. Instead, (Boxall & Macky, 2014) posit that the experience of work intensification is qualitative and goes beyond hours worked to account for effort and work role overload; incorporating hours worked, role overload and time demands (pressure to get things done). Similarly, Green et al. (2022) suggest that work effort is considered by both hours of work and the intensity of the work. Work intensity is characterised by the effort—both physical, mental, and emotional—required to perform one’s job (Green, 2004). Work intensity incorporates how the job tasks are performed, and the intensity of those tasks. Work intensity can have both positive and negative consequences for employees. On the positive side, some feeling of intensity or high involvement can be rewarding and meaningful. On the negative side, work intensity can be associated with increased risks of employee ill-health and organisational failure (Granter et al., 2019).

The broadening of the concept of extreme work to include work intensity, can be utilised to explore the extent to which HR professionals are engaged in extreme work, extending previous literature which has focused on the complexity and intensity of the role of the HR professional (Ina Aust et al., 2015). Arguably, the global pandemic exacerbated the complexity and the intensity of work for HR professionals (David G Collings et al., 2021), and recent research has also shown that HR professionals are suffering from burn out and increased stress; outcomes which have been linked to the intensity of the role (Hogan Assessments, 2023; Mayer, 2022).

Extending the notion of adverse outcomes there is a small, underdeveloped body of research that explores the negative or ‘dark side’ of the HR profession (Chatterjee et al., 2022; Ribeiro & Gomes, 2021)talu (Holland et al., 2022; Talukdar & Ganguly, 2022). In the context of the HR professional’s role in this research, we utilise the dark side to refer to the unspoken and often neglected part of the HR professionals’ role (Collins, 2010): the dark side elements of the work that have the potential to have a negative influence on the HR professional’s well-being. Such negative influences may stem from counselling employees, making decisions that impact on the livelihood of others (change strategies, redundancies, misconduct), investigating sensitive issues in the workplace (sexual harassment, bullying), negotiation (employees, unions), dealing with employees that have a grudge against HR, dealing with employees that lie, or dealing with perceptions of HR as ‘bad cop’ doing the dirty work for senior management (Hammonds, 2005). Kulik et al. (2009); Metz et al. (2014) and Daniel (2017) adopt a different but related lens of the negative consequences on emotional and physical wellbeing, describing HR professionals as toxin handlers and organisational shock absorbers, referring to the management of workplace toxicity (Frost, 2004) to maintain a sense of harmony for employees as guardians of employee wellbeing (Renwick, 2003).

Work intensity in the context of the HR professional and the dark side is best explored using Granter et al. (2019) framework, where it is proposed, that work intensity can manifest through four multidimensional challenges that the job tasks demand: organisational, temporal, emotional and physical. These challenges provide insight into how work intensity is manifested, through everyday work and job task experiences (Wankhade et al., 2020) as experienced by HR professionals. We consider each of the challenges in turn.

First, organisational challenges for the HR professional can be aligned to the inherent complexities within the role alongside the operational challenges that derive from the context in which the work needs to be done. In addition, the juxtaposition that the HR professional finds themselves in trying to manage the tensions between balancing the needs and well-being of employees with the organisational drive towards performance outcomes is complex (Guest & Woodrow, 2012; Kowalski & Loretto, 2017; O’Brien & Linehan, 2018).

Second, temporal challenges are associated with time, timeframes, and the stress associated with completing tasks within irrational, unexpected, and/or unreasonable timeframes (Boxall & Macky, 2014; Green et al., 2022; Hewlett & Buck Luce, 2006; Turnbull & Wass, 2015). The temporal intensity of work can lead to exhaustion, burnout, stress (Boxall & Macky, 2014) and poorer mental health outcomes (Doan et al., 2021). By its nature, the HR professional’s role requires timeliness and responsiveness to issues as they arise, at times resulting in excessive time pressures across diverse and complex tasks (Boxall & Purcell, 2016; Guest & King, 2004; Guest & Woodrow, 2012).

Third, emotional challenges relate to requirements of emotional labour and consequently the emotional coping skills required for a job. Emotional labour requires the management of one’s own emotions (inducing or concealing) within the workplace and in line with expected organisational norms of behaviour (Hochschild, 1983; Morris & Feldman, 1996). When there is a discrepancy between the felt and the expressed emotions, this can lead to burnout, job strain and well-being outcomes (Hochschild, 1983; Lui et al., 2004). The emotional challenge of the work of the HR professional is critical in capturing the work intensity of the role, as HR professionals are often expected to consider the emotions of others whilst not displaying any emotions of their own (Rivers, 2019). Mustafa et al. (2014) found that the emotional regulation required in the HR professional’s role comes at a physical and emotional cost. Research has started to address the importance of emotions in the HR professional’s role (Metz et al., 2014; O’Brien & Linehan, 2018; Rivers, 2019) and possible consequences, including burnout (Metz et al., 2014), emotional exhaustion (Kulik et al., 2009), poor health and lower well-being (Mustafa et al., 2014). Taken to the extreme, the emotional demands of work can have catastrophic effects, with Younès et al. (2018) finding such demands to be a predictor of suicide risk in women.

Fourth, physical challenges relate to the strain and physical response associated with the performance of the work, including tiredness, stress, and risks/harm to one’s physical, and or, psychological safety and well-being. Granter et al. (2015) acknowledge that there are physical health risks of work intensity (Granter et al., 2015; Hewlett & Buck Luce, 2006) and these can be driven from the emotional and temporal challenges of work intensity. As already outlined above, the complexity of the HR professional’s role has been linked to adverse physical challenges and responses, including stress, emotional exhaustion, reduced wellbeing, and burnout (Daniel, 2017; Frost, 2004; Hogan Assessments, 2023; Kulik et al., 2009; Mayer, 2022; Metz et al., 2014; Mustafa et al., 2014; O’Brien & Linehan, 2018).

Together, these four challenges provide a holistic theoretical anchor and framework to examine work intensity in the context of the HR profession, and position HR work as a form of extreme work rather than focusing only on the emotional challenges of the HR professional’s role (Kulik et al., 2009; Metz et al., 2014; O’Brien & Linehan, 2018; Rivers, 2019). This research is critically important, as the current research on the HR profession has largely neglected work intensity as a characteristic of the dark side.

Method

This research examined what constitutes extreme work for the HR professional, and in turn the extent to which HR professionals are engaged in such work. Granter et al. (2019) theoretical framework of work intensity was used to explore these issues. The exploratory nature of this study meant that an interpretive, qualitative approach was adopted, focussing on the described ‘lived’ experiences of HR professionals (Neuman, 2000). The interpretive perspective recognizes reality as internally experienced (Sarantakos, 1998) and socially constructed through interaction (Glesne, 1999). Thus, the aim was to develop understanding through examining HR professionals’ descriptions of their work experiences and the meaning they ascribed to these experiences (Drew, 1989), specifically with regards to the four challenges of Granter et al. (2019) framework of work intensity. To this end, we adopted purposive sampling to ensure all participants had experienced the phenomenon under review (Creswell, 1998), namely that they were HR professionals working in Australia at the time of the research. On approval of our ethics application, twenty-one participants were recruited through a one-off targeted advertisement in an online HR professional networking platform. Recruitment of participants was ceased at the point of saturation, when the interviewing of additional HR professionals and the thematic analysis of their perceived experiences of their role and its associated work intensity, failed to produce any further insights than those already gathered in earlier interviews; making the collection of further interview data redundant (Miles & Huberman, 1994; Saunders et al., 2018). It is noted that a limitation of this approach is self-selection bias. Whilst we acknowledge the limitation of self-selection bias in this research, it is also important to reiterate that our intention was not to test causation but rather, create a deep understanding of the lived experiences of HR professionals based on work intensity through a qualitative lens and purposive sampling (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007)

Twenty-one interviews of between 45-60 min were conducted online via zoom with Australian HR professionals between January and April 2021. The timing of the data collection coincided with the global pandemic and the required lockdowns across different parts of Australia. Of the HR professionals that chose to participate, 15 were women and 6 were men. The majority worked in medium to large organisations operating in the private sector (100-1000 employees); 3 of these were blue-collar organisations. Two worked for government organisations and a further two in not-for-profit organisations. Of the twenty-one HR professionals, we interviewed, most held senior or managerial level HR positions (N = 15) and the others held business partner or specialist HR roles (N = 6).

Using the four challenges of Granter et al. (2019) theoretical framework of work intensity described above, we developed a semi-structured interview schedule that enabled the researchers to capture the nature, complexity and intensity of the HR professional’s role and the implications of these challenges for the HR professional and how they undertake their role. A semi-structured schedule induced a ‘story telling’ approach among participants, enabling the researchers to probe and follow up where required. Two interviewers from the research team were involved in each interview, one to conduct the interview and one to take notes and follow up on missed points or seek clarification or expansion where required. The interviews were recorded in Zoom for transcription purposes.

The interviews were transcribed verbatim, with all participants given pseudonyms to protect their privacy and confidentiality. Thematic analysis was undertaken of the interview transcripts by both researchers (Taylor & Bogdan, 1998), with an interpretive approach utilised to seek to draw meaning from the participants’ accounts of their experiences. This interpretive focus was central to understanding work intensity and extreme work for HR professionals. The researchers were able to use the four challenges, temporal, emotional, physical, and organisational (Granter et al., 2019), to assist in the classification of the themes.

Findings

The research examined what constitutes extreme work for the HR professional, and in turn the extent to which HR professionals are engaged in such work through the intensity of their work. Following thematic analysis of the interviews, using the Granter et al. (2019) framework of work intensity, the findings are organised under the four challenges: organisational, temporal, emotional and physical. Several associated sub-themes emerged which evidence the intensity of the work for an HR professional.

Organisational intensity

Organisational intensity was evident in the organisational and operational challenges associated with the role of the HR practitioners (Granter et al., 2019). As expected, organisational intensity was inherent in the HR professional’s role given the role complexity (I Aust et al., 2015; David G. Collings et al., 2021). Organisational intensity was also intrinsic to several core HR tasks, namely stakeholder management and the dark side elements of the HR role.

Role/task complexity

When the professionals interviewed talked about their roles in HR, overwhelmingly, and especially relevant as most participants worked in generalist HR roles, they spoke of the role complexity and its unpredictability. Their shared sentiment was that ‘no day is the same’ (Travis); it’s a ‘role of odds and ends’ (Leo); and that it is ‘multifaceted and reactive’ (Belinda). The reactive nature of the role, emphasised by our HR professionals, described a significant part of the role that dealt with ‘a whole bunch of fires going off’ (Belinda). Krystal revealed that you need to know your clients (stakeholders) and know ‘for which client you need to drop what you are doing if they call.’ It could be argued that this perspective insinuates a need for HR professionals to be ‘available at all times’, to assist whenever someone appears at their door or calls them, as consistent with Hewlett and Buck Luce (2006) who position both unpredictable workflow and fast pace as two elements of extreme work.

Our HR professionals noted that the expectations of other organisational stakeholders added to their role complexity and intensity. The expectations from the organisations make them feel that they are at the beck and call of others. Amber highlighted the expectation that she would take on a project without consultation and within short timelines. Others echoed this perception, telling us that ‘we are expected to take on a lot’ (Krystal) and ‘we are trying to meet the multiple needs’ of the organisation (Travis). A commonly held view was that HR has ‘all the answers to anything people related’ (Eliza), and if HR doesn’t have the answers or makes a mistake, then HR is seen as incompetent. Such a dichotomy supports the notion that HR professionals are constantly managing tensions or competing demands of the organisation vis-à-vis employees’ well-being (Guest & Woodrow, 2012; Kowalski & Loretto, 2017). Due to the weight of expectation and pressure HR professionals can ‘fall into the trap of doing more than what the job and the hours originally stated’ (Jade), constituting work intensity as a form of extreme work (Granter et al., 2019; Wankhade et al., 2020). The breadth of the tasks faced daily required specific skills for the professional to be able to ‘juggle’ (Travis; Krystal) and to work with the ‘nitty gritty’ (Amber; Leo). Some suggested that it was critical, when working on tasks, that they ‘pivot’ (Kath) or ‘switch’ (Freya; Eliza; Kath; Belinda) between tasks effectively. Kath suggested that the role’s reactive nature left little time for the more strategic elements required in the role. The sheer volume and diversity of their activities was challenging to balance day-to-day, requiring that the HR professional prioritise and predict organisational needs: ‘I always think around seeing around corners, around what could happen next, who needs to know what in advance’ (Jackie). The ‘switching’ aspect of the role is moving from one distinct task to something completely different, for example, an onboarding discussion to a disciplinary hearing, thus exacerbating the complexity and intensity of the work. Kath suggested that the complexity of the tasks causes the switching to be more difficult.

Because if somebody walks into your office with tears down their face and you’re in the middle of telling off somebody else because the union is being outrageous or something, … being able to change from I’m being extremely directive here to I now need to sit down and offer human compassion, but also try and explain to them that I’m not a counselling service, but also understand why they’re upset to see if there something in the workplace that needs fixing. (Belinda)

The HR tasks

The general tasks of the HR professional include operational and functional tasks pertaining to the employee lifecycle, investigations, managing workplace change, projects, strategic activities, and managing and supporting stakeholders. They also include the not-so-nice parts of HR, which require professionals to ‘manage the 5% that do the wrong thing’ (Jade). Interestingly, the HR professionals focused a lot of their discussion on the challenges associated with stakeholder management and the dark side activities of HR.

• Stakeholder management

The breadth of the stakeholders identified by the HR professionals we interviewed included senior managers, other managers, employees, the HR team, and unions. Nevertheless, the HR professionals felt that much of their role was about building relationships and to become a trusted advisor. Building relationships requires coaching, sometimes to resolve issues (Travis), and educating managers on the effective management of employees (Eliza). In addition, providing advice, particularly regarding performance management and what ‘can and can’t happen’ in the process (Amber) was equally important. More generally, the magnitude of the challenges of stakeholder management, requiring the professionals to be able to influence within the organisation: ‘90% of the role is about influencing’ and this is the ‘hardest part of the job’ (Krystal). The attributes and activities relevant to stakeholder management and the management of tensions are considered a dimension of the HR professional’s role, underscoring the inherent ambiguities of the role (Legge, 2005). In fact, Ulrich (2020) HR competency of the paradox navigator, captures the management of tensions within the organisation. However, the HR competency model (Ulrich, 2020) talks to the competencies from a positivist perspective, ignoring the work intensity that these activities have the potential to create for the HR professional.

One complexity of stakeholder management the participants encountered was ‘managing up’ (i.e., managing those with positional authority beyond their own). With Eden suggesting that pushing back on specific issues is ‘more challenging than educating them’. It is critical to temper and understand the differences between ‘what can and can’t be said to managers and employees’ (Melinda) and ‘how you say it’ (Jackie). Tempering the difference of one’s own position on an issue was considered extremely difficult when managers were doing the wrong thing. The challenges with stakeholder management are often due to the power dynamic at play, with Freya saying sometimes the situations were political, resulting in managers thinking that they ‘know better than HR’. The inconsistencies in how HR processes were applied by managers in more senior positions were also an important consideration challenging our HR professionals. They recognised that some ‘managers are willing to break the law’ (Eliza) if the situation suits them, presenting them with a conundrum, and creating hesitation, doubt, and questions for the HR professionals about whether to call out (Leo; Eliza) the questionable activities.

Quite a while back there was a difficult discussion that I had to have with one of my senior leaders about parental leave and flexibility, and the different approaches that they had. They had quite specific opinions on the way we should be doing things, but there was an element of perception in how that was managed and favouritism, which is obviously dangerous. (Amber)

Managing the employee as a critical stakeholder is also an essential part of the HR professional role. This includes delivering difficult news, guiding employees through problems, and providing support. The exposure of the HR professionals to the emotions and demands of others was a difficult part of the role. It sometimes resulted in them feeling responsible for ‘handling everyone’s emotions’ (Sally) and managing the complex emotional and mental health issues that people in their workforce might face. Consistent with Frost (2004), the HR professionals indicated that managing this toxicity is a significant challenge of the role, particularly when trying to manage employees’ well-being (Renwick, 2003). Despite lacking specific training in mental health, HR professionals are expected to fulfill this role (Eliza). Some even express feeling like psychologists or therapists, as employees often seek them out for support (Melinda). The frustration underlying these comments highlights the pressure the HR professionals felt from this expectation.

• HR has a dark side

The HR professionals interviewed overwhelmingly highlighted the negative aspects of their work, the dark side elements. These negative aspects are considered the ‘tough side of HR’ (Freya) and the ‘yucky HR things’ (Jade). These activities include difficult conversations regarding redundancy, performance management, disciplinary issues, and complex behavioral concerns. Additionally, tasks like workplace investigations (sexual harassment, bullying, drug use), contentious discussions with unions, and attending workplace tribunals (Fair Work Commission) were mentioned as part of the dark side of HR. According to the HR professionals, what makes these activities and conversations difficult is the potential for aggressive reactions, pushback, quick escalations, and the impact on employees’ livelihoods. Engaging in these challenging dark side functions, conversations and tasks takes a toll on the HR professional’s well-being. There is an acceptance from the HR professionals that this is part of the HR role, supporting the argument that extreme aspects of the work can be accepted as part of the job (Granter et al., 2015).

It’s just a level of understanding that sometimes you’ve got to do the dirty work. (Krystal)

Our HR professionals were able to rationalise their actions related to dark side tasks, especially around redundancy, performance management, disciplinary hearings, and termination. There was an overwhelming sense from our HR professionals that even when emotionally impacted by the conversation, their actions were the product of business decisions, not personal ones. For example, Travis contended that it is ‘shitty for that person but actually we’re trying to achieve something great’. Brett similarly suggested that he viewed such decisions as, ‘for the greater good of the company and remaining employees’ but also that he is ‘here to do a job.’ The HR professionals involved in these negative activities have ‘trust in the process’ (Emilia), whilst the outcome might be difficult, they can ensure a correct implementation, making it possible to accept the business’ decision. ‘You can influence the how, even if you can’t influence what it is happening’ (Andrew). ‘If I stick to the process, I can eliminate myself from it and sort of dampen the conflict that I might feel.’ (Melinda). Finally, the HR professionals we interviewed also rationalised their engagement in negative activities by focussing on the employee’s input into the situation they found themselves in. Notably, this meant their involvement in disciplinary and performance management processes was easier than redundancy processes because in the former, the employee had been the opportunity to rectify their poor behaviour or performance. According to Amber ‘redundancy conversations [were] harder than performance management’ and take a greater ‘emotional toll’.

Using Granter et al. (2019) framework, there was in fact a dark side of the HR professional’s role, and this stemmed from the work intensity and complexity of the role and the management of the tasks and stakeholders. The dark side suggests that there is a subsequent negative toll on the health and well-being of the HR professional.

Temporal intensity

Temporal intensity, which goes to the time-critical nature of work (Granter et al., 2019), is intrinsic to the role of the HR professional, given its complex and often reactive nature. Much of this temporal intensity results from pressure put on the HR professionals by key stakeholders, who expect fast responses, decision-making and action. The temporal demands of the role and the responsiveness of HR professionals are characteristic of extreme work (Boxall & Macky, 2014; Boxall & Purcell, 2016; Hewlett & Buck Luce, 2006). In commenting on the time pressures imposed by stakeholders, the HR professionals said that often demands from above were often time sensitive: ‘Is it done yet? Why isn’t it done?’ (Max), there is an expectation that ‘things will happen overnight.’ (Belinda). The fact that ‘bosses assume that they can call anytime’ (Brian) resulted in in the HR professionals ‘always [being] available’ (Hazel), with technology left ‘on …after hours’ (Andrew). Others lamented of the difficulty in turning technology off and allowing themselves to ‘be unavailable’ (Brian). This problem was especially true for those such as Freya working in global organisations, which forced the contact hours to be outside the ordinary hours of work. Freya commenting on situations where ‘24/7 availab[ility] was expected’

Temporal intensity was often due to the time-critical nature of the matters the HR professionals were tasked with, sometimes at short notice (Belinda). Matters included critical incidents and workplace health and safety issues that require ‘quick fixes’ (Jade) and decisions ‘to be made in the heat of the moment’ (Brian). The need to ‘squeeze’ unexpected issues and critical incidents into their day further exacerbated the temporal intensity of the role. It drove a need to ‘prioritise (Kath) ‘competing demands’ (Belinda) given the everyday ‘HR work still [had] to be done’ (Amber). For many of the HR professionals, this contributed to exceptionally long working hours and to the HR professional being ‘overwhelmed by workload, going a million miles an hour’ (Emilia) to get work done despite ‘not [being] given timeframes that [are] reasonable’ (Amber). The potential consequences for HR professionals can be seen in emotional and physical health and well-being outcomes (Boxall & Macky, 2014; Doan et al., 2021; Granter et al., 2019). The temporal intensity experienced by the HR professionals also reinforced the notion of extreme work and further contributes to an understanding of the dark side elements of HR.

Emotional intensity

Emotional intensity is commonly associated with ‘caring professions’ as they require ‘skilled emotion management’ (Lewis, 2005 cited in Granter et al., 2019) and significant emotional labour, with workers required to perform their job professionally in complex and highly emotive circumstances (Granter et al., 2019). As consistent with research by Mustafa et al. (2014) and Rivers (2019), emotional intensity was identified to be intrinsic to the HR professional’s role given their responsibility for dark side tasks, such as performance management and redundancy and the difficult conversations they require, and then dealing with the emotions of employees (Kulik, 2022; Metz et al., 2014). Travis shared that it can ‘feel crappy making people redundant or performance managing someone’. Whilst other HR professionals, reflected on the emotional toll of such activities, describing feeling overwhelmed and sad (Kath; Amber; Emilia). There were occasions for some of our HR professionals when they found it difficult to hide their emotions in these meetings:

‘There was another time that I had to make someone redundant when we were divesting an asset. They were pregnant and I was sitting across the table from them, pregnant. And I knew I had a job to come back to and I was telling her that she didn’t have a job to come back to, and I cried in that too. (Amber)

The emotional toll experienced by the professionals was due to the personal implications of the conversations they were engaged in with the employees. For example, Peter explained that you are dealing with ‘people at the end of the day … you still hear them upset and it does affect you emotionally’. Furthermore, the emotional toll of these dark side HR activities was exacerbated when HR professionals felt the managers’ decisions lacked compassion or were unethical (Krystal; Georgia).

Despite the emotional intensity of their work, all the HR professionals we spoke to remarked on the need to control their genuine emotions and not ‘let others see [their] emotional moments and tough times’ (Freya), suggesting that to do otherwise could be seen as a weakness. This view was reinforced by Kath who reflected ‘we’re so worried about [what] other people will think of us that we don’t often let those emotions out’. Emotion management varied from one HR professional to another, with some suggesting ‘I am genuinely the last person that I think of’ (Jackie), whilst others attempted to manage the emotional intensity of all those involved. Belinda revealed that it was necessary to ‘manage their emotions and manage myself [in terms of] how I respond’.

Emotion management was made more complex for the HR professionals due to the fast-paced nature and complexity of their role, which often required constant switching between different tasks with distinct emotional demands. For example, switching from a disciplinary matter to a strategy meeting required considerable emotional labour on their part. The emotional labour involved a process of managing one’s facial display to conceal their emotions and maintain professionalism (Hochschild, 1983). All our HR professionals indicated that there were times at work when they were ‘not 100% authentic’ (Andrew). In fact, the notion of emotional labour posits that when there is a discrepancy between felt emotions and displayed emotions this can have detrimental and long-term effects on the health and well-being of the HR professionals (Lui et al., 2004). Maintaining their professionalism, the HR professionals sometimes needed to ‘force it and fake it’ (Georgia) by ‘pulling up …[their] armour’ (Belinda) or ‘putting on a face’ (Georgia)—whether a ‘poker face’ (Sally), ‘clinical face’ (Amber), or ‘game face’ (Brian, Leo).This putting on a face could also be equated with tasking their actual selves with ‘a work persona’ (Krystal). Jade best elucidated this need for a professional persona to hide one’s emotions when she said:

You can never feel the way that you feel and show it in the workplace, because of the role you have. You constantly need to maintain professionalism.

Emotional labour and intensity are intrinsic to the professionalism expected of and required by HR professionals. And yet, just as those we spoke to understood it was necessary if they were to be effective in their role, they also understood that it came at a personal cost (Mustafa et al., 2014). The participants recognised that their emotional labour, and in turn the emotional intensity of their work, had consequences, with Brian reflecting that as an HR professional you ‘keep drawing on yourself emotionally until you redline’. Emotional regulation has a clear cost to the HR professional (Mustafa et al., 2014), evidenced in burnout, emotional exhaustion and negative health and well-being outcomes (Metz et al., 2014). The HR professionals in our study further noted that the individual implications arising from emotional intensity were evidenced in mood changes, stress and anger, emotional collapse due to exhaustion and then brain fog and burnout. Clearly the emotional intensity of the HR professional’s role is complex and relates to the complexity of the activities and the dark side elements of the HR professional’s role.

Physical intensity

Physical intensity is the degree of effort required to perform the physical activities or actions associated with the role (Granter et al., 2019). The HR professional’s role, derived from its complexity, does have the potential to result in negative physical outcomes, including burnout, exhaustion, mental health and well-being issues (Kulik et al., 2009; Metz et al., 2014; O’Brien & Linehan, 2018). The HR professionals frequently referred to their role’s physical intensity, and the physical consequences, associating this intensity with the role’s organisational intensity. They noted how their role and task complexity, and the emotionality required within the role, all contributed to the physical intensity of their work and resulted in physical consequences for them as professionals. Those interviewed attributed these physical impacts or implications to the work intensity of their role. Many identified the long working hours, the pace of work, work pressure, tight deadlines and the challenges associated with managing stakeholders as contributing factors (Hewlett & Buck Luce, 2006). In addition, the HR professionals raised the need to perform dark side tasks and repeatedly switch personas within the role as having a physical intensity, much of which is a direct consequence of the work’s emotional intensity.

For many of our HR professionals, a key physical outcome of the performance of their role, given its complexity, intensity and the emotional labour required of them when performing dark side HR tasks, was exhaustion. HR professionals such as Travis shared that at the end of the working day they would be ‘physically exhausted, drained and need to sleep’. Physical exhaustion was characteristic of a general fatigue felt by those managing the role. Eliza mentioned that the task and temporal complexity of the role were often so exhausting that she would return home and go straight to bed. This was not an unusual response, some suggesting that just the need to manage the constant switching of tasks was also physically exhausting resulted in tiredness. Some recognised that they were exhausted and tired at the end of the day (Peter). Or at the end of the week ‘we are on empty’ (Kath) and have ‘no fucks left to give’ (Krystal). Of course, the exhaustion and tiredness experienced were not without consequence.

On the one hand, the physical intensity potentially impacted their effectiveness in their role as it resulted in ‘brain fog’ (Freya; Eliza); or where they found themselves ‘brain tired and … unable to make decisions’ (Hazel). In terms of consequences, we also found that it had implications for their well-being, and in turn their personal lives. In one example, Freya talked about the exhaustion and the need for sleep resulting in her driving home from work and having a car accident. Exhaustion and tiredness resulting from their work was also concerningly linked by some of our HR professionals to burnout. Georgia reflected that the exhaustion from her role resulted in her getting to the ‘point where my cups overflowing’, whilst Eliza was willing to share that she had previously experienced burnout from the emotionality of the role, which consequently resulted in a mental breakdown.

The implications of the breadth and depth of the role for the HR professionals, despite the exhaustion they felt, also negatively impacted the ability of many of them to have restful sleep. The problem was attributed to an inability of our HR professionals to stop their minds running through the events of the workday or thinking about the consequences of the dark side of HR conversations they had. Amber indicated it was often hard to shut [her] mind off’. On the other hand, Andrew shared that he would ‘wake up thinking about situations’ at work causing him anxiety. Our HR professionals drew a line between the anxiety and stress associated with their role and their physical well-being. Brian best summed up the relationship when discussing the physical consequences for him of the emotional requirements, when he said, ‘I am feeling crap, I’ve got that feeling in my chest’. The pressure of deadlines, the big projects, switching roles, and managing managers were all identified as conditions creating a sense of anxiety, which in turn created physical reactions for some of the HR professionals:

When I’ve been called into formal disciplinary meetings for example whether it’s performance or conduct or behaviour every time it’s not a pleasant meeting to go into. Each and every time my palms are sweaty, my heart’s pounding, I’m sweating. (Peter)

Exhaustion, tiredness, interrupted sleep, and anxiety can potentially have significant and severe health impacts for individuals (Granter et al., 2019). Not surprisingly, quite a few of the HR professionals we interviewed raised the link between the complexity of their role and its implications for their health. Abbey indicated that for her, the work role intensity led to a ‘health scare.’ Others such as Belinda mentioned suffering ‘constant illness’, whilst Emilia shared that once sick she found herself ‘not getting better’. Issues with diet and weight management were also raised, with Emilia saying that the pace of the work resulted in weight loss, whereas Freya indicated it had resulted in both weight gain and weight loss for her at varying times. ‘Over-eating, over-drinking, taking drugs of some sort’ (Max) is often a way that HR professionals cope with the intensity of their work. One of our HR professionals shared that she ‘[took] anti-depressants to take the edge off’ (Krystal) allowing her to manage the role more effectively. The physical intensity and consequences of physical intensity unquestionably amount to work intensity or working extremely for the HR professional.

Discussion

This study sought to understand the extent to which HR professionals engaged in extreme work, and by doing so, consider what constitutes extreme work for HR professionals. Using Granter et al. (2019) conceptualisation of work intensity as a form of extreme, the study explored these questions through the lens of organisational, temporal, emotional and physical challenges.,. The study found that each of these work intensity challenges was intrinsic to the role of the HR professional, positioning the role of the HR professional as complex and intense, thus supporting the contention that HR is an extreme form of work (Hewlett & Buck Luce, 2006; Wankhade et al., 2020).

Extreme work is seen, and argued in this paper, as encapsulating the individual micro level events; the everyday routine activities related to the work (Wankhade et al., 2020). This contention is supported in this study, where the HR professional’s role complexity and intensity resulted from micro-events that the HR professionals were both expected and required to carry out within their work day (Wankhade et al., 2020). Aligned with the extreme classification by Hewlett and Buck Luce (2006), the HR professional’s role was characterised by long working hours, unpredictable workflows, a fast-pace and tight deadlines, an unreasonable scope of responsibility, being available 24/7 and working outside normal hours, and positional responsibility for the health and well-being of the workforce, exemplifying the intense and extreme nature of work in HRM.

Furthermore, the results of this study support the multidimensional nature of the four work intensity challenges presented by Granter et al. (2019); the complexity and intensity of the HR professional’s role are the outcome of multiple drivers and how HR professionals interact with these drivers is inherent to the design of the role (Boxall & Macky, 2014; Boxall & Purcell, 2016). The complexity of the roles design, in terms of the depth and breadth of its tasks and accountabilities, its temporal, emotional and physical intensity, and the unrealistic expectations others attach to the performance of the role, all add to work intensity in the role. Boxall and Macky (2014) and Green et al. (2022) argue that intensity is associated with required effort for the work task, role overload and the time demands of the work. However, the results in this study demonstrated that work intensity is not only multidimensional, but interrelated. This multidimensionality is evidenced in the impact of organisational intensity, through the complexity and the dark side elements of the HR professional’s role, on the other challenges of work intensity. The temporal intensity of the HR professional’s role was at times seen to be dependent on the complexity of tasks and activities, for example meeting stakeholder needs with timely responsiveness. Both emotional and physical intensity were often found to be influenced by, or a result of, organisational and temporal intensity. For example, the emotional and physical implications of undertaking a redundancy conversation with staff members, which is a dark side task intrinsic to the role.

The emotional intensity of the HR professional’s role has already been established through the research of others (Kulik et al., 2009; Metz et al., 2014; Rivers, 2019). However, this study makes a further contribution by exploring the emotional intensity experienced by HR professionals resulting from role complexity, the performance of dark side of HR tasks, and the professionalism both expected and required of those in the role, which in turn necessitates HR professionals wearing a persona to keep their emotions in check. Performing these tasks and ensuring the emotions they displayed were in accordance with the emotional norms required of the situation (Morris & Feldman, 1996) had an emotional and physical cost. Nonetheless, the emotional labour required of the HR professionals to maintain the level of professionalism expected and to manage their own emotions was significant, thus requiring physical effort on their part (Hochschild, 1983). According to O’Brien and Linehan (2014; 2018), HR professionals follow emotional display rules to meet the goals of the organisation, however the management of their emotions and the physical consequences of having to do so, are heightened because of the complexity of the work.

The dark side of HR, has, to date, been subject to only a small amount of research. That which exists associates it either with the negative tasks and activities, and at times emotionally intense aspects of the HR professional’s role, or to a lesser extent to the work intensity associated with the role or the overwork of the HR professionals performing it. This association is drawn, as these aspects of the HR professional’s role have the capacity to negatively impact upon the health and well-being of the HR practitioner (Collins, 2010). This study found both associations held true. The participants highlighted what constitutes the dark side of HR for them as practitioners, associating it with tasks that impacted their own emotional state due to the emotional consequences of the task for others, for example, counselling employees, terminations, redundancies and dealing with workplace toxicity (Frost, 2004; Kulik et al., 2009). Going beyond this, however, HR professionals also associate the dark side of HR with tasks and activities that have the potential to position HR and the HR professional’s role in a negative light, for example, advocating the organisation’s position when negotiating with unions or carrying out unpopular directives from senior management (Hammond 2005). The emotional and physical challenges that the dark side of HR pose to HR professionals, especially as they accumulate, have the potential to result in negative consequences for their health and well-being, establishing that the HR professional is engaged in extreme work, with the intensity of their work posing a threat to their personal well-being.

The consequences of work intensity for individual HR professionals vary, nevertheless, on the whole the HR professionals had experienced poor health and well-being outcomes as a result of their role’s intensity; outcomes, for example, which included burnout, physical and emotional exhaustion, stress, tiredness, anxiety, and visceral reactions to certain situations (sweaty hands/chest palpitations). These negative outcomes are well supported in the context of extreme work and work intensity (Granter et al., 2015; Hewlett & Buck Luce, 2006; Mauno et al., 2007). There was also a noted consequence for the role performance of the HR professionals when work intensity resulted in them experiencing poorer health and well-being; with the HR professionals finding themselves unable to bring either the energy or clarity of thought to the role that it required. The potential risks to health and well-being that the work intensity inherent in their role poses for the individual HR professional, but also to their capacity to sustain the high levels of performance their employing organisations seemingly demand, raises serious questions for the HR profession. but also raises serious questions for employers, given the duty of care they owe to their HR professionals.

Recent research has found that the global pandemic has also added to the work intensity of those in HR (Bingham, 2020; Ripamonti et al., 2020), and this is a trend likely to continue given the current calls for HR to shoulder responsibility for providing a seamless transition into the new work normal (Ellehave & Ulrich, 2021; Kulik, 2022) . Hence, the work intensity inherent in the HR professional’s role may in fact escalate moving forward rather than dissipate, with dire consequences for both HR professionals and those that employ them.

Research implications

In establishing HR as a form of extreme work, this research offers a unique contribution that not only adds to the extreme work literature (Wankhade et al., 2020) but also further supports the idea that work intensity is critical to the conceptualisation of extreme work (Granter et al., 2019; McCann et al., 2008). The findings build a comprehensive picture of HR as a profession as related to their experience of the intensity of their work, whereas most research to date has considered only the emotional aspects of work intensity for the HR professional (Boxall & Macky, 2014; Rivers, 2019). This research supports the notion that work intensity is captured via the multidimensional and interrelated work intensity challenges of organisational, temporal, emotional and physical intensity (Granter et al., 2019). We call for further research to build upon our findings to explore the work intensity challenges, including the dark side, and the consequences for the HR professional of working extremely. An examination of person-job fit for the HR profession (Kristof-Brown et al., 2005) may be able to discern the attributes required for the role, for example exploring HR professional’s resilience, thus mitigating against some of the known adverse effects of work intensity.

The dark side of HR has emerged as a significant dimension of the HR professional’s role. The activities associated with the dark side were identified as increasing work intensity and having a negative impact on the health and well-being of HR professionals. The lens of the dark side provides a clear demarcation between the different and more emotionally charged tasks of the HR professional. There are calls in the literature to understand the dark side tasks more fully (Collins, 2010), especially in an environment where HR is usually focused on looking after the needs and well-being of others with little consideration for their own well-being (Tehrani, 2010). A more comprehensive understanding of the dark side would allow organisations to create safeguards to mitigate against the adverse impacts of the intensity of the role. Of course, it is not all doom and gloom for every HR professional. As we know from the extreme literature (Buchanan et al., 2013; Hewlett & Buck Luce, 2006), some thrive in extreme work. There have also been calls in the recent literature on the important role of HR in the future (Kulik, 2022), understanding which situations HR professionals are likely to thrive in, is equally important to building the profession for the future.

Practical implications

This research has established the contention that the HR professional’s role is complex and intense, with the dark side of HR activities adding to this intensity. The research findings further identified that the role’s intensity had negative consequences for the health and well-being of the HR professional, evidenced via burnout, physical and emotional exhaustion, physical health issues, stress, and anxiety. The intensity of the role and the negative health and well-being consequences associated with it, have implications for the HR professional’s ability to sustain high levels of performance. From a practical perspective, all organisations have an obligation and duty of care to employees, including the HR professional, to initiate strategies to protect them from psychosocial hazards. As such, it is critical that we identify ways in which to mitigate the negative health and well-being consequences that HR professionals experience due to the intensity of their role. We echo the calls of Kulik et al. (2009) for organisations to formalise and legitimise the intense and dark aspects of the role, enabling them to better identify and support the unique demands of the HR professional. In doing so, organisations will be best placed to provide resources in support of the different coping strategies the HR professional may find beneficial, for example Wankhade et al. (2020) suggest organisational support via coaching and mentoring of individuals to manage the extreme transitions within the job, in this case the transitions requiring emotional labour and through the dark side tasks. Of course, the HR professional’s health and well-being in the face of the intensity of their role, is not the responsibility of the organisation alone; it is a shared responsibility. Individual HR professionals must also recognise the need for, and identify and implement, their own personal coping and recovery strategies (Rivers, 2019)—such as building both professional and personal support networks; engaging in stress relieving activities; and clearly delineating work and home boundaries in support of ensuring they have a healthy work environment.

Limitations

The exploratory design of this research is not without its limitations. First, the findings are restricted to the experiences of twenty-one Australian HR professionals. Second, the findings may also be subject to self-selection bias as the participants responded to a call for participation. However, the exploratory, qualitative nature of the study has provided scope for further research: to quantitatively examine the HR role as a form of extreme work similar to Buchanan et al. (2013). Finally, the research did not delineate the gendered differences, or the role classification differences within the findings, both of which are important considerations (Buchanan et al., 2013; Gascoigne et al., 2015) associated with whether HR professionals are working extremely, but were outside the scope of this study.

Conclusion

This paper examined HR professional’s lived experiences and has started unpacking the complexities of the role. We have positioned HR as an extreme form of work using the four challenges of work intensity devised by Granter et al. (2019). In doing so, we have shown that the role of an HR professional is both complex and intense, due to the need to engage with and manage multiple, often competing stakeholder demands in a timely and professional manner, whilst juggling the constant need to seamlessly switch between tasks whilst maintaining a professional persona. Further to this, the dark side of HR, and the emotional labour required of the tasks associated with it, were found to further compound the work intensity associated with the role, and the emotional and physical challenges inherent to it. HR professionals are engaged in an extreme form of work, and as such face potential challenges to their health and well-being, and in turn their capacity to maintain high-level performance. This presents both the HR profession, and those that employ HR professionals with a challenge: what can they do to ensure a high-performing HR profession into the future?

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The participants of this study did not give written consent for their data to be shared publicly, so due to the nature of the research supporting data is not available.