“HR Heretics” | How CPOs, CHROs, Founders, and Boards Build High Performing Companies The HRBP Role Is Broken: Here's How to Fix It
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Nov 20, 2025 
In this insightful discussion, Lucy Adams, founder of Disruptive HR and former senior HR leader at the BBC, critiques the fundamental trust issues plaguing HR. She argues that designing policies for underperformers harms organizational culture and employee motivation. Lucy suggests reimagining the HR business partner role, emphasizing the need for judgment and coaching skills. She champions a human-centered approach to HR that embraces complexity, encourages diverse input, and leverages modern strategies like DEI and AI to enhance workplace dynamics.
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Designing For The Minority Destroys Trust
- Designing policies around the worst employees destroys trust across the organisation.
- Low trust drives passivity, compliance, and prevents the curiosity and challenge needed in a disrupted world.
The Flea-Ridden Dog That Killed A Perk
- A company let people bring dogs to work until one brought fleas and HR wrote a policy about dogs with fleas.
- The joy of the perk vanished because HR designed rules around the exception rather than handling the individual.
Nuclear Advisors Denied Stationery Keys
- A nuclear strategy advisory team were trusted with critical counsel but not with keys to the stationery cupboard.
- The example highlights how inconsistent low-trust rules undermine professional dignity and morale.