HR for HR: why prioritizing your wellbeing is essential—and how to do it

HR professionals are at the center of supporting employees, yet they often lack the support they need themselves. Emotional resilience, burnout, and workplace stress impact not only HR leaders but also the organizations they serve. In this blog, we explore key takeaways from our recent Missing Chapters webinar with Kara Grenier, Chief People Officer at Sightly, on how HR leaders can manage stress, build emotional resilience, and create a culture of well-being—ultimately driving better outcomes for employees and businesses alike.

The emotional labor of HR: giving without refilling

HR leaders are tasked with fostering company culture, managing crises, and ensuring employees feel supported. But who supports HR? From corporate environments to startups, HR teams consistently navigate high-stakes situations, often without the resources or emotional backing they need.

• HR professionals are often seen as the problem solvers, but solving problems without internal support leads to exhaustion.
• Layoffs, crises like COVID-19, and workforce shifts put immense emotional strain on HR teams.
• Without proper support systems, HR leaders risk burnout, impacting their ability to advocate for employees effectively.

How HR can build emotional resilience

Emotional resilience isn’t just about coping, it’s about developing sustainable strategies to manage stress. Kara shared her experience navigating emotionally challenging moments, including conducting remote layoffs during COVID-19 and supporting employees through crises. She also offered key insights and strategies HR leaders can use to navigate these difficult situations effectively.

Create a trusted HR network

Build relationships with peers inside and outside your organization to share experiences, seek advice, and navigate challenges together. HR professionals often face high-stakes decisions without clear guidance, making it crucial to have a support system of people who understand the unique pressures of the role. Whether through professional associations, local HR meetups, or informal peer groups, having a network to lean on can provide perspective, emotional support, and best practices that might not be readily available within your own company.

The Nava HR Community is a great place to start.

Use reflection as a tool

Journaling and post-event reflections can help HR professionals process challenges, recognize patterns in workplace issues, and improve decision-making for the future. Kara shared how her team used journaling during difficult moments, such as navigating layoffs, to compartmentalize stress and assess their actions objectively. This practice allows HR leaders to step back from emotionally taxing situations and evaluate what worked, what didn’t, and how they can approach similar challenges differently in the future.

Reflection doesn’t always have to be personal—Kara also encouraged teams to share their insights with leadership to foster better understanding and visibility into the emotional weight HR carries.

Be honest about limitations

HR professionals are often expected to have all the answers, but in reality, no one can be an expert in every situation. From crisis management to workplace policies, new challenges arise constantly, and the best approach is to acknowledge when research, consultation, or external expertise is needed.

Kara emphasized that rather than "faking it till you make it," HR leaders should embrace the power of saying, “I don’t know yet, but I will find out.” By reaching out to peers, consulting external resources, and taking time to gather information, HR teams can ensure they provide well-informed, thoughtful solutions.

Recognizing burnout in HR

Burnout looks different for everyone, but recognizing early warning signs can help prevent long-term exhaustion. HR professionals should regularly assess their own well-being, just as they do for employees, and take action before reaching the point of full exhaustion.

Early signs of burnout in HR professionals:

• Increased irritability and frustration
• Decreased engagement or loss of joy in work
• Avoiding difficult conversations or becoming overwhelmed by decision fatigue
• Feeling isolated and lacking emotional support

Burnout prevention tactics for HR

Burnout doesn’t always arrive with a bang—it builds quietly, often unnoticed. These practical tactics help HR professionals take proactive steps to protect their energy and well-being before the signs of burnout even appear.

Build a personal “burnout matrix”

Identify which tasks energize you and which drain you, then adjust your workload accordingly. By visually mapping out where time and energy are being spent, HR professionals can identify patterns that contribute to burnout.

If the majority of tasks fall into the "draining" category, it may be time to shift responsibilities, delegate certain projects, or reframe approaches to those tasks.

Normalize saying no

HR teams are often expected to handle everything from compliance to employee engagement, making it easy to become overwhelmed. One of the biggest challenges HR professionals face is overcommitting—taking on every request from leadership, employees, or cross-functional teams without pushing back.

One of the most effective ways to prevent this is by creating and sticking to an HR roadmap. Just as product and engineering teams use roadmaps to define priorities and maintain focus, HR teams can use them to establish clear boundaries. When new initiatives arise, HR leaders can reference their roadmap and say, “We can take this on, but we’ll need to shift another priority.”

Prioritize self-care like you prioritize employee wellbeing

HR professionals often remind employees to use their benefits, take time off, and seek mental health support—but they rarely apply the same advice to themselves. Many HR leaders struggle with stepping away from their roles because they feel responsible for everyone else's wellbeing. However, failing to take breaks or access available support leads to exhaustion and reduced effectiveness in the role. Just as HR teams advocate for employee wellness programs, they must actively participate in them.

The power of HR roadmaps: aligning priorities with leadership

As stated above, one of the most effective ways to prevent burnout is by creating an HR roadmap—just like product and engineering teams do. An HR roadmap can help set priorities, secure leadership buy-in, and protect HR teams from being pulled in too many directions. Here’s how to do it:

1. Plan quarterly, but keep a high-level annual roadmap: Business needs shift, so flexibility is key.
2. Align with leadership from the start: Gather input from executives to ensure HR’s priorities are recognized and you have buy-in early on.
3. Communicate progress regularly: Just like a product roadmap, HR’s priorities should be visible and updated frequently.
4. Hold firm to priorities: When new initiatives arise, advocate for shifting other tasks rather than overloading HR.

The future of HR wellbeing

HR leaders are not just support systems for employees; they need support themselves. By fostering emotional resilience, prioritizing mental wellbeing, and setting clear boundaries through strategic planning, HR professionals can drive better outcomes—not just for themselves, but for the entire organization.

Join the conversation

HR professionals don’t have to navigate these challenges alone. If you’re looking for a community of HR leaders who understand your struggles, join our Slack Community where people leaders connect, share experiences, and support one another.

Watch the full webinar

Catch the full discussion with Kara Grenier on emotional resilience and HR wellbeing and find our full catalog of Missing Chapters episodes here.