Women's Day 2025 | The Juggling Act: Being a Woman and an HR Professional

Every year on Women’s Day, I reflect on what it means to be a woman in HR. Our role is often seen as the guardian of policies, the rule enforcer, and the bridge between employees and leadership. But behind these corporate definitions lies a reality that is far more complex, deeply emotional, and incredibly demanding.

As women in HR, we don’t just manage policies; we manage people, emotions, and aspirations. We juggle being empathetic and being firm, being supportive and being assertive, being understanding and being decisive. We are expected to be the pillar of support when an employee faces personal loss, the financial advisor when a colleague needs help, the medical consultant in emergencies, and the counselor to those who need a listening ear.

Yet, at the same time, we must also be the ones delivering difficult messages. It’s not easy telling a woman colleague, “You need to step up your game,” or informing a male employee that he is not meeting performance expectations. The challenge is in balancing firmness with fairness, authority with approachability. And all of this, while navigating our own career paths, breaking glass ceilings, and ensuring we are not just seen as HR professionals but as leaders in our own right.

For HR moms, HR single women, HR married women, and every woman in this profession—this is no small feat. The constant expectation to be available, to be neutral, to be understanding, yet to drive performance, can be exhausting. Bias, whether unconscious or systemic, is a reality we must combat every day—not just in others, but within ourselves. It is natural to feel empathy, to feel the weight of someone else’s struggles, but we must ensure that fairness, not bias, guides our decisions.

The real success of a woman in HR is not just in executing policies but in ensuring that every employee—man or woman—feels valued, heard, and appreciated, all while keeping the company’s goals in sight. It is about creating a culture where we are recognized not just for our gender, but for our competence, our expertise, and our leadership.

So, here’s a shoutout to all the HR women leaders out there—those who hold teams together, who make workplaces better, and who continue to push boundaries while balancing their own aspirations. We see you, we acknowledge you, and we celebrate you. Because what we do is not easy, and it never will be. But we do it anyway—and we do it well.

(The author Gayatri Gopakumar, an HR professional with 15 years of experience, is leading the Human Resources function at Asianet News Network.)