I was speaking to a potential new client the other day. A senior HR professional, part of my network, who reached out with some organisational health concerns. The usual things: decent engagement scores, yet high absenteeism; a respected quality mark, but scathing Glassdoor reviews; strong values on paper, but no leadership buy-in; a sense of cultural stagnation quietly choking progress.

We unpacked the symptoms, then dug into the root causes - shifting employee expectations, the breakdown of traditional loyalty structures, and the rising impact of psychosocial risk. I shared how our WellWise Diagnostic doesn’t just measure wellbeing but reveals the hidden risks eroding trust, performance, and resilience across the organisation. Once I demonstrated the tool and clarified that this wasn’t another “shiny new initiative” in recycled packaging, they seemed interested.

But I still sensed hesitation.

So I asked, “What’s really holding you back?”

Their answer was honest and telling: “But what if I introduce this… and it doesn’t work? My reputation is on the line.”

That fear was tangible. And ironically, it was also the type of fear our diagnostic is designed to identify and mitigate.

This wasn’t an isolated moment. Shortly after, a partner I work with told me they'd just had the exact same conversation with another HR lead. And it got me thinking:

​The Science of Stuck

As Amy Edmondson explains, psychological safety, trust, autonomy, and a tolerance for calculated risk are foundational ingredients for innovation. These are the very conditions that allow HR professionals - or any professionals - to challenge norms, recommend change, and champion something different without fear of reputational fallout.

Yet, organisations continue to invest in leadership training, change programmes, and culture reviews designed to improve these conditions, usually led or commissioned by HR themselves. And still, nothing much changes.

Why?

Because HR is being asked to fix a system that is actively working against them.

The current context is not business as usual. It’s faster, more volatile, and deeply human. External forces - economic instability, rising mental health issues, AI disruption, and generational shifts - are reshaping the employee-employer relationship at pace. But internally? Many companies are still operating as if it’s 2005.

And the people in the best position (and expected) to address this - HR- are floundering under the weight of outdated expectations, strategic neglect, and shallow leadership engagement.

​The Real Problem: Fear and Powerlessness

Too many HR teams are being told to be bold, strategic change agents - while being treated as administrative safety nets. Leaders talk about innovation but don’t give HR the psychological safety or permission to take real risks. There’s no meaningful reward for trying something new, but plenty of blame if it doesn’t land.

This dynamic isn’t just frustrating - it’s dangerous.

Because fear and powerlessness breed stasis. And stasis, in today’s climate, is a liability.

It’s no surprise then that so many HR professionals freeze when offered something genuinely innovative. The risk isn’t just financial -it’s personal. Their reputation, their influence, even their job security is at stake.

​So, What Can Be Done?

If we want innovation in HR, we need to recalibrate the system around it. That means:

1. Give HR cover to take calculated risks. Leaders must be vocal in their support and clear in their expectations. Not just passive approvers, but active allies.

2. Create internal psychological safety. This doesn’t just apply to team members - it applies to the leadership table too. If your HR team is afraid to challenge the status quo, you’ve got a cultural red flag.

3. Incentivise experimentation. Reward effort and learning - not just outcomes. Innovation is iterative. It needs room to breathe.

4. Stop asking HR to perform miracles without resources. No innovation thrives in a vacuum. Equip the people who are responsible for change with the tools, data, and support they need to act meaningfully.

5. Get honest about what’s not working. Good engagement scores don’t mean much if burnout is high, trust is low, and nobody wants to join your company. Data without context is just theatre.

Because in a world where doing nothing is the bigger risk, the real failure isn’t trying something new. It’s staying stuck in what’s already not working.

​About WellWise

WellWise is a trusted solution provider for organisations serious about understanding and improving their people experience. In a space too often dominated by vague insights, assumptions, and surface-level surveys, WellWise brings clarity.

Our pioneering diagnostic is designed to go beyond how people feel - it reveals why those experiences exist in the first place. Built on robust science and aligned with international standards like ISO 45003, our model identifies hidden risks, strategic blind spots, and cultural pressure points that traditional tools miss.

WellWise helps businesses move from confusion to confidence - supporting leadership, strengthening culture, and turning people challenges into strategic progress.

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Bobbi Hartshorne Founder and CEO of WellWise, Speaker, Author and Podcaster ''I help forward-thinking leaders proactively assess, mitigate, and strategically manager psychosocial risks - driving measurable outcomes for thriving, resilient, and future-ready workplaces.''