I can’t figure out why “personnel” switched to “human resources.” Who is the genius behind this brilliant renaming scam?

Today I had to go and take care of some “life change event” paperwork (that means I needed to add my family to my medical insurance plan–and what a deal it is at $836/mo.!). What I mean to say is that we’ve lost our medical coverage through my husband’s employer who laid him off in mid June (and by the way, why do we say, “he lost his job,” and not “the employer lost their employee?” I’d say that’s a much better fit since the employers are usually laying off good, intelligent, hard-working people. But, I digress). According to someone (no one really wants to take responsibility for it so I say, “someone”), this qualifies as a life changing event, and as such I am entitled to make sure my family has medical coverage by adding them to my own when it is not open enrollment (for benefits).

So, there I am sitting in the HR Benefits rep’s office (stale and full of stacks of papers), trying to make light of the reason I’m there (because my husband lost his job, serious stuff), going down the wonderfully confusing form trying to make sure I’m requesting the right services. Do you think this person shows me an ounce of empathy? A smidgen of consideration? The tiniest of sympathy smiles?

No.

Wait. She did look up their social security numbers so I could submit the form.

I finished. I made another little joke (still trying to lighten the mood–oh wait, shouldn’t that be her job?). Nothing. No words of encouragement. No “don’t worry, we’ll take care of this for you asap because it must be awful for your children to have no medical insurance.” No “hang in there; things will get better soon. ” Nothing. Just nothing. I left.

Now I ask, “Where is the “human” in human resources? I know I didn’t encounter one, not sure I ever have, come to think of it. Sometimes I just don’t get it.