Who Supports the Supporters? The Quiet Burnout of HR Workers

“Who does HR turn to, when they are the ones breaking down?”

Valentina Gregoriou | Chartered MCIPD

Group HR Manager | Chartered MCIPD · October 23rd, 2025 · 7 min read

Who does HR turn to when they are the ones breaking down? This piece is about the quiet burnout being experienced by HR employees, the emotional backbone of every Company that is simply expected to hold it together and keep going, until they silently unravel. A call for recognition, support, and care for the caregivers, because we cannot create healthy workplaces while our own in tatters.
 
 
                   Who Supports the Supporters? The Quiet Burnout of HR Workers.
 
 
In professional terms, the HR department tends to be the emotional buttress of a Company. HR professionals are supposed to have everything under control, remain calm, be approachable and diplomatic no matter what, and be available 24/7. We are trained to promote employee wellness, dialogue, positive workplace culture. When the advocate becomes the one who needs help, what then? So, what happens when HR runs into a crisis problem and they're feeling too much pressure and just can't anymore?This article, it’s not just about burnout, it is about an even deeper silence that prevails in our HR community. It’s a story of a truth that not many people want to acknowledge: The people who are there to support others are often not well-supported themselves. I offer this, not only as a professional reflection, but as a very personal one. Because yes, even caregivers, yes, even HR need care. Few years ago, I was working as an HR Assistant at a Company in the aviation industry. It was an exciting place from the outside, fast-paced, international, oozing potential. But behind the scenes, the reality was quite different.Their culture has been that of urgency without architecture, of demands without direction and of expectations without empathy. The culture was all ASAPs, and you were making decisions that were responsive instead of intentional. This toxic culture of speed and pressure left no time for considered reflection and did nothing for sustainable development. Instead, it produced anxiety, defensiveness and chronic disquiet. So, it generated a climate of fear in which people were unable to distinguish urgency from importance, and where all communication disappeared.As the only HR support in the office, I wore many hats: recruiter, therapist, firefighter. I was picking up middle-of-the-night phone calls from managers, breaking up team conflicts and taking on the emotional baggage of employees who had no one else to turn to. I worked myself to the bone every day, thinking I had something to prove, that they had to feel sure of my fealty, my abilities, my commitment.The only thing I didn’t know is that I was gradually dissolving. My mental clarity faded. I stopped sleeping well. I was getting irritable and anxious, but I couldn’t let it show. I mean, I was the one championing mental health and work-life balance, was I not? How could I tell them I was drowning, unable to breathe under my own weight of all my obligations? That’s the cruel paradox of a caregiving role: The more you give, the more is required, until you’re tapped out.My personal life also went off the rails. I was emotionally not present, always tired and more and more disconnected from myself. My sense of identity had become wrapped up so tightly in my position that I had lost sight of being anything other than “the HR.” I overextended my welcome. Not because I was happy, but because I felt guilty about abandoning a team that needed assistance. Ironically, it was my sense of responsibility that worked against me.My story is not unique.In fact, it is alarmingly common.Burnout is a systemic risk for HR practitioners, not just a personal failure. We’re supposed to handle emotional labour without airing any of our own emotional needs. We are expected to fight for health and wellness while we silently abandon our own. And as the one who has the answers, an unwritten rule is that you cannot be the one with the problem.There are quite a few causes. For instance, there’s the emotional load. We’re so frequently mediating, de-escalating and supporting others through their struggles. Although significant, these are emotionally exhausting responsibilities. Second, as mentioned, HR occupies this liminal space where we are not exactly management, nor the staff. We are emblematic and are supposed to be impartial, and yet loyal, firm, yet understanding. This oppressive balancing act leads to role ambiguity and internal discord. Third, and by far the most destructive, at many organisations there’s a culture of toxic urgency: everything is “urgent,” while thoughtful work takes a back seat. In those circumstances, HR is not strategic; it is reactive. We have to operate in emergency mode and end up not having the time or the possibility of building long-term solutions. The cumulative impact? Severe fatigue and exhaustion, feeling disconnected emotionally and then your confidence is undermined every day. Research supports this: A 2022 study by Workvivo found that 98% of HR professionals have experienced burnout at some stage in their careers.The emotional toll is real, and yet so often belittled. Burnout is not a badge of honour, people. It’s a sign that something is structurally wrong with the system and with the way we treat our caregivers.It was inevitable that something would have to break. I left the company. It was not a dramatic exit, but it was a vital one. It was only after I walked away that I realised how depleted I had become. I spent time reflecting, recovering and rebuilding. I started setting boundaries. I re-envisioned what success meant to me.And then something transformational happened: I changed inside and out. I found joy in my work in healthier environments. I began to feel inspired, creative, and engaged. I started collaborating with those who valued dialogue over diktat, trust over control, collaboration over carnage. The shift was obvious, I spoke more clearly, stood straighter, smiled more and at last, I felt like myself again.The truth is that toxic environments drain us. They dim our light. They make us unaware of ourselves. But supportive, respectful workplaces? They do the opposite. They bring us back to life. They’re role models for what we can become when we’re seen, supported and safe.Most importantly, I began to champion a message I had long ignored: that HR professionals, caregivers in every sense, must also be cared for. We cannot pour from an empty cup. And we should never be expected to.Burnout in HR isn’t supposed to happen, but it probably will unless both organisations and HR professionals themselves take proactive steps.Organisations must include HR in wellbeing programs. Too often, HR is only seen as the facilitator, when in fact we must be considered as participants. Confidential mental health support, coaching, and safe spaces to talk should be made available to HR just like any other team.The importance of acknowledging emotional labour is equally high. It's not just the administrative or checking-the-box HR. It is emotional work. Awareness of this can result in more empathetic planning and resourcing. Culturally, we need to stop worshipping urgency. Operating in crisis mode 24/7 is not something that can be maintained.Effective productivity and innovation come when focused people and teams are given freedom to let their minds be free on solving problems and creating.Also for HR professionals: Time to draw the line for ourselves as much as we do for other people. We are not machines. We are not immune. We can ask for help. In fact, we must. Connect with your peers. Find mentors. Talk openly. Rest without guilt. These aren’t indulgences, they’re survival implements.Being in HR is a deeply meaningful profession. We have the opportunity to shape culture, influence lives, and build better workplaces. But we cannot do that if we ourselves are broken, exhausted, or invisible.The question I once asked myself still lingers: Where does the HR professional go when they need help?I hope that time will give me the answer and that organisations will involve more empathy, provide more support, and encourage more to talk about our own needs, out loud.Because, in the end, burnout is not solely an individual experience, but rather a collective failure to care for our caregivers. And the folks who back everybody else? They, too, deserve support.
 
 
By Valentina Gregoriou for Top HR Voices of Cyprus

Talent Development and Employer Branding are not just perks; they are a business strategy.

“Invest in people and be honest about what they are joining.”

Marie Pavlou (MSc - ACyHRMA- ABNLP)

Head of HR & Talent Acquisition Management · October 16th, 2025 · 5 min read

We always discuss about the competitive talent market, and the talent war is becoming more and more visible. Many companies, in order to attract candidates, focus on shining branding strategies, and they still wonder why retention is low. I have seen it repeatedly, with job advertisements that promise “growth”, “collaboration” and “people-first culture” but once candidates join there is no strategy for development, no feedback loops and no real investment in people after the onboarding process.I have spent over a decade working across HR and recruitment, both in-house and externally. And what I have learned is that the most effective employer brand is the one that is starting to built from the inside first. Which means working on action and how employees are supported, developed, and empowered after their first day.This is where talent development and employer branding intersect. They are not two separate initiatives. They are part of the same strategy, and when treated properly, they become the strongest tools for attraction and retention.
 Talent Development as a strategy not just a PerkAt one of the tech companies I worked with, we were facing increasing turnover. Talented people were joining with excitement, but many were leaving within a year. After listening closely to employees feedback, through surveys and face to face meetings, we realized that they couldn’t see a future or development beyond their current roles.We wanted to act, and we needed to do something fast. Then we introduced a talent development plan that was focused on:
• Internal mobility: Employees could apply for roles across departments.
• Transparent requirements: We were publishing job criteria internally so people knew what was needed to be considered in internal roles.
• Salaries were published internally for all the positions
• Personalized development plans: We supported their upskilling goals by providing learning and development tools, and tracked progress openly.The result was exciting, and we could see that people were more engaged, and we could easily understand their needs but most importantly we could act fast. People stopped looking elsewhere, not because we asked them to, but because they saw we were caring and investing in their growth.Talent development is not about handing out promotions. It’s about creating an ecosystem internally where growth is possible, and where people feel trusted and supported.
 Employer Branding needs to be realWith technology, candidates do their own research online about Companies. They can sense when a brand is not real, when the values on your website do not match your Glassdoor reviews, or even worse, their interview experience.A strong employer brand is not what you say, it’s what your people confirm.I experienced organizations investing heavily in recruitment marketing while ignoring internal culture. But when those employees eventually leave, their voices speak louder than any campaign. And you know why? Because the real stories travel faster than ready made slogans.Your employer branding must start with your real truth.If your internal processes are not ready to support development, avoid advertising “growth culture” or “professional development”. If leadership is in transition, avoid promising “stability.” Candidates appreciate honesty, and in my experience, it builds trust long before they join. From personal experience, when Covid came into our lives, we needed to fire the most of our employees, and when we started hiring again, we were honest with candidates, that due to Covid things changed and we are understaffed and people could really understand the struggle of the Company but also our vision. Just keep in mind that candidates can even feel the vibes in interviews, they can also identify the frustration of employees while they are visiting the premises of the Organization or the wrong promises in the job descriptions while they are asking questions and they don’t get proper answers.If what you say and what you do are aligned, you do not just attract talent, you keep it.When your people feel seen, heard, and developed, they become your brand ambassadors, not because they have to, but because they believe in what you are creating internally and they follow your vision and mission.
 What we can do differently?Throughout my career, I have used the principles below and they were effective.
• Audit the gap between your brand and your reality: Ask your employees: “Does our messaging reflect your experience?”
• Give voice to your employees: Use real voices in your branding, quotes, stories, testimonials. Empower your people to shape your work culture reality.
• Make growth visible: Create online success stories of internal moves, upskilling, or cross-functional collaboration.
• Link branding KPIs to retention: Stop measuring branding only in impressions, measure it in employee trust and internal career growth and mobility.
• Be transparent and admit that things are not perfect. Just admit to employees that you are trying to fix the situation and be honest telling them that ‘We’re working on it.’ Transparency builds credibility, even when things are not perfect.The future of HR is not in policies or fancy perks, it’s in real conversations, and honest branding. If you want people to stay, show them the path. If you want them to believe in your brand, show them that what you say is what you do.In a small market like Cyprus, reputation matters. But more than that, credibility matters. When we align our internal practices with our external promises, we build something that lasts.We don’t just create a workforce.We create a workplace worth staying in and most importantly people are developing and growing.
 
 
By Marie Pavlou for Top HR Voices of Cyprus

AI, Inclusion, and the Cost of Looking Away!

“Inclusion is not just good ethics. It is good infrastructure.”

Anna Prodromou (she/her)

Expert in DEI and Communications | Winner of FORBES Women in Tech Awards 2023 · October 9th, 2025 · 6 min read

“When AI excludes, no one blinks. When DEI includes, suddenly everyone has an opinion.”
 
That says a lot about where we are, and how dangerously comfortable we’ve become with systems that appear fair but quietly reinforce the opposite.
 
Over the years, I have delivered countless workshops on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) across Cyprus and abroad. I have seen firsthand the resistance. It does not show up as angry protests or bold rejections. It appears in the quiet ways inclusion is softened, sidelined, or quietly dropped.
 
Often, the very mention of DEI triggers reactions that are rooted more in misinformation than in fact. People have been bombarded with headlines that do not reflect reality. Big, catchy titles about “diversity gone too far,” exaggerated outrage cycles, and fictional stories by fake accounts go viral for all the wrong reasons.
 
And I get it. “Blood and sperm sell.” That is how we used to describe the kinds of stories that made headlines: conflict, scandal, anything provocative. I still share this with people as a reminder that the human instinct for drama has not disappeared. It has just been upgraded, now constantly fed by social media that target our hormones far more than our logic.
 
So, it is not that people do not care, it is that they are afraid. Afraid of what it might mean to acknowledge privilege. Afraid to change how power operates. Afraid they might lose something: their comfort, their grip on power, or the excuse of not knowing. And because fear is easier to sell than complexity, the cycle keeps spinning.
 
I once had a participant in one of my workshops challenge me quite strongly during a session when the group brought up the topic of trans inclusion. It’s something that often surfaces, not because I lead with it, but because it lives strongly in people’s minds. During the break, he came up to me quietly and said, “You know, I think my eldest son is gay. I’m not negative, I’m just confused.”
 
That moment has stayed with me. It reminded me that resistance often isn’t about rejection. It’s about fear, uncertainty, or a sense of being overwhelmed. And when those feelings meet a flood of bad information, the result looks like hostility but underneath it, there’s something far more human.
 
It’s from that same place of fear and confusion that another idea keeps resurfacing: the myth of meritocracy. One of the most persistent myths I encounter in this landscape. On the surface, it seems fair. It promises to reward talent, effort, and achievement. But what we often call merit is shaped by the conditions that surround it. These include access to networks, financial stability, cultural familiarity, and even something as simple as who has been taught to speak with confidence in a boardroom. If the playing field was never level to begin with, how can we pretend the results are purely earned?
 
DEI does not lower standards. It removes the barriers that have nothing to do with ability and everything to do with legacy systems. True merit can only emerge when opportunity is genuinely accessible. Until then, the myth of meritocracy is not a neutral idea. It becomes a convenient excuse for exclusion. So, the resistant, isn’t really ideological opposition. It’s information failure.
 
What is more concerning is that this quiet resistance is no longer just a human reaction. It is being coded into the systems we rely on. While we continue to argue about the politics of inclusion, we are feeding those same flawed assumptions into our technology.
 
Artificial intelligence is already shaping decisions about who gets hired, who gets a loan, who receives healthcare follow-ups, and who gets quietly overlooked. These systems are not just managing recruitment or employee performance. They are used to determine eligibility for insurance, assess creditworthiness, flag fraudulent transactions, predict student performance, and even recommend sentencing in criminal justice systems. Very often, all of this happens with little transparency and limited accountability.
 
Built on historical data, AI tools tend to reinforce historical biases. If past data favoured certain education backgrounds, zip codes, speech patterns, or spending habits, the system will likely do the same. It will simply do it faster, and under the guise of objectivity. And because it is a machine, people assume it must be fair.
 
As a researcher in Human-Computer Interaction, I have studied these dynamics closely. As a consultant, I have watched organizations adopt AI systems that promise neutrality while quietly sorting people out based on outdated ideas of who belongs. I have seen name-based bias in CV filters. I have seen voice recognition tools fail multilingual speakers or misinterpret accents. I have seen credit scoring models downgrade individuals based on postal code. And it is easy to miss, because it happens in the background, hidden in systems we are told to trust.
 
That is exactly why conversations about innovation in Cyprus cannot afford to ignore inclusion. And we do talk a lot about innovation here. We talk about being globally competitive. We talk about becoming a regional tech and business hub. But none of that is sustainable unless we also confront how opportunity is distributed. Inclusion is not the opposite of performance. It is the mechanism through which performance scales.
 
Right now, we are trying to run twenty-first century organizations using twentieth century structures, powered by nineteenth century social norms. That is not tradition. That is stagnation. In a country as small and resource constrained as Cyprus, we simply cannot afford to keep recycling the same people in the same rooms, clapping for the same names, and calling it progress. We need new voices, new data, and new structures. Not by accident, but by design. Not because it looks good in a report, but because it makes us smarter, faster, and more resilient.
 
This is not about political correctness. It is about survival. It is about growth. It is about
relevance. It is about making sure Cyprus does not fall behind, not just in technology, but in fairness, innovation, and leadership.
 
Inclusion is not just good ethics. It is good infrastructure.
 
And it is the only way forward.
 
 
By Anna Prodromou for Top HR Voices of Cyprus

"AI Did Not Replace HR, It Exposed It."

“The biggest risk right now isn’t losing your job to AI. It’s becoming invisible while the systems evolve around you.”

Anca Ioana Ionescu

Strategic HR & AI Advisor | Revenue Role Method™ Creator · October 2nd, 2025 · 5 min read

There’s a lot of talk about AI replacing HR.But if you’ve been in the trenches, the real ones, you know the truth is more uncomfortable than that. AI didn't replace HR. It exposed it. It exposed the inefficiencies. The endless admin cycles disguised as strategy. The annual reviews that changed no one’s path. The HRBPs who couldn't read a P&L or explain a compensation plan. The professionals who were respected, but not remembered when it was time to shape the business.For years, HR was allowed to be vague. Empathetic, yes. But often vague. Now, AI has drawn a harsh but necessary line between being nice and being needed.
 
 
The Great ExposureAI didn't walk into HR and say “I’ll do your job.” It said, “Show me your inputs.” And for many, there wasn't much to show.When a tool can draft a policy, structure a performance process, or generate behavioural questions faster than a seasoned HR manager, it forces a reckoning. What are we actually here to do? Because the answer is no longer “facilitate.” It’s “drive.”
 
 
Performed vs. Real HRHere’s the truth no one wants to say out loud: some of the loudest HR voices were always performative. Some of the quietest ones were always doing the real work, fixing broken teams, navigating politics, mentoring underpaid talents in silence. But they stayed behind the scenes for too long.And when the algorithm came, it didn't recognize loyalty. It recognized visibility. It rewarded those who showed outcomes. Systems. Strategy. Data. Movement. The rest? It filtered out as static.
 
 
What Real HR Looks Like NowThe HR leader of today isn't just emotionally intelligent. They’re tech-literate, revenue-aware, and process-sharp. They move through the org like a strategist, not a support act. They use AI, yes, but not to replace themselves. They use it to buy back time, get sharper insight, and finally scale the impact they've always had. No more relying on gut alone. No more waiting for a seat at the table. They bring the table.
 
 
The Cost of Staying InvisibleLet’s be honest, the biggest risk right now isn't losing your job to AI. It’s becoming invisible while the systems evolve around you.The HR professional who waits for “things to settle”? They’ll be reporting to the one who didn't. Invisibility isn't humility. It’s a gamble. And in this new world, the loudest person isn't winning, but the visible, strategic one is.
 
 
A New Kind of HR VoiceWe don’t need saviours. We need system builders.We don’t need viral posts. We need visible, repeatable impact.And we don’t need to fight AI. We need to partner with it, to finally get the space, speed, and insight to do what HR was always meant to do: shape culture, shift business & and be the reason people stay, or grow.
 
 
Let’s stop asking if HR is deadAsk instead, what version of HR are you still clinging to? Because if it’s the one that hides behind process and politics, AI won’t kill it. Relevance will.
 
 
By Anca Ioana Ionescu for Top HR Voices of Cyprus

"Leadership with Heart: When HR Stops Playing It Safe"

"HR is not a function. It’s a force for human transformation."

Christine A. Virardi

HR Director | iGaming | Sportsbook | Fin & Tech · September 25, 2025 · 6 min read

THRV: Christine, If you could give your younger self one piece of advice about professional success and happiness, what would it be?C.V: Until recently, I somehow connected success to getting the next title and the next, as if the title itself would make me successful and happier.A few days ago, I was listening to an episode of The Diary of a CEO where Steven Bartlett talked with Master Shi Heng Yi, a Shaolin monk, about success and happiness. There was something the monk said that really stuck with me.Steven asked him, “Are you happy?” and the monk replied, “It’s a difficult question. I’m not searching for happiness. I’m searching for peace.” He explained that if there is happiness, there is also sadness; if something can rise, something must fall; if you can attain something, there is something to lose. So, from his perspective, happiness and success are hard to pin down and express.He said if he is happy where he is standing, then yes, he is happy but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have hard moments. Of course, he does. That’s why what he’s ultimately looking for is peace.That really made me rethink how I define success, not as a series of titles or achievements, but as finding peace in the journey, no matter what challenges come along.
 THRV: What's been your most defining career moment so far?C.V: Starting HRLadderBox was my defining moment.In January 2025, I walked away from the kind of job most people hold on to.My mindset was heading somewhere else toward something that felt exciting and, honestly, terrifying. Becoming a Founder came with no guarantees. What I had was a strong gut feeling and the influence of my loved ones some of whom are successful entrepreneurs that never waited for the “perfect moment.”What pushed me even more was what I kept seeing in the market, especially in tech and iGaming. Too many companies are struggling to connect the dots: hiring the right people, shaping a real HR strategy, building a culture with structure and having that
spark to make things happen. So, launching HRLadderBox gave me the freedom to build something that helps businesses grow the right way, with people at the core.
 THRV: What's the biggest misconception people have about what you do as an HR?C.V: Someone once told me HR is “the biggest cancer” in a company. It was said during lunch, and I almost choked on my salad!That’s a harsh statement, but honestly, it comes from places where HR is nothing more than a hiring and firing department, focused on control and paperwork, with no real voice or influence.In my opinion, how people see HR depends entirely on the environment it operates in. When HR is empowered, it becomes a crucial partner in a company’s success.That said, holding this role requires real courage and strong character to handle all the challenges and responsibilities that come with it.
 THRV: How would they describe you as a Leader?C.V: The kind of Manager who fights for her team behind the scenes.For me, character always comes first. When I see someone working hard and pushing their comfort zone, I make it my mission to help them grow. I’ve been their coach, mentor, and at times, their psychologist giving them the confidence to take on uncomfortable challenges and, most importantly, not settle for average.Sugarcoating and office politics are not my cup of tea and throughout my career I’ve had to call out team members who weren’t growing, contributing enough, or pulling their weight even when it was uncomfortable, even when it cost me professionally.’d rather be known as someone who faces issues head-on than as someone who hides problems under the carpet and lets them be.
 THRV: If you had to step into a startup with zero HR in place what’s the first thing you would fix?C.V: I would sit with the leadership and ask: What are you trying to build, and how do you want people to behave while building it?Most of the time, companies focus on hiring fast, creating job titles, and setting KPIs, but forget to define what kind of culture will support the growth they want. So we start with vision and business goals and then we build out the structure, define roles, clarify expectations, and put performance frameworks in place. And it’s not about creating bureaucracy, it’s about giving clarity. When people know how they’ll be measured, what good looks like, and how to grow, they stop guessing and start performing.
 THRV: Ultimately, what does it take to build a “strong” company culture?C.V: Creating a strong culture isn’t something that happens overnight. It starts with a mindset shift from the top and an understanding that culture needs constant refinement.In one of my recent podcast videos (link) I was saying that company culture should be approached the same way you build and launch a product.To build it, you first need to diagnose what’s not working well. Only then can you address what needs to be fixed and from that point on, you develop the processes, decision-making, branding, organizational structure, everything that connects back to optimizing your culture.This is exactly the kind of work I focus on when stepping into organizations to help them scale with people at their core.
 THRV: Speaking of “people at the core” what does phrase this really mean to you?C.V: It means not seeing your people as a payroll resource. It means designing your business in a way where your people can thrive and your business wins as a result. I’ve seen what happens when people are stuck in messy org charts, unclear roles, or under poor leadership. You lose energy, ideas, and eventually your best talent. When I say, “people at the core,” it means putting in the systems, the strategy, and the mindset that allow people to stretch, grow, contribute, and belong.
 THRV: I am curious to know, how do you manage the demands of your role as a Founder & HR Director while making time for your family?C.V: I’ve been very lucky to have Michael by my side not just as my husband, but truly as my best friend. He’s been there through every stage, quietly supporting me, especially during the more intense moments of my career and later, when I made the decision to start my own company.I still remember when we had our first son, Rolando. He was only four months old when I got an unexpected offer to join a Forex company. I left the house in tears, leaving my baby behind to go to work. But Michael gently encouraged me, reminding me that it was okay to pursue opportunities and that he was there with me.There have been many moments like that over the years. And now, as a proud mother of three—two of whom are twins (!) I still haven’t discovered a perfect formula for balance. Maybe there isn’t one. What I’ve learned instead is that it’s all about constant prioritization being honest with yourself about what truly matters in that moment and adjusting as you go.
 
 
By Christine A. Virardi for Top HR Voices of Cyprus

"Drop the 'family talk' and start building a winning team instead"

"If not a family, what should a great workplace feel like? A team. A really good one!"

Vaso Vardaki

Executive Coach & Consultant, www.vasovardaki.com · September 18, 2025 · 8 min read

In the beginning of my career, on my first day at a new job, the manager said: “Welcome to the family.”I have to admit that at first, it sounded warm. Comforting. Like I’d just scored myself a new set of lifelong siblings who would have my back no matter what.But very soon, I realized this was far from the truth. The intention was good, but the reality was very different. Now, years later, I can confidently say that work is not a family, and if you’re a leader trying to lead like a “parent,” that can actually hurt your culture.Families are built on unconditional love (or at least they should be). Teams are supposed to be built on shared purpose and performance. When we blur those lines, leaders may fall into the trap of avoiding tough conversations because they don’t want to “hurt feelings,” and teams may fall into the “family zone,” not challenging themselves enough to grow.Loyalty gets valued over results. And suddenly, you’ve got a workplace where people stay not because they’re thriving, but because they feel comfortable and sometimes guilty leaving. That’s not healthy for anyone, not for the organization, not for the people in it, and definitely not for your results.
 The Illusion of the “Work Family”Let’s acknowledge something: The “we’re a family here” mantra is usually well‑intentioned. Leaders want people to feel safe, part of something bigger than themselves but they often confuse psychological safety with artificial harmony, lack of conflict and staying in the comfort zone.We know now that the “family” metaphor comes at a hidden cost. Joshua A. Luna in Harvard Business Review points out that branding your workplace as a family often creates emotional obligations that don’t belong in a professional setting.In real families, belonging isn’t conditional, it’s permanent. At work, performance, contribution, and alignment matter. Mixing those two ideas can lead to unhealthy dynamics, such as: 
• False security: Employees expect unconditional belonging, making it harder to address underperformance or necessary exits.
• Avoidance of tough conversations: Leaders hesitate to give direct feedback because it feels like betraying or hurting “family.”
• Blurred boundaries: Employees feel pressured to sacrifice personal time or accept poor conditions out of loyalty.The result might be people getting trapped in guilt-driven commitments, accountability slipping, and favoritism creeping in under the guise of “we look out for our own.”That’s not genuine care, that’s confusion.
 The Netflix CaseIf not a family, what should a great workplace feel like?A team. A really good one.Netflix made this philosophy famous in their original 2009 Culture Deck, and they’ve doubled down on it in their updated 2024 Culture Memo: “We model ourselves on a professional sports team, not a family.” It’s not cold. It’s not harsh. It’s a mindset that says: We choose excellence over entitlement. Every person on the team earns their spot by contributing at a high level. We’re united by purpose, not unconditional ties. We’re here to win together, not just to stay together. We’re honest with each other, even when it’s uncomfortable. Great teams don’t shy away from difficult conversations because they make everyone stronger.”Think about the difference: on a sports team, you know your role, you know what success looks like, and you know your coach wants you to grow. When you shine, everyone celebrates it. When you struggle, you get support, but you’re also expected to step up. That mix of clarity, accountability, and trust is what builds both performance and real connection.
 How leaders can shift from “family” to “team” cultureChanging the metaphor is the first step in changing the culture. Leaders can make the shift without losing the human warmth everyone actually wants at work and below I am going to give you some hinds on how to do it best:• Set clear roles and expectations: Families love you no matter what you do. Teams thrive on clarity: What’s my job? What’s the goal? What does success look like? Ambiguity breeds frustration and politics. Clear roles create focus and fairness.• Build psychological safety, not emotional pressure: It’s about feeling safe to speak up, disagree, take risks, and fail without fear of humiliation or judgment. Google’s long-term research on high-performing teams found psychological safety is the #1 factor in success. Leaders create it by listening, modeling vulnerability, and rewarding honesty.• Celebrate contribution and growth: In families, seniority matters. At work, it shouldn’t. Teams should celebrate impact, not tenure. Recognize people for their ideas, their courage to challenge the status quo, their growth, not just their years of service or loyalty to the “work family.”• Coach, don’t parent: Employees don’t need a “work mom” or an “office dad.” They need leaders who coach them to unlock their best thinking. Coaching means being able to listen deeply and ask powerful questions, giving constructive and positive feedback effectively, and helping people make smart decisions, not “saving” them from discomfort or making choices for them and definitely not being the “heroes” and the “problem solvers” for people around them.• Make exits feel normal and healthy, not shameful: Healthy teams make room for change without guilt or blame. People move on to find better fits, or leaders decide to release someone to a place where they can thrive. Again I am using Netflix as an example. They uses the “keeper test”. Every leader should ask themselves “would I fight to keep this person if they were considering leaving?” If not, it’s time for an honest conversation to address the need for improvement. Done respectfully, this keeps standards high and relationships intact.• A Better kind of belonging: Here’s the truth: teams don’t need to feel like families to feel human. We can build workplaces where people feel respected, trusted, and connected without tying that bond to unconditional, forever-and-ever loyalty. In fact, that’s often what makes them safe and inspiring places to work: no guilt, no grey areas, just clear purpose and genuine support.When you stop calling your team a “family”, you open the door to something else. You create a culture where belonging is earned through contribution, where people stay because they’re growing and thriving and not because they’re afraid to leave “home.”Families are wonderful. But work isn’t family, and it shouldn’t try to be. What people truly need from their leaders is fairness, trust, and clarity, not fake family vibes. Drop the family talk. Build a team that plays to win, plays together, and plays for something bigger than themselves.
 
 
By Vaso Vardaki for Top HR Voices of Cyprus

"From HR to the Boardroom – Truths, Struggles & Real Advice for Women"

"Break Barriers. Be Unstoppable."

Marianna Hadjiandoniou

Founder & Director, PERHA Group (CY & UAE) · September 11, 2025 · 4 min read

THV: Where did your professional journey begin?MH: My journey didn’t begin in a boardroom or follow anyone’s fast track. It began the moment I decided to rebuild my life—personally and professionally—after everything changed. I was divorced when my twin boys were just 15 months old. At the time, I was at the peak of my career, but I chose to pause everything for four years to raise them on my own.When I stepped back into the business world, nothing was handed to me. I had to carve out my place again. And it wasn’t just about managing calendars or workloads—it was about battling self-doubt, pushing back against assumptions, and proving that full-time mothers can also lead full-time in business. I believe that with hard work and dedication, one can achieve one's goals, and this is the truth of my journey.


THV: What was the hardest part of breaking into boardrooms as a woman?MH: The biggest challenge was constantly being underestimated. In the early days, HR was rarely viewed as strategic, and women who led with empathy were often seen as “soft.” I was often the only woman in the room, expected to take notes rather than make decisions. But I refused to let that define me. Every time I walked in, I made sure my presence had purpose, and my voice weight.Working in industries like telecommunications, hospitality, healthcare, fintech, shipping, and forex required adaptability and courage, and I had to earn the right to be heard. HR was often seen as administrative, not strategic. I spent years proving otherwise—introducing people-first practices, facing resistance, failing fast, and trying again until the results spoke louder than the doubt.


THV:How did you transform your experiences into something bigger?MH: I built PERHA Group from everything I learned (and unlearned). Through PERHA, I help companies do HR differently: more human, more impactful, more forward-looking.And beyond my business, I’ve committed to service:
- I serve on the Executive Committee of the Cyprus International Businesses Association (CIBA),
- I sit on the Board of CYENS, shaping innovation and research,
- I’m the General Secretary of the Cyprus National Paralympic Committee
- I’m an Accredited Trainer by HRDA (Human Resource Development Authority of Cyprus), and I support the next generation of leaders through mentorship, support, and empowerment
- I’m a Member of the Committee and Vice Presidency for Technology and Innovation within the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- I volunteer with Red Cross
- And I support One Dream One Wish, granting wishes to children with cancer.For me, success only matters if it uplifts others.


THV: How do you balance leadership with personal life—especially during difficult times?MH: The truth is, balance isn’t always graceful. It’s not a perfectly symmetrical equation, especially when you’re raising children alone. There have been days when I left the Oncology Center after visiting my father—who fought cancer for 16 years—and walked straight into a boardroom meeting. Not because I had to pretend everything was fine, but because I had learned to honor both spaces: the personal and the professional. I believe that kind of duality—carrying deep emotion and still showing up with strength—is part of what defines human leadership.Motherhood shaped the way I lead. It taught me compassion, endurance, and how to move forward even when things feel overwhelming. It also taught me that being unstoppable doesn’t mean never falling—it means getting up, again and again, and staying true to your values even when no one is watching.


THV: What’s your most real advice for women in business?MH: Don’t wait for the perfect time or the perfect version of yourself. Start from where you are, even if it feels messy or uncertain. You can pause, you can even step away—and still make it to the boardroom.You don’t have to choose between being a devoted mother and a powerful leader. You can be both. Build a support system, invest in your growth, and don’t let anyone make you feel like you have to shrink to fit the room.If the door won’t open for you, build your own. Be wise enough to ask for help, and bold enough to believe in your voice. Because real leadership isn’t about perfection—it’s about authenticity. It’s about rising with integrity and lifting others as you go.


THV: What kind of leadership does the future need?MH: I believe we need leaders who listen more than they speak, who create space for diversity of thought, and who lead with empathy, courage, and clarity. Human leadership, not performative. That’s what I strive to model every day.My vision is to see more women redefining leadership on their terms. Not just surviving at the table, but reshaping it. Because success in the boardroom shouldn’t come at the cost of who you are. And every time we show up as our whole selves, we break another barrier. And that’s exactly what I intend to keep doing."Break barriers. Be unstoppable."Let that be the invitation—for every woman who dreams of more, doubts herself, and keeps going anyway.Your story is powerful. Use it.
 
 
By Marianna Hadjiandoniou for Top HR Voices of Cyprus

"Smaller Teams, Bigger Stakes: The New HR Reality"

"With AI eating the paperwork, what remains for HR is people, culture, and teams."

Pavel Shynkarenko

Founder and CEO of Mellow.io · September 04, 2025 · 7 min read

Automation Is Eating the PaperworkThe biggest paradox of today’s HR is that many professionals don’t spend a lot of time working with their teams in practice. Operating globally from hubs like Cyprus, we see that a lot of HR departments of our clients are drowned by bureaucracy, presentations, reports, paperwork — non‑human things — and we tend to think it’s normal. I believe that era is closing fast.Even now, LLM models work with information better than any of us. They can create a job description based on one word, fill out forms for tax payments, and scour the perfect candidate across all channels. Still, it does not work as a system, but rather as a set of non‑synchronous tools where a person (HR) acts as a connector.We also have a lot of concerns about this technology, especially in Europe, despite it delivering magical results. When an LLM hallucinates, even one mistake is enough to say, “It’s too risky, we need to double‑check it with a human.”It’s okay, we need time. I would say two years or so. In two years, HR will be a completely different job.When a bot inside Slack can generate a payslip for a Cyprus employee, approve vacation, and file a tax form on the fly, the ground shifts entirely. All micro‑tasks collapse into one HR brain that lives where employees already live. Integration pain and duplicated data will force the market into a few big platforms that swallow the best ideas and let the rest wither. When that happens, every rule‑based task — from multi‑country tax withholding to offer‑letter generation — turns into a prompt and a click.Unlike the emergence of yet another SaaS platform that has been popping up for the past 15 years, an LLM agent that can proactively perform tasks dramatically changes business processes and economics. Solving tasks otherwise will become inefficient, and the C‑suite will think about it and remind teams about it all the time.I don’t think HR will be the first department where we will see such a solution emerge; most likely, it will affect product teams or marketing first. Many companies in Cyprus, like LearnWorlds, already have integrated AI into their workflows.Still, the AI revolution won’t stop at a product note. Progress can never be stopped, only slowed down — which particularly happens with EU laws. Even Gartner expects 75 percent of routine HR inquiries to reach chatbots first by 2025.What will be left for HR professionals? People. Culture. Teams.With the advent of AI tools that solve algorithmic problems, the number of humans on teams will shrink. We are generally already seeing a trend of people preferring to work in smaller teams, and micro‑companies are increasingly raising investments. Speed and agility are becoming even more important than before.Each such small team will need to understand where the company is going on the one hand, and on the other hand, to keep up its speed, hear each other, and work together. I’m sure the latter will be a particularly big challenge as there will be a large number of generalist experts who can do many things at once, thanks to AI.For example, while we used to see content teams divided into copywriters, designers, videographers, gradually those boundaries are being washed away more and more. With AI, you can create video, audio, and text. And when you get such a large number of generalists, they start to encroach on each other’s space and clash, because everyone knows how the work can be solved. HR will have to deal with building relationships between such architects so that they can help each other achieve the results.Another important job to be done is the intercom, the role of which is growing just catastrophically. And we see it now from the history of layoffs that are already taking place against the background of the mass introduction of AI, and these layoffs are likely to be more and more. Accordingly, HR will have to properly communicate layoffs to people, build transparent communication, and organize the change‑management process in general.From Process Custodian to Culture ArchitectI’m sure the trend toward smaller teams will affect HR as well. The current benchmark is about  2 HR professionals per 100 employees. Strip out payroll runs, benefits enrolment, and paperwork, and that ratio falls even further.There will be less work to do, and the work will be different. People ops will have to think on the one hand about how to change their flow of work, which is a very big challenge for everybody, not only for HR teams, but for all of us. On the other hand, you will have to deal with human relations, people’s skills, and their mental condition on a different level.The good news is that AI will not be able to replace human relationships yet — even through a couple of levels of automation, which we are likely to see for ourselves in the next 5–10 years. Because working with people is the uncertainty of uncertainty. It cannot be algorithmized.I encourage HRs to think of technology as a way to solve non‑human problems, and don’t be afraid of it. The pace of the future moves so fast, but we still have time to harness technology, so our future will be human‑centric.

"I’m an entrepreneur and product builder who has spent more than a decade at the crossroads of fintech, legal‑tech, and HR‑tech. Today, my company, Mellow.io, helps over a thousand businesses find, hire, pay, and manage a flexible workforce. As I spent time talking with HR teams, both internally and externally, and increasingly communicating with AI, I have come to some conclusions about technology that I would like to share with you."
 
 
By Pavel Shynkarenko for Top HR Voices of Cyprus