This week, the Top10HRVoices Cyprus Edition hosts the piece “From ‘Not Your Role’ to Leading Change: Why Redefining HR Starts with Ourselves” — recognizing Eleni Aslani as The Human Experience Voice.

In this piece, she traces the journey from being seen as “just HR support” to reclaiming HR as a human, coaching-driven force that bridges business purpose and people’s potential. She reflects on outdated HR models, the role of AI, and why “people-first” cannot remain a slogan but must become an operating system.

If you’ve ever been told “that’s not your role” as an HR professional, this article will resonate.

One Tuesday morning — equal parts coffee and compromise — my line manager looked at me and said: “Your role is not for big decisions.”

Ah. There it was. HR in a nutshell.

I was early in my career, eager to contribute, idealistic and wildly optimistic. I had just proposed an idea that could genuinely help our people and the business. Thoughtful. Research-backed. No post-its or yoga gurus involved.

I wasn’t expecting praise, but I wasn’t expecting to be politely dismissed either. I left the room thinking: Maybe I don’t belong at the table. Maybe I’m just… HR support.

You know the type — scheduling trainings, updating policies, organizing company parties. (And don’t forget the branded cupcakes. HR never forgets the cupcakes.)

So, like most ambitious HR professionals with bruised egos, I went back to what we do best: Fixing things. Starting with myself.

I dove into relentless learning. If knowledge was power, I’d never be powerless again.

Degrees? Got them. Certifications? Stacked. Strategy, business, behavioral psychology, finance? All of it.

If it could earn me a voice, I was all in.

Eventually, it paid off. I earned my seat at the table — leadership meetings, real decisions. But even then… something still didn’t sit right. Because although I was finally in the room, the perception of HR hadn’t changed.

Still reactive. Still the fire-extinguishers — brought in after resignations, conflicts, and quiet quitting. We were responsible for culture and well-being, but with no actual power to shape either. Still seen as administrative support, not business-critical.

And that’s when it hit me: It was never just about how much I knew. It was about the outdated lens through which HR was seen.

The workplace has fundamentally changed — driven by AI, remote work, and new values around purpose, flexibility, and well-being.

AI is automating routine tasks. Remote work has erased geographic limits. And today’s employees, especially younger generations, are rejecting outdated leadership and transactional cultures.

HR hasn’t fallen behind. The world simply moved faster, while our traditional models stood still. They’re not broken. They’re just… Irrelevant.

Ironically, it was another certificate that rewired my thinking — Ben Whitter’s work on Holistic Employee Experience. Suddenly, it all made sense.

HR was never meant to be the company therapist/party-planner/legal-buffer. We were meant to be the bridge between human potential and business purpose.

But somewhere along the way, we got stuck in support roles while companies rebranded us as “People,” as if a label could fix a mindset. For years, organizations treated people like resources — to be measured, optimized, rotated, replaced.

But today? In a world where employees choose their employers, where Gen Z swipes left on toxic workplaces, and where remote work turned the office into a Wi-Fi signal — our old HR models are just “vintage.”

Companies still parade around with wellness slogans, send “mental health matters” emails, and install foosball tables like it’s 2013. But behind the glitter, HR teams are quietly drowning in admin, underfunded, and expected to “create culture” by Q4 and “build employer brand” as a six-month project with PowerPoint deliverables.

We throw perks at people: yoga, smoothies, Happy Friday pizza, and we call it “employee experience.” But if your people don’t feel seen, heard, or safe? No amount of kombucha on tap will fix it.

You can’t schedule authenticity between budget reviews and KPI updates.

Eventually, I stopped waiting for someone to see me differently, and I decided to be different.

I founded Growth People Pro not as a service provider, but as a quiet rebellion. Against shallow HR. Against being the scapegoat for leadership failure. Against the idea that HR is support not strategy.

Because Business Success is Human Success. And human transformation starts with personal transformation. Trust. Self-awareness. The courage to have honest (and often messy) conversations.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, yes, AI will replace a lot of the old HR. I was waiting for it. The onboarding emails, the admin checklists, the résumé screening? Finally gone. Efficient. Automated.

AI won’t kill HR. It will reveal it.

Because AI will never replace what makes HR matter. Empathy. Connection. Insight. Energy. The human ability to look someone in the eye and say, “I believe in you.” And actually mean it.

We’re not just supporting people — we’re growing them. Not just keeping peace — we’re building trust. Not enforcing culture — we’re co-creating it.

This is where HR becomes deeply human. Not less technical, but more transformational. Coaching, emotional insight, and courageous conversations are our new tools.

Tomorrow’s HR leaders won’t be compliance officers. They’ll be behavioral scientists. Culture architects. Internal coaches.

They’ll remind organizations that “people-first” isn’t a branding move — It’s a survival strategy. The only one that AI can’t outgrow.

Let’s be honest: post-pandemic, hybrid world, remote chaos — human connection isn’t optional anymore. It’s the currency of trust. And HR? We’re holding the bank.

Every day, I meet HR professionals who are exhausted. Tired of cleaning up messes they weren’t invited to prevent. Carrying the emotional labor of a hundred conversations no one sees. Constantly told to “do more with less” and still showing up with courage.

We don’t need more perks. We need more power.

I used to think success was being accepted by the system. Now I know better. Success means outgrowing that system.

“Choose to Succeed” isn’t about ladders or titles. It’s about refusing to sit on the sidelines of your own career. It’s about trading silence for impact. Busywork for brave work. Comfort for change.

If you’ve ever been told “that’s not your role,” If you’ve ever been excluded, dismissed, or underestimated — You’re not alone. You’re not broken. You’re ahead of your time.

But staying quiet won’t change the game. Switching companies won’t either. And playing it safe? Let’s not pretend that ever worked.

So here’s your invitation: Use AI for what it’s good at — speed and structure. Use your humanity for what no machine can replace — insight, empathy, transformation.

Coach your leaders. Challenge the culture. Lead the change.

Because the future of HR isn’t a function. It’s a force. And it starts with you.

Choose to succeed.

This article was originally published on Top10HRVoices – Cyprus Edition