The HR profession often demands a delicate balance between solving today’s urgent problems and preparing for tomorrow’s success. For Laura Oliwa, head of people, culture, and administration at AMREF, Rosemary Nakuya, an HR leader at Harris International, Joansie Kinyanjui head of HR and culture at TSAVO and Sarah Omaya, director of HR at Acorn Holdings, the lows of their careers reside in difficult decisions that had to be made in quiet isolation.
HR has grown beyond handling personnel issues. It’s now about understanding people, data and business in equal measure. One must know where the organisation is going to align its people strategy with that vision.
Yet, even with this high-level strategic alignment, the human element remains the most challenging aspect of the job, particularly when leaders must enforce the very rules human resources professionals are meant to champion.
Laura Oliwa, head of people, culture, and administration at AMREF, notes that while separations are generally tough, her hardest decision involved letting go of an HR staff member due to a disciplinary matter.
“You don't expect HR to be caught up in disciplinary matters, because you're the custodian of this policy. There's also an element of embarrassment, like a mother being told her child is misbehaving,” Laura recalls.
Navigating that sense of internal embarrassment is a shared hurdle across the profession, whether a separation stems from a disciplinary breach or a senior colleague's failure to meet leadership standards.
Rosemary Nakuya, an HR leader at Harris International, similarly reflects that she had to learn to become comfortable with uncomfortable conversations. Her toughest moment was terminating a senior leader who was not meeting expectations.
“You need to be kind but direct at the same time, kind in intent, but direct in the content of the conversation. It was done in a way that the employee didn't feel embarrassed; I engaged him one-on-one, and he was able to see that the role wasn't a fit,” Rosemary adds.
While seasoned executives like Rosemary have learned to successfully balance this kindness with directness, reaching that level of professional composure is a painful journey, especially when facing these difficult conversations for the very first time.
For some, the first experience of offboarding carries the most significant emotional weight. Joansie Kinyanjui, head of HR and culture at TSAVO, recalls having to take a break and "shed a few tears" during her very first offboarding session with people she had worked with closely.
“It doesn't become easier, but you learn the reason why you're doing it and you learn how to set them up for success and not fail at that particular point in time. I always mention if they need anything even after they've left, because a relationship and a bond was formed,” Joansie says.
Preserving that underlying human bond becomes the ultimate test of leadership when an employee's professional struggles are driven by deep personal trauma, bringing the true purpose of the human resources function to its emotional climax.
Sarah Omaya, director of HR at Acorn Holdings, emphasises that when performance declines due to life events like divorce or loss, leaders must seek to understand the context rather than defaulting to the legal minimum.
“We need to humanise our leadership. Handle them correctly. You might not have the control in the decision making, but you can choose to be creative about creating a soft landing. Those are small things that make people remember they were treated well even in the hard moment,” Sarah notes
