Startups move fast. But when it comes to people, moving fast without thinking things through can cost you more than just time – it can wreck culture, stall growth, and even land you in legal hot water. HR is often the last thing founders want to think about… until it becomes the only thing they can think about.

Here are 10 classic HR facepalms we see startups make over and over again – each one a cautionary tale (and totally avoidable):

1. Thinking HR = Hiring Only
   They confuse HR with Recruitment, forgetting it’s also about culture, compliance, retention, and performance.
   
2. Bringing HR in after things go sideways
   “Oh we need an HR person… because we just had a staff complaint/legal issue/mass walkout.” Too little, too late.
   
3. Appointing the Office Manager as ‘HR’
   Lovely person, great at admin… but not equipped to handle complex people issues or build a long-term people strategy.
   
4. Ignoring the ‘H’ in HR
   Focusing so much on tech, processes, and OKRs that they forget… human beings work here. Motivation, wellbeing, and feedback matter.
   
5. No clarity on policies or values
   Vibes are not a strategy. People need consistency, boundaries, and a clear understanding of what’s acceptable and what’s not.
   
6. Skipping onboarding
   Day one is a laptop and “Here’s the Wi-Fi.” No introductions. No context. No wonder new joiners check out before week two.
   
7. Assuming HR means “culture police”
   Treating HR as the rules enforcer rather than a strategic partner who can actually help build and scale the right culture.
   
8. Hiring junior HR when they need strategic
   Thinking a People Ops exec can design compensation frameworks and L&D paths when what they really need is someone seasoned.
   
9. One-size-fits-all templates from Google/CHATGPT
   Contracts, handbooks, and policies lifted from the internet = 🚩. Context matters. Get it wrong and it’ll cost you.
   
10. Not investing in HR tech from the start
    Still managing leave on spreadsheets and wondering why payroll’s a mess. Tools don’t fix culture—but they sure help scale it.

Look, no one’s expecting your startup to have a 50-page HR playbook by month two. But if you’re serious about building something that lasts, you need to get serious about the humans helping you build it. Treat HR as a core function, not an afterthought, and future-you (and your team) will thank you.

Make fewer regrets. Make better HR moves.