“It’s my job to stand up and be the buffer between politicals and career employees, and I’m just trying to do my goddamn job. They have no idea who they picked a f—king fight with.”
That’s Traci DiMartini, the ousted head of human resources at the IRS, speaking out after she says she was fired for telling agency employees that DOGE had orchestrated their firings.
Bravo, Traci! This is what real HR leadership looks like. HR exists to protect the organization—but not at the expense of integrity. Protecting the company means ensuring everyone—all the way up to the C-suite—is held accountable for illegal and unethical behavior.
Indeed, protecting an organization doesn’t mean rubber-stamping leadership’s decisions. Sometimes, it means standing up for an employee facing discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or other mistreatment. In a functional workplace, leadership values HR’s judgment on what crosses the line. If HR isn’t respected, what’s the point of having it? If leadership ignores or retaliates against HR for doing its job, that’s not just an HR issue—it’s a flashing red sign of a dysfunctional, self-destructive organization. And a massive legal liability.
If you fire HR for doing HR’s job, don’t be surprised when the receipts go public.
