HR professionals, in my experience, tend to be people that probably couldn't succeed in a non-bureaucratic workplace. They're bloodsuckers who are there for a singular purpose: to make sure the company doesn't get sued, or if they do get sued, to limit the spillover. I would never advise anyone to go to HR for any reason, unless all other options have been exhausted. The problem is that they present themselves as being mediators, when they lack allegiance to anyone but the bottom line. If it's cheaper to settle a sexual harassment allegation by letting the harassee go? Guess who's getting the gate? And those yearly performance goals? Just a backstop in case they want to fire you without a "real" cause--they already have documentation of you not being up to snuff that you provided them. I refuse to give myself less than a 5 out of 5 on my self evaluations. This year my boss made me change one of the categories to a 4, because he said it didn't sound believable. I said I didn't give a fuck, and you sign the thing, so do whatever you want. I like my job, but long for the day when this no longer applies to me. With luck, that day will come sooner rather than later. When my company gets off the ground I will never assent to employee annual reviews, no matter how hard thenewgreen protests :)