HR for Irrational Humans: Episode 1

A book seller had once asked me, "Friction or non- friction?" Even there I said, "I don't like friction." Take onboarding a new hire. This has to be every new hire's nightmare. Lets redesign something

Too many processes and organizational processes were designed when the world was getting all excited about discovery of electricity. The world has changed so much. That is why we should rethink HR processes. This series will be all about that.

I’m sitting at the optician’s clinic.

“Better with 1 or 2? Now 3 or 4?”

By lens six, my eyes blur and my brain slurs. I say “I kind of think that 2 is better than 1 or… actually 1 is worse than 2 but this one is better.”. I just want the test to end.

That’s what too much choice feels like: clarity at first, confusion soon after, then frustration.

It’s not just happening in exam chairs—it’s happening in every HR system that bombards employees with too many choices, too much data, and too little direction.

From job portals with 127 open roles to onboarding portals with 12 “urgent” documents to learning systems where no one knows where to start, talent processes are unintentionally overwhelming the very people they’re meant to help.

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Humans Don’t Want Everything. They Want the Right Thing.

Behavioral science shows that people aren’t wired to process endless options logically. Our brains crave relevance, simplicity, and emotional clarity—especially when we’re under stress or uncertainty.

Cass Sunstein’s book Too Much Information (read a quick review here) outlines some of the most common breakdowns:

• We avoid emotionally uncomfortable information like poor feedback or risk reports

• We ignore complex data we don’t fully understand—like HR metrics or finance plans

• We freeze when overwhelmed with excessive choice—like when scrolling through hundreds of LMS courses

• We delay decisions when we’re not told what matters most—like onboarding checklists with no clear first step

If people aren’t engaging, acting, or learning, it’s not apathy. It’s cognitive fatigue. It’s friction in the system.