Every workplace has its own myths — and in tech organizations, one persistent stereotype is that people in IT are socially awkward, quiet, or don’t care about presentation. Sometimes it’s true; often it isn’t. But more importantly, stereotypes can cloud perception, especially when HR is trying to evaluate talent and performance.
IT: More Than Just Stereotypes
Over the years, I’ve worked with colleagues who fit the classic “quiet tech person” archetype — brilliant, focused, deeply knowledgeable. I’ve also worked with those who are outgoing, charismatic, and polished. Some are stronger in people-facing roles than others; some struggle more with technical depth. What matters most is impact: how well someone solves problems, collaborates, learns, and supports the team around them.
Both personality types bring value. But what I’ve noticed is that the loudest voices or the most socially visible employees sometimes get more recognition — even when they don’t deliver as much technically. That’s not to blame HR; it’s just a natural human tendency. The risk, though, is that more quietly effective technical folks may go underappreciated.
Understanding What HR’s Looking For
HR’s role is complex: to assess performance, to see both the highs and the struggles; to encourage engagement; to manage conflict; to foster a workplace where people feel valued. Much of HR’s training comes from psychology, behavioural science, emotional intelligence. That training helps HR notice what many technical managers might overlook — body language, communication style, team dynamics, morale. These are important to keep a team healthy.
Sometimes, however, that focus on behavior and interpersonal skills can overshadow technical performance, especially in highly technical roles. When evaluating IT staff, HR may rely heavily on visible traits — responsiveness, ease of communication, customer interaction — which are indeed part of the job. But the invisible work — debugging, maintaining infrastructure, anticipating issues, writing solid code — can be just as vital, even if less noticed.
IQ and EQ in IT: Why Both Matter
It’s often said that emotional intelligence (EQ) is more important than cognitive intelligence (IQ), especially in leadership, sales, or customer-facing roles. Those statements have merit. But in a technical field like IT, the equation can be more nuanced:
- IQ / technical aptitude: It allows someone to understand complex systems, troubleshoot or prevent problems, and innovate.
- EQ / interpersonal skills: It allows someone to explain problems, listen to users, collaborate with teammates, stay calm under pressure, and preserve a positive culture.
Neither is enough in isolation. Someone with great technical skills but zero ability to communicate can frustrate users or cause misunderstandings in the team. Conversely, someone with excellent people skills but weak technical capability might struggle to solve the core problems the organization is paying for.
When Recognition Misses the Mark
Because HR is naturally attuned to culture, communication, and behaviour, there are times when recognition is disproportionately given to those who are more visible socially — even if their technical output is less significant. Meanwhile, deeply technical employees who quietly ensure mission‑critical systems stay up may go unnoticed in those behavioral assessments.
This imbalance can lead to frustration. Technical staff might feel undervalued, less understood, or left out of the spotlight even though their work sustains the company. Over time, that can affect morale, retention, and even the quality of work — because people are less inclined to go above and beyond if their efforts aren’t recognized.
How HR and Tech Leaders Can Work Together
- Define Clear Performance Metrics
Establish both technical and interpersonal benchmarks. For technical roles, metrics might include incident resolution time, code quality, system uptime, innovation, etc. For interpersonal attributes, things like teamwork, user satisfaction, communication clarity matter. If everyone— HR, management, IT staff — knows what success looks like, evaluations are fairer. - Educate HR on Technical Context
HR doesn’t need to become full‑stack engineers, but gaining a baseline understanding of what technical roles do, the challenges they face, and what “good work” looks like in IT helps HR make more informed assessments. Shadowing, tech overviews, or simplified internal presentations can work wonders. - Encourage Technical Staff to Share Their Impact
If you work in IT, you may assume your effort is obvious — but often it isn’t. Document successes, solutions, improvements you’ve made. Communicate clearly with HR and leadership about your technical contributions and their outcomes. Be your own advocate in an informative, factual way. - Balance Visibility and Value
HR can ensure that recognition programs don’t only reward visibility. Create channels for peer recognition, customer feedback (from internal users), and technical reviews that bring out what often stays behind the scenes. - Foster a Culture of Respect Between Departments
HR should view IT not as a cost center, but as a strategic backbone. IT teams should understand HR’s role in supporting people, culture, and organizational health. Mutual respect means fewer blind spots, more empathy, and better decisions. - Address Toxicity, Not Just “Behaviors”
It’s vital to identify individuals whose behavior is harmful, whether through technical incompetence or by creating unfair workloads. HR and IT leaders should collaborate to ensure performance reviews include both what someone does (technical deliverables) and how they do it (team fit, communication, reliability). Toxicity can come from inability, from arrogance, or from mismatch — but it must be addressed for the sake of the whole team.
A Balanced View: Why HR & IT Both Bring Strength
It’s easy to think HR is overly focused on “soft‑skills” or image; or that IT staff care only about systems and not people. But in truth:
- HR ensures the organization remains humane, fair, and legally compliant; allows teams to function without conflict; helps people develop, learn, and feel valued.
- IT ensures the organization can operate: services remain live, data remains safe, customers remain happy; innovation is possible; technical risks are mitigated.
Both are essential. When both departments lean into collaborative evaluation, transparency, communication, and shared metrics, everyone benefits.
Conclusion
The disconnect between HR and IT isn’t inevitable — it’s fixable. When both groups move beyond stereotypes, listen to what the other values, and establish measurable ways to recognize both technical skill and interpersonal contribution, there’s less friction and more mutual respect. In the long run, companies flourish when quiet expertise is honoured just as much as visible leadership — and when HR and IT partner, not misunderstand.
