[Tom1971]

In a large HR department, chances are you're dealing with somebody for whom you're just a number instead of somebody has a personal grudge.

Nothing personal, just business is the attitude you want when handling something as trivial as a salary negotiation.

[marvin]

Being a psychopath isn't about holding a grudge, it's about acting in pure self-interest with no regard for the effect on others. So psychopathy is a good way to describe an HR dept that does its intended job.

[Whitestrake]

Exactly - given the prevalence of "psychopath" in common conversation as violent, unreasonable etc., perhaps I should have specified further or instead used "sociopath".