What About HR Advice?
I have waited for a long time to write more about the HR Advice that Two Birds offers (mostly because I love coaching and connecting to nature a lot more). In my more than a decade of HR experience, I can’t think of a single time that an employee or a leader was excited to reach out to HR for guidance. It just isn’t something that people do under joyful circumstances, but it is often something that people need.
Humans are an organization’s greatest resource. There is not a single business goal that can be achieved without them, no organizational mission that can be fulfilled. But humans are complicated, every last one of us, and for all the good we give, we also create a lot of pain. In the best circumstances, people work in an organization where HR has built a culture of trust and hope, and you have someone to help you navigate the inevitable workplace challenges that will arise when humans interact with one another. Unfortunately, many HR departments have created a culture of fear and distrust which serves to protect profits over people.
Non-leaders tend to bear the brunt of poor HR practices and receive the least amount of support. And as large organizations centralize more and more HR services, employees receive even less personalized support. When we started Two Birds, I wanted to address this gap and help non-leaders navigate workplace challenges with the kindness and empathy that their own workplace lacks but that they very much need and deserve.
But since Two Birds launched and clients started reaching out, I have realized that leaders suffer from lack of HR support too. And when leaders suffer, employees suffer even more.
Two Birds is here to help…with some things. HR has a lot of different functions, and we are not an HR consulting firm. But here are some things we can help you with:
For Employees
Navigating workplace conflict with a coworker or leader
Helping you discern when to file an official complaint and advising you on the kind of evidence you will need to do so
Improving your interviewing skills
For Leaders
Creating clarity and setting expectations
Holding people accountable for poor behavior
Behavior-based interviewing
In most circumstances, the better route for leaders is life coaching because what is actually needed is developing leadership skills and growing confidence. In addition to life coaching, we can also recommend other great community resources, like Shafer Leadership Academy, GROW, and WIBU to help you with your ongoing development.
It’s hard working with other humans, and it’s even harder to know where to go when you need help navigating workplace challenges. Two Birds has no vested interest in the success of business you work for, but we do have a vested interest in helping you as an individual succeed at work.
