BullsEye Department Spotlight: Human Resources

Recently, we spoke with Rosemary Albanese, Vice President – Human Resources, about Human Resources goals, recent accomplishments, challenges, and the many ways they contribute to our overall success.

Q: What are the Human Resources department’s goals?

Our goals are very much people driven; getting the highest quality candidates in the door for the hiring managers as quickly as possible (time to hire), at a cost-effective rate (cost per hire), while working to keep our voluntary turnover at a minimum. In addition, the team all has personal continuing education goals to ensure that individually they are learning and growing in their respective areas. And when we say HR, that also includes Training and Office Management so that opens it up to a whole different set of goals!  

Q: Tell us about some of the functions of the Human Resources team.

It’s probably easier to tell you what we don’t do! We are accountable for recruiting, benefits, leaves of absence, compensation management, training, new-hire onboarding, employee termination, etc., but we’re also kind of the “catch-all” for many things in the organization; PTO, 401k, shipping, equipment, and basic “how do I …” questions. The team works hard to answer all the questions presented and if they can’t, they will find the answers so the employees have what they need.  

Q: Does the Human Resources team interface with other departments?

Definitely!! HR touches every department in the organization whether it’s through hiring new employees, managing employee issues, training, benefits, employee engagement activities and the like, you will see HR’s fingerprints on it. We are the first “face” an employee interacts with as they join the company and we’ll usually be the last “face” an employee sees when they leave. BullsEye’s HR Team works hard to be viewed as a strategic partner within the organization rather than just a team that completes administrative tasks. We do this by engaging with teams, offering guidance and helping them look forward to developing plans that support the future needs of a company. 

Q: What is ONE word that best describes a “day in the life” of the Human Resources department?

Flexible; we must be flexible. We can come in with our day planned and then an employee issue happens, and the plan goes out the window. We have to remain flexible to address the needs of the employees, the managers and sometimes that means your to-do list doesn’t get done.

Q: What are some challenges the Human Resources team faces?

The hiring climate is a big challenge for recruiting. It is a “candidate’s market” right now, so candidates have the pick of multiple jobs, making it very hard to find good candidates who show up for interviews and/or who show up for work. Yes, we’ve been ghosted not only on interviews but also on what should have been an employee’s first day. Remote work and continuing fears over COVID are also a challenge, as are the continuing rising health care costs.

Q: How does the Human Resources department promote morale and collaboration within the team?

The team has a Scrum 3 mornings a week where we touch base and ensure we are aligned. We also have our weekly L10 meeting that helps ensure we’re on track with our rocks, our goals and any tasks we’re working on. From a morale perspective I would say we take great pleasure in laughing. Whether it’s our Segue topic, something that comes up on our Scrum or just Carl being Carl, we laugh a lot and it really IS a great stress reliever!

Q: What are some of the ways the Human Resources department has displayed BullsEye’s core values?

When handling employee situations, we need to demonstrate empathy. If our team can’t demonstrate empathy, they shouldn’t be in HR. Likewise, the team is always very focused on finding ways to get things done; getting equipment to a new hire who may be on vacation, rescheduling training to meet the needs of a manager; assisting someone who doesn’t understand how to complete a qualifying life event. The HR Team consistently demonstrates a Can Do! attitude to ensure the employees have what they need.

Q: What are some of the Human Resources department’s recent accomplishments?

In conjunction with Marketing, completing the document rebrand and getting everything reposted on Right Answers (our knowledge base) was a big initiative by Tom McMullen. Tom Toma just completed an I-9 audit that was long overdue and will ensure our compliance. Carl has been rocking the recruiting side of things and has us down to only 2 open positions, and Dani, who started with us in late March, is making her mark in the new Office Manager role. We also just completed an update on our Affirmative Action Plan and annual renewal of the plan to ensure our OFCCP compliance (required for our Federal sub-contractor status). In short, we’ve been busy!