Because change is constant, those who work in Human Resources sometimes face frustration and even professional isolation. After all, human nature shows that people tend to resist change, and HR professionals encounter this on a daily basis. I was discussing the issue at lunch with Human Resources Manager, HR Business Partner and Director, Judy Garza SPHR. Judy is also a skilled Personnel & Operations Improvement Leader who not only built an HR organization from scratch, but established optimal productivity in spite of being met with strong initial resistance. We are pleased to present her story:
Judy joined an organization that didn’t have an HR department and was told to create one. The only resource she was offered was old PDF copy of a Policy and Procedures Manual from another organization. They also tasked her with bringing professional leadership to the organization. Judy was smart and negotiated leadership authority to accomplish what they had asked her to do.
Judy’s philosophy, based upon my experience with her, is one of collaboration with internal and external stakeholders. As she said, “I began my journey by introducing myself to my peers in the neighboring municipalities. I asked for advice and asked if I could see and get a copy of their policies. Everyone was very welcoming and accommodating and went as far as introduce me to their staff, tell about upcoming local training and make themselves available when needed. It was a great start.”
Almost immediately, people in her organization began to push back by asking her why so many policies were necessary and who did she think she was to everything.
Additionally, her effort was not well understood by leadership nor visibly supported. For those of you in Human Resources, how’s that for a challenge?
Judy, if nothing else, is dedicated and she stuck to her guns. She said, “I realized that even with all the push back, what people really wanted was structure. They want to know their limits, where they stand as far as pay and performance, They want to know where they’re going and how to get there and is there future growth in the organization. As I gained their input and welcomed their thoughts and ideas on new programs, I received their buy in on what I was doing. I brought employees into all my processes and asked for their input and showed them how much they were valued.”
It took longer than Judy wanted but, over time, the employees began to see that what she was doing was good for them and she started getting their participation and involvement, even to the point that they began to volunteer for programs she was implementing and giving her great feedback.
Judy’s message to HR peers? “Don’t give up! Organizations want structure; they are just sometimes slow to change. It takes a stronger HR leader to continue to persevere even through the tough times. There are a lot of people in an HR who are struggling. Every day, they step outside of their comfort zones. They learn new things and try to get leadership to listen to reason.”
From my point of view, Judy accepted the challenges she was given and successfully accomplished her assigned goals. If you are in HR and want to speak with Judy about your challenges, I know she would be happy to share her experiences and lessons learned with you.
Contact Judy Garza via LinkedIn, Career Webfolio,or email judy.ann.garza@gmail.com
Listen to the full Podcast discussion below!
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