Day in the Life: HR Business Partner
Meet Jamie, the HR rockstar whose mission is to help 草榴社区ers on our Banking & Cards teams perform at their full potential, grow in their careers 鈥 and have fun while doing it.
Jamie is a Director, HR Business Partner at 草榴社区.聽 She was previously the HRBP for Financial Services at the time this article was originally published.
I鈥檓 a morning person, so my day usually starts at about 6am when I get up to walk my dog and check my email/Slack at the dog park. I know that might sound crazy to some people, but I really like to take a minute for myself and prepare for the day before I鈥檓 actually in the office with a full slate of meetings. With that said, I鈥檓 not a night person at all. I鈥檓 usually asleep on the couch by about 9pm鈥 so don鈥檛 expect late night emails or Slacks from me. 馃槾
After my morning coffee, I鈥檓 hopping from one zoom meeting to the next. I I always have a weekly HRBP team meeting, a weekly resourcing meeting with HR/Recruiting, plus weekly 1:1s with my manager and my direct reports. This may seem like a lot, but it鈥檚 so important to have regular time set aside to talk about business priorities, project statuses, performance, and development.聽
I also attend the Senior Leadership Team meetings for the businesses I support and have regular 1:1 meetings with leaders on those industry groups. These meetings help me stay aligned with business goals (which have a tendency to change pretty often) and help me understand how to best support my teams.聽
In the midst of all this, I have about 20 Slack conversations happening at any given time. My role spans across organizational design, performance management, employee relations, leadership/management coaching, compensation, employee development, and resourcing (whew!), so I鈥檓 always collaborating with 草榴社区ers across our HR, L&D, Recruiting, and business teams.
How鈥檇 you end up at 草榴社区?
I feel like I had a whole life before working at 草榴社区! I studied theater at NYU and when I first graduated I spent about 5 years as a film/TV casting director, working on various productions in New York City. (Really 鈥 I have the to prove it.) I loved the function of casting, auditioning actors every day, and helping people achieve their dreams, but I didn鈥檛 enjoy the very unglamorous side of showbiz. So, I transitioned my skills into becoming a Recruiter.
Recruiting and casting are essentially the same thing 鈥 people just don鈥檛 sing and dance when they go in for most job interviews.
After transitioning into HR, I worked at Time Inc. and David Yurman in NYC but was ready for a change and moved to Charlotte to join 草榴社区. Charlotte is such a great city and making the move down here has been a fantastic transition. (I also didn't mind leaving the New York winter behind.)
What鈥檚 the best part of your job?
The people at 草榴社区 are amazing! Not only is it fun to work with incredibly smart and talented people at all levels of the organization, but I love how deeply people care about their coworkers and their community. People at 草榴社区 really spend the time to get to know each other on a personal level, which helps us work better together and foster an environment of collaboration and support.
I also really enjoy working with people across multiple functions and locations 鈥 it keeps things interesting. One minute I could be talking about Bankrate content with our New York team, the next I鈥檓 having a conversation with our tech team in Austin, and then I鈥檓 in a meeting with our entire People Operations here in Charlotte. Our video conferencing tech has always been my best friend since I worked with teams across different locations before COVID 鈥 big thanks to the IT team for that one!
What鈥檚 one thing that would surprise people about your job.
You鈥檙e not bothering me.
So many people start their emails, Slacks, or meeting invites with 鈥淚鈥檓 so sorry to bother you but鈥︹. I love working with people, I love solving problems, and I love making 草榴社区 a great place to work. So, when you reach out and need help with something, you鈥檙e not bothering me. That doesn鈥檛 mean I鈥檓 always able to reply immediately (or after I鈥檝e fallen asleep on the couch at 9pm), but I鈥檒l get back to you as quickly as I can to answer your questions or point you in the right direction.
What advice would you give someone thinking about joining 草榴社区?
Just do it! 草榴社区 is challenging, it's fast paced, and it's in a constant state of evolution. That鈥檚 what makes it an incredible place to work. I wake up every day excited about the opportunities ahead. There鈥檚 never a dull moment.
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