A few weeks ago, I received a message on LinkedIn from an HR peer. We had been connected for a few years since she attended the SHRM Annual Conference in Chicago. She was kind enough to attend one of my sessions and introduced herself at a book signing I did.
All of that is wonderful in itself. Her message tugged at my heart because she told me that she and her co-worker were getting burned out. She wondered if I had any ideas that could help her get inspired. She explained that they were just worn out.
Her name is Lauren, and she’s been connected to the HR Net forum since she attended the conference. I think it took courage to reach out to someone you barely knew to ask for help. So, I decided to call her.
I didn’t feel a return message on LinkedIn would do the trick. We set up a time, and I gave her a ring while on my commute home. I have a daily drive of 45 minutes to an hour to get to my office from my house.
When Lauren picked up, we talked as if we had known each other for years. I learned about her family because she was in the process of dropping off her son for soccer practice. I mentioned she didn’t have to chat if she was doing that. She replied that she didn’t want to miss this opportunity. I was humbled and a bit perplexed by that. I felt I was putting her out. He made it to practice easily, and we continued to talk.
We were able to talk the entire commute. I did give her ideas to consider, but mostly I wanted to encourage her. As a fellow HR practitioner, I understand that the work we do can be challenging, overwhelming, and draining. People are a mix of messy and wonderful (just like us). At times, HR can threaten to crush you if you allow the darkness to encompass you. I explained to Lauren that this conversation was the best possible use of my time. It made my day !! I also shared that I’d continue to check in with her to make sure she knew she had someone in her corner.
Too many HR people try to do the good work we do as if they’re on an island. That may be true inside your company, but it isn’t true in general. As humans, we were not designed to be alone. We are meant to be connected and together. I know that Lauren’s story and situation are far too common in our profession. The difference is that she took a chance to reach out.
When I got home, she texted me pictures of her kids, their Halloween costumes, and her wife. I was moved that she took my word on how important it is for us to make human connections with HR peers. Before I wrote this, I checked in to see how she was doing and asked if I could share our conversation. She gave me an update on how some things are getting better while she’s working on other things at the same time. She was geeked that I was going to share this.
This week, reach out. Give someone a call. Make sure you have at least one person in your corner. Trust me. When you do, you’ll see how much it makes your day !!
