Are you part of a Human Resources (HR) team, navigating the complex landscape of employee relations? HR professionals play a pivotal role in shaping the success of organizations. HR professionals are the unsung heroes in the corporate world, timelessly working to build bridges between management and employees. From talent acquisition and onboarding to employee engagement and conflict resolution, HR professionals wear many hats to create a workplace that fosters productivity and growth. As the backbone of employee relations, they navigate through complex challenges, ensuring a harmonious workplace where both employers and employees thrive.
Continuing our Life at Sodales series, we’re speaking with Sodales’ Human Resources Business Partner Juliana, as she takes us through her journey of filling the indispensable role of HR to align Sodales’ people strategy with its business strategy and showcase the transformative benefits that modern workplaces bring to the table.
At Sodales, Juliana leads the recruitment process and guides the development of its people; this is to ensure that the company has a good understanding of its employees and their culture. Understanding Sodales’ employees on a deeper level allows Juliana to create employee-centric strategies that align with their needs and with the needs of Sodales.
“My days are dedicated to determining best practices that ensure a positive work environment; when we become aware of our unconscious biases, we inevitably create a healthy and more diverse workplace. I want to determine what we do well and what we need to change to align our HR strategies with our overall business objectives.”
What has been your approach to reinventing the HR department?
Juliana explains that HR plays a pivotal role in creating a harmonious workplace by managing employee relations, fostering a positive culture and ensuring compliance with all employment and labor laws. Safeguarding the interests of both the company and its employees and navigating the intricate web of a global organization like Sodales requires a unique strategic approach. She indicates how Sodales’ current employee journey is already positive based on feedback she has received, but she wants to take it one step further by creating a strategy that promotes our company’s mission, values and goals to our employees to ensure our employees stay motivated and dedicated. Beyond this, to achieve her goals, Juliana continues to work on our employee branding and continues to create new strategies to let others know about Sodales when she is looking for new recruits; her goal is to find the best talent in the market.
How would you describe our company’s philosophy in terms of how we approach employees?
“There isn’t enough time to answer this question”, chuckles Juliana, she continues to explain that Sodales is a very goal-oriented company that treats employees like family but challenges them all daily to be their best. Juliana likes to think that one word to describe Sodales is “simplicity,” as she has learned while being here that our overall model is a simple one; “it doesn’t mean that things aren’t complete, it means you are developing things in a way that is easy to understand to drive great results,” she goes on to explain. Beyond this, Juliana explains her thought that the concept of agility is also part of our philosophy, in the sense that the way Sodales’ employees communicate, the point is to eliminate any bridges or gaps between employees, essentially going against corporate norms by breaking down those silos – “we are going against bureaucracy.”
How do you think HR professionals help to contribute to an organization’s goals? Why is there an emphasis on HR?
Juliana stresses again how important the role of HR is for any organization. She explains that one of the advantages of creating a strategic HR plan is that it attracts the right people, which in turn will give you the right business results. She continues to explain that HR is a strategic alley if you are looking to get the best talent in the recruitment process, but beyond this, you need the support of HR to help onboard and train new recruits, continuously coach existing employees and maintain a sort of equilibrium amongst employees, management, and stakeholders. Only experienced HR professionals know how to understand the needs of employees and of the business and how to navigate this.
“I have never experienced such a great culture where our employees are constantly recognized for their efforts and accomplishments.”
Do you have any advice for those seeking a job in HR? What do you look for when you’re hiring for Sodales?
“When someone is looking for a job in HR, it is important to be proactive – looking for a job is a job itself,” says Juliana. She explains that knowing trends in the market, understanding people, and businesses are all important aspects when trying to work in HR, it’s not just simply submitting a resume and hoping you get the job. She says, “you are selling yourself, your resume is the package, and you are the product.” Every word counts, every phone call counts, just keep selling yourself.
Now, when Juliana is seeking new employees for Sodales, she aligns this thought with our philosophy; she explains that she looks for goal-oriented and ambitious people who want to grow, but understand that our workplace is agile and fast-paced, saying “while you need to be ambitious, you need to be curious, always wanting to challenge yourself and have the want to understand things beyond your daily tasks.” For Juliana, every employee is like a customer for her – she looks for people that want to build relationships with their colleagues and with customers and be aware that there is diversity within our company, and any new employee must understand and respect this.
Why do HR professionals need specialized tools for employee and labor relations, and how can Sodales help?
Managing employee and labor relations involves intricate processes, from handling grievances to negotiating contracts. Sodales automates routine tasks such as grievance submissions, complaint submissions, leave requests and more. This not only saves management and HR professionals time, but it also ensures accuracy reducing the likelihood of compliance issues. Sodales empowers HR teams to be more efficient and responsive, fostering a dynamic and adaptable workplace. The platform provides transparency and boosts communication and collaboration between employees and HR with features that offer instant access to information, facilitating faster decision-making and promoting a cohesive approach to employee relations. Our industry specific modules suit the specific HR needs and requirements of every industry. Whether your organization is in manufacturing, healthcare, retail, or transportation, the software can be configured to align with your industry standards and regulations.
What are you most excited about for Sodales’ future?
“Sodales has a great future. I remember a conversation where our leaders were saying how rapidly our company is growing, and inevitably, when the business grows, our employees grow both professional and personally. We have been given great tools and a great opportunity to advance our careers. I am excited to see this growth not only for Sodales but for me and my colleagues.”
Interested in working in HR for Sodales?
In the ever-evolving landscape of employee and labor relations, HR professionals are the essential role holding organizations together. As we embrace the future, it is crucial that all HR professionals stay up to date with this changing landscape ready to face the challenges of tomorrow. At Sodales, our passion is to help highly regulated industries improve their health, safety, and employee relations measures; this begins with developing a product that aligns with the goals of our company, and of our customers.
Do you share our vision for breaking down barriers, and proactively approaching health, safety, and employee relations? If so, we invite you to explore our careers page to learn more about our company culture and any open opportunities to join our team. As a rapidly growing company, we at Sodales are constantly seeking talented individuals to become part of our team.
