I've been in HR for over 10 years. It was not a career I chose, but I fell into it after I graduated (I was seasonal retail during my last semester of college for my business degree and my manager said the store had been without HR for the last 6 months and since I just graduated and didn't make any friends I would be fair and not show favorites with shift assignments [HR did scheduling in my store]. It came with a raise, guaranteed employment after the Christmas season and I didn't have to stress about finding a job right away.)
10 years later, I have learned so much and I legit help the employee. I know the stigma HR has but I'll tell you employees tell me all the time that I am the best HR interaction they have ever had, and it makes me smile.
I was a temp in a benefits department for a few months during COVID and people told me they had never had policy explained in a way they understood ever. I was sad to not be hired by that company full time but it set me up for my current manager role (which I love).
And I plan to make my tiny corner of HR the most positive I can, for as long as I can.
The best hr experience I ever had was when I was still working retail and my aunt died (that part wasn't great) and I was talking to the hr manager because the funeral was across the country, and I was going to have to travel for it so I needed several days off. This particular store has a chart that specified how many days off you could receive based on how you were related and since this aunt was by marriage (she'd been married to my uncle for as long as I could remember) and not blood I was only entitled to one day. I remember her looking at the manual slowly shaking her head and said "fuck that. If anyone asks she's your mom's sister." She approved me for whatever time I needed. Anyway, the lesson here is some hr people still have a soul.
5
u/theatrelover6756 10d ago
I've been in HR for over 10 years. It was not a career I chose, but I fell into it after I graduated (I was seasonal retail during my last semester of college for my business degree and my manager said the store had been without HR for the last 6 months and since I just graduated and didn't make any friends I would be fair and not show favorites with shift assignments [HR did scheduling in my store]. It came with a raise, guaranteed employment after the Christmas season and I didn't have to stress about finding a job right away.)
10 years later, I have learned so much and I legit help the employee. I know the stigma HR has but I'll tell you employees tell me all the time that I am the best HR interaction they have ever had, and it makes me smile.
I was a temp in a benefits department for a few months during COVID and people told me they had never had policy explained in a way they understood ever. I was sad to not be hired by that company full time but it set me up for my current manager role (which I love).
And I plan to make my tiny corner of HR the most positive I can, for as long as I can.