You’ve likely talked with her on the phone or have her email in your favorites, yet you may have never met in person. This week, get to know more about a key behind the scenes OA team member.
Mylene has invaluable insight along with some of the best “you wouldn’t” believe stories in the office.
Meet Mylene!
Plain text version:
• What would you title the autobiography of your life as a HR Director? The Therapist Is In
• How did you get our start in Human Resources? I was in the benefit field and went to work for a client who needed an HR Director.
• What are three traits do you need to be successful in your field? Ability to be an active listener, ability to be impartial and ability to compartmentalize so that terminations (which are inevitable) do not consume you.
• If you won the lotto, what is the first thing you would do? It would depend on the amount. If it was substantial, quit my job and travel (after this pandemic is over of course). Apologies to my boss on this answer but she knows I’d rather be on a beach.
• Many people find HR people intimidating, what can you share that shows that a majority of HR professionals are more relatable than they are perceived? That’s a hard one. People need to remember that HR professionals are no different than you – they have family and lives. People consider us intimidating because we enforce rules and fire people. Someone has to do the unpleasant things. If we were not intimidating when having unpleasant conversations, no one would actually take heed, now would they? We are usually pretty fun if we are not doing those tasks. Fingers crossed that if you ask my co-workers they will concur.
Bonus: Do you have any funny HR stories to share with us? So many! Human beings never cease to amaze me with the things they come up with. Just when I think that I have heard it all, someone proves me wrong. Like the time someone told me they needed time off to drive to another state to see their sick relative who was expected to pass away within hours. Coincidentally it was during a holiday week and we really could not afford to give anyone else time off but considering the circumstance we relented. When they returned and I asked about the funeral, I was told that they had miraculously pulled through and lived.
• What chore do you absolutely hate doing? Filing!! Hate it. I will procrastinate on getting it done. Not just at work. At home I let unimportant mail pile up till I finally get tired of looking at the pile.
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