Here’s this week’s edition of our Coworking series. Each week, we chat 1:1 with an HR Brew reader. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.
Brian Byrnes said his first job in the world of HR was as a “competency-based hire” at an executive search firm. Byrnes studied journalism in college and honed his interviewing and writing skills. With a journalist’s toolbelt, he ultimately landed a “little niche interviewing/recruiting job that worked out really well with my skill set.”
And he didn’t stop there. Every job Byrnes landed in HR and recruiting offered him a chance to learn and grow new skills on people teams. He is now focused on growing in the field of compensation and total rewards at guided travel and tour company Collette, where he leads the benefits presentations and orientations for the company’s client care group. Byrnes told HR Brew that “learning and the willingness to learn” is rewarded at Collette, where he has worked since October 2022.
What’s the best change you’ve made at work?
I personally call every single [new hire] once they sign their offer letter and give them a warm welcome and discuss onboarding. No exceptions!
One of my favorite parts about HR…you really get to see the joy and the excitement right when the person walks in the door, the first time they ever come into the company. Each person is different, and it kind of helps me really get up and be my best in the morning on Mondays because someone’s first day is today, and I just try to make it as good of an experience as I can and keep that excitement going.
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What’s the biggest misconception people might have about your job?
We may not generate revenue on balance sheets, but HR provides tremendous value by reducing turnover, evaluating benefit costs, and making strategic investments in our workforce development.
What’s the most fulfilling aspect of your job?
Presenting benefits to our new hires, since it shows all that we have invested in our people.
What trend in HR are you most optimistic about? Why?
Workforce planning, because it has such a massive upside for strategic career development in setting up employees for success.
What trend in HR are you least optimistic about? Why?
Companies that recruit recklessly and later do mass layoffs will never retain the proper talent to see long-term growth and will always spin their wheels.
I think a lot of companies base how they’re doing on how many people they’ve added or [are] adding, rather than what the outcomes are after they’ve added those people…Companies go through these cycles of rapid growth and then they pull back once the first sign of trouble comes along, rather than really planning out positions.
Tell us one new or old HR tech product or platform that has made your life easier, and why.
The Salary.com CompAnalyst feature has great data for leaders to understand the appropriate ranges for new and existing roles. I’d recommend it to anyone working in compensation.