We’re back this week with our Coworking series, and we’re thrilled to introduce you to someone extra special to HR Brew. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.
Amanda Schiavo joined HR Brew a month ago as our go-to reporter for all things recruitment and retention. She’s an NYC-based journalist who has been working in B2B journalism for more than a decade covering finance, healthcare, and of course, the workplace.
When she’s not writing on the latest trends in retention strategy, you might find her watching something on Disney+, snuggling with a cute pooch, or traveling. Oh, and she’s also got a new book hot off the presses.
What are you most interested in exploring as you begin reporting for HR Brew?
I want to know more about what make positive workplaces tick. How are these companies engaging employees, what are they doing that makes employees happy and want to remain with their organization? I also want to explore the human side of HR. Who are these leaders? What do they want the world to know about what they do and why it’s so important?
What’s the most interesting personal experience you’ve had with a HR professional?
I had once worked in a very toxic environment where people were leaving left and right. My exit interview for this job was only supposed to be about 30 minutes—two hours later, we were still talking. It was nice that she didn’t just pay me lip service and that she really listened to me and validated my concerns and experiences by telling me others who had left the organization had come in with similar experiences and concerns. It was a cathartic and validating experience.
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What’s the biggest misconception people might have about your job as a reporter?
That we are looking to turn everything into a story, even when it isn’t work related or we are just having a personal conversation.
What’s the most fulfilling aspect of your job?
Helping people. In previous reporting with another HR-focused organization, I covered the high suicide rate among veterinarians. After the piece was published, a benefits vendor reached out to say they were going to look into offering mental health help to veterinary employers. It was an incredible feeling to think something I wrote could help someone else get the support they need.
What is your favorite book, film, television program? Or share all three!
Book: Hell, by Robert Olen Butler
TV: Schitt’s Creek
Movie: Jurassic Park
What’s something you want readers to know about your life outside being a reporter?
On July 20, 2023, my first novel was published. In Her Own Right: A Novel of Lady Mary Tudor tells the story of Queen Mary I of England, before history labels her “Bloody Mary.” Telling Mary’s story in a more accurate, balanced, and nuanced way has been a passion project of mine for a long time. It is an indescribable feeling to have this out in the world, especially because when I sat down to start writing this, I said to myself: “You’re never going to finish.”