This HR pro loves the challenges of bridging the gap between employees and the company

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.

Erin ImHof is CertiK’s HR director, where she is designing and building the HR department for the security tech auditing company. ImHof has HR experience in a number of industries, but told HR Brew she loves tech because of the “flexibility and variability.” Every day is something new. Since joining in September 2021, ImHof has been “creating multiple spreadsheets, and then really prioritizing the list…‘What do we want to do? What do we need to do?’”

ImHof said she is drawn to HR’s challenge of “trying to kind of bridge that gap of advocating for the employees yet trying to follow the rules of the company and do what’s best for the company. I really enjoy kind of straddling that line and doing what’s best for both.” It’s tough too, but ImHof has had support from leadership.

What’s the best change you’ve made at work?

I revamped the entire HR department at my current company: installing a PEO, creating a talent acquisition team, offering improved benefits, creating an onboarding process, creating a strong employee engagement program, and many other factors. I have a fantastic team and boss who helped me on our journey to success.

What’s the biggest misconception people might have about your job?

That we are corporate drones who people don’t like to talk to. Every HR team I have worked in has been nice, engaging, and [cared] about the employees. We don’t want people to think they are being sent to the principal’s office when they talk to us; we are workers who want what is best for the company and employees. We genuinely like to see people succeed, and do not enjoy laying people off or putting them on PIPs.

In our roles, we can be mouthpieces for leadership, which can involve sharing negative news. This is not something we want to do, but unfortunately, it is part of our jobs. Most of the time, we likely have argued against the actions being taken.

What’s the most fulfilling aspect of your job?

Being able to help people and see success based on those actions. Just a simple “thank you” goes a long way. People have thanked me for my help as they were being laid off, which was amazing and so nice. I just try to humanize our processes and policies and be compassionate with employees.

What trend in HR are you most optimistic about? Why?

More use of data and automation. I’ve been in HR for over 15 years and started with paper new hire onboarding forms. It’s been an amazing change to let people onboard via a link or an app and saves so much time. Employee self-service has also come a long way for people being able to update their addresses, direct deposit, tax, and other information themselves. It frees up so much time so we can focus on more strategic tasks. Continual automation will allow HR practitioners to focus on more high-level tasks and build relationships with leaders, as opposed to data entry or other administrative tasks.

What trend in HR are you least optimistic about? Why?

Return to the office. I work in a 100% remote company, and we function well. It can be challenging not to be in the office. We don’t have the same dynamics as an in-office company, but we are still successful with engagement. I don’t understand why so many jobs across the board are required to be in the office, without the option of remote or hybrid work. Opening up remote or hybrid work with flexible hours can allow people to accomplish a lot from childcare, to taking care of parents, to attending appointments. This type of work can target people who may not enter the workforce otherwise, especially women and diverse individuals.