Identity matters to this HR pro

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.

Claribel Lizardo-Gonzalez is proud to work in the people and culture department at Hack.Diversity, a nonprofit organization that helps Black and Latinx people access tech jobs. Lizardo-Gonzalez said Hack.Diversity’s work helping people navigate the corporate space “gives me goosebumps.” As a first-generation American Latina, she hasn’t had “that community to lean on.”

Like many in HR, Lizardo-Gonzalez zigzagged her way into the people profession, beginning her career in the mental health field before hunting down opportunities for event planning. She eventually found work as an office manager before receiving her SHRM certification and moving from office space to office policy. Lizardo-Gonzalez left the corporate world for Hack.Diversity in June 2024.

“There’s people that don’t understand me or my culture that are making policies that are gonna affect me,” she said about HR functions’ mainly white demographic. “Things like hair…I can come in with my curly hair, and it’s professional, and it’s accepted.”

And from where Lizardo-Gonzalez sits, DE&I goals need to go deeper to address cultural change in the corporate world. More needs to be done, not less, despite pressure in the other direction.

“We’re only hitting the surface. I don’t think that we’re diving in deep enough as a field,” she said. “I don’t think we’re tapping in deep enough, because it is still very evident in the workplace that it’s not equitable yet.”

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

The biggest change I have made is to come into a space and be unapologetically myself. In the HR field specifically, the majority of HR professionals are white. Being a first-generation [American] Latina, I am underrepresented in the field. I hope that other BIPOC individuals feel inspired to enter the HR field so they could create inclusive policies that will unequivocally change the workforce and the world.

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

I think one of the largest misconceptions is that HR is simply a rule regulator. However, HR as a field has evolved immensely away from this in just recent years. HR is a strategic partner to the organization and its employees. However, what does that all mean? It means that the success of one of the most important parts of a business, its people, is a strategic goal in itself. HR can leverage the needs of employees to make impactful organizational change.

What’s the most fulfilling aspect of your job?

The utmost fulfilling aspect of my job is when employees feel that their voice is heard and that they have the power to make change. This change comes in all forms. From a discussion, to a recognition statement, to an entire policy shift. I have been able to witness over and over the validation employees feel and the importance of nurturing and listening.

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

I know a few folks in the field who would disagree with me, however I am very optimistic about the integration of AI in HR tools and systems. I believe we can leverage technology to better support HR professionals in the field. This is especially important for HR departments of one, where there are consistent competing tasks and requirements. I look forward to seeing how we integrate and blend these tools while keeping the “human” in human resources.

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

The ongoing mental health epidemic and the continuous battle of burnout prevention. As much as we talk about it, there is much work still to be done.