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Dana Meltzer is an HR coordinator at the ad agency GUT, which counts among its clients brands like Popeye’s and Philadelphia Cream Cheese. The company currently has about 350 employees, with an HR team of three based in Miami. Meltzer currently works out of GUT’s Miami office full-time, and below, she explains why she strongly prefers in-person work over remote.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
How would you describe your specific job to someone who doesn’t work in HR? As concise as possible: helping the people who produce the work.
What’s the best change you’ve made at a place you’ve worked? I’ve been able to lessen people’s workload by taking on different projects and responsibilities throughout the agency, including planning events and doing the little things to ensure our employees feel appreciated and valued here at GUT. I try to make everything we do easier for our employees; they are not just a number, they are human beings we truly care about. The well-being of our employees comes first before anything because we believe in a people-first culture.
What’s the biggest misconception people might have about your job? That it is easy: People always think HR is peachy, that we’re always happy and smiling and nothing is stressful in our world. But that is not always the case; there are a lot of situations we handle that are time restrictive and extremely sensitive. Most of our employees don’t even know what we are working on at any given moment because we handle a lot of behind-the-scenes situations that either never come to light or come to light much later, when the job is over.
Everyone expects HR to be happy-go-lucky all day, but the reality is that we stress a lot because there is a lot going on at all times and we are pulled in many different directions. That said, being approachable is a huge aspect of our job, so compartmentalizing our stress and emotions is a very important quality HR needs to have. Everything you are doing is for an outcome that is even bigger than you are.
What’s the most fulfilling aspect of your job? I absolutely love helping people achieve their goals, whether it is for that promotion, that raise, or just simply getting your feet in the door here. My favorite part is being able to help the new hires at GUT get situated and feel welcomed. I feel as if it is really important to make your employees feel comfortable right off the bat; they are joining a family and they should be able to feel that right away. I want them to be excited about coming to work so they understand how amazing this company truly is. Watching people grow just before my eyes is extremely fulfilling.
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What trend in HR are you most optimistic about? Why? DE&I Sessions: This is diversity, equity, and inclusion. This is such an important part of HR, and always reinforcing this throughout the agency sets the tone for our culture and environment. The benefits of DE&I can be a wider talent pool, higher performance, and more innovation, which is a huge deal, especially in a creative agency like GUT. We are a global independent advertising agency and believe that with greater diversity comes more creativity. DE&I is important because it brings everyone together and adds different perspectives to different projects we work on.
What trend in HR are you least optimistic about? Why? Remote work. I love being in person and seeing everyone. While we’ve all been able to work remotely during these last 2 years, having an in-person work environment is great because we feed off of everyone’s energy and bounce ideas off of each other. When we are home, at least for me, it feels like we go from step one to step two, and three...and so on. But when we are together, I feel like we can get through steps 1–5 more efficiently and are able to have better communication overall.
Tell us one new or old HR tech product or platform that’s made your life easier, and why: Using external resources for recruiting helps us bring a wider point of view of the talent that is available. My favorite saying is, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” It is 100% true, someone can know someone or something you are not aware of and, boom...it broadens your talent search tremendously.
Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.