Putting the human in human resources
We’ve recently implemented new policies and practices to multiply the impact on our people and of our work. Read how we feel about the humans in human resources.
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “It’s what’s on the inside that counts.” We believe that applies to the workplace too. True impact starts on the inside, with your team. Because when you take care of your people (you impact them positively), everyone does better work, work that makes a difference. Over the past few years, we have implemented new policies and practices to multiply the impact on our people and of our work.
Distributed and flexible
In 2020, we moved to a distributed workplace. We went from two offices headquartered in Kentucky to being spread across three time zones and three states. We had a lot to figure out. We went from working at desks in an office to working in co-working spaces, coffee shops, our home offices (kitchen counters, beds, and couches included), and even kids’ after-school activities.
Flexibility has been a huge life improvement for me. I had my third child in 2021, and balancing everything seemed impossible. Bullhorn’s mentality and trust that we all are individuals with lives that know how to get work done has empowered me to take control of my schedule and make it work for me, my team members, and my family. Some days that looks like tossing in a load of laundry and picking up kids from camp between meetings, and other days I’m in the office for several hours, head down.
PTO and rest
We recently had a productive discussion about PTO and vacation time. Several people on our team expressed frustration about taking PTO. For many, it meant passing work off to someone else or not feeling like they could take a deserved break because the work kept moving forward without them, and they had to play catchup on return. For a while now, our team has rested the last week of the year (amid the rush of multiple holidays). But we questioned if that was enough.
So, we declared another full week’s rest in July, improving our corporate rest policy. And for PTO, we moved from 20 days a year to unlimited days. By closing for two weeks and changing our time-off policy, we show our commitment to living sustainable lives. Living sustainably isn’t just about the environment. It is also about setting healthy rhythms and habits in your life to avoid burnout. And that happens when we rest.
Sabbaticals
Several team members dedicate a lot of years working at Bullhorn. And while receiving a Rolex watch is cool, it doesn’t really align with our values. We decided to instead acknowledge loyalty with a sabbatical. After working ten years at Bullhorn, we can take one month of paid leave. Adam recently took extended leave to fulfill his dream of driving the Pan-American highway. We look forward to celebrating other team members as they reach the ten-year mark and hearing their plans for adventure and rest. They definitely deserve it.
Healthcare coverage
Taking care of our people also means good benefit packages. For a small business, this can be tough to get right. But it’s important to offer benefits that honor our people and keep them around. Also, inflation sucks. Previously our owners had the benefit of 100% healthcare insurance premium coverage while employees paid 50%. This is not equitable and can send the wrong message. So, we started covering 100% of the entire team’s premium.
What’s next
While we’ve made great strides to take care of our insides, there’s still work to do. We are currently trying to cut down on Friday meetings to allow for more individual focus time. We’re also focusing on career development and growth for individual team members as well as better opportunities for mentorship.
It’s safe to say that we’re growing as a company. And while growth can be good, it can mean changes in culture. We want to stay aware of how our people are feeling and keep listening and working to constantly care for what’s on the inside. Because when we do that, we make a bigger impact.
