Human resources, as I see it, is a service to make employees’ lives better and easier, which enables them to perform their jobs better. Serve and care for your employees well.
—Linda Peterson, Houston Christian High School
Become very familiar with your school’s unique culture because this culture will change how you look at everything, from your HR decisions to how you care for your school, the faculty and staff.
—Amelia Reed, Presbyterian School
Make time for connection. Take off your HR hat. Sit at the lunch table and go to school parties. Be a real person.
—Tricia Licari, Friends Academy
Become comfortable saying, “I don’t know. I’ll find out and get back to you.” Coming back a short while later with the answer reinforces the idea that people can come to you when they need something, it builds trust and it’s likely that you learned something and are now better equipped to answer that question in the future.
—Kaytria Stauffer, A Step Up Academy
Strive for transparency whenever and wherever you can. Your employees will appreciate it, your school will benefit from it and it’s a great way to hold yourself accountable to the standards you expect everyone to follow.
—Dan Chen, Convent of the Sacred Heart
I spent a great deal of my first year listening, asking questions, and learning from my new colleagues, which allowed me to learn the school’s culture and gain credibility with the faculty.
—Cassie Mendrop, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School
Connect with other HR professionals who work at independent schools through organizations like NBOA. It’s even better if you can connect with a few who are local to your city or state.
—Binh Vong, University Prep
Take some time for thought and reflection before responding to HR challenges, especially employee relations. Try to suspend judgmentalism and be willing to look at it from all sides.
—Dale Painter, Community School of Naples
Remember, each of us builds on the successes of our predecessors. Take a breath! Then you can start the invigorating journey to take HR to the next level at your school.
—Diane Bellino, Lawrence Academy
Connecting with people in the school community who represent all voices is so important. Your faculty and staff have so many reasons for being a part of your community. Spend time talking with long-tenured faculty (they have some of the best stories!), and spend time hearing from your new employees.
—Janet Graham, McDonogh School
Please realize you are not alone. NBOA provides the most incredible resources by surrounding you with amazing human resources colleagues from all across the country who are always willing to help, share their knowledge and provide support and guidance. Just reach out!
—Celeste Dirk, The Hun School of Princeton
Leverage your resources: your insurance brokers, insurance providers, fiduciary services, etc. As much as you can, delegate the items that they can do on your behalf.
—Kristina Foucher, San Diego Jewish Academy
Don’t be afraid to try something new, get involved and get out from behind your desk.
—Morgan Pearson, Landon School
Keep in mind that through our decisions and policymaking, we send a message to the entire community about our values and mission and what the school stands for while setting a precedent for ourselves to follow when similar circumstances arise in the future.
—Whitney Walters-Sachs, Pine Crest School
Create relationships with the leadership team and be sure that the team understands your role and how you can assist them in accomplishing their goals.
—Sandra Fantozzi-Welker, University School
Don’t spin your wheels trying to solve the world’s problems and don’t think you need to recreate the wheel; 99% of the time, someone else has already had the same problem and hopefully come up with suggestions to solve it. Take advantage of all of the HR and leadership programs offered by NBOA and use the community boards for questions and advice. Attend the Annual Meeting and network with your peers.
—Wendi Cantwell, New Hampton School
The unpredictability and intensity of the issues you will have to deal with will be both intimidating and gratifying. Don’t judge yourself too harshly for what you have not been able to accomplish and take pride in your achievements!
—Carolyn Miller, Barnesville School of Arts & Sciences
If something at my school is not ideal from an HR perspective, it has helped me to remember the reason may be a lack of awareness. This minimizes frustration and inspires me to help.
—Heather Sebuufu, The Fessenden School
Ask a lot of questions and assume nothing. HR and payroll for an independent school is more complicated than for many businesses because of the variety of types of employees and pay formats. A 403(b) is different from a 401(k). Invest time in becoming familiar with the data.
—June O’Dell Porco, Holton-Arms School
Early on, I enrolled in the Essentials of the Business Office training as I was part of the business office. I then gained the understanding on how the business office functioned. I learned just to continually ask questions as everything was an acronym and others assume you know what they mean.
—Sandra Fantozzi-Welker, University School
HR in education is different from HR in many other industries. NBOA’s HR Community page in NBOA Connect, including the search feature, are of immeasurable value. While I use resources like SHRM local and national, I find that having a resource like NBOA is so helpful because the people within the community understand the specific situations that arise in the independent school setting. Be sure to bookmark the page and visit often or sign up for daily email digests.
—Dawn Ijiri, La Pietra-Hawaii School for Girls
When making decisions, always endeavor to reflect compassion, understanding and support for the individuals directly involved, maintaining a conscious recognition of the impact our choices will have on each person. Not every situation will be resolved with everyone in agreement. What is essential is that the individuals involved understand the process, experience it as fair and, ideally, grow from the interaction.
—Whitney Walters-Sachs, Pine Crest School
Speak up. Share your HR lens and your expertise as only you can. Leadership and colleagues will view you as the go-to person.
—Tricia Licari, Friends Academy
So much of the work that we do is related to sensitive issues like compensation, benefits, evaluations and performance improvement. Your faculty and staff need to know that they are being treated equitably within these processes. If you are not engaging with them and providing explanation and transparency, it can be difficult to truly have the trust and support from employees.
—Janet Graham, McDonogh School
There is always something new to learn, whether it's a regulatory change or a technique for reaching employees in crisis. Schools are filled with life-long learners, and you should ensure you're one of them!
—Amber Stockham, NBOA
Our school HR professionals are a wealth of wisdom, so we’ll leave you with this last bit of advice, provided respectively by Kristina Foucher and Wendi Cantwell: “Set clear boundaries and don’t feel guilty about it!” “Take time for self-care. Do not feel guilty about taking the time to recharge, and give yourself grace.”
