Welcome to Foundational Matters, Foundations HR Consulting’s new blog!
We are very excited to launch this blog and hope you will be a regular visitor to our site. In Foundational Matters, we will share with you some of the wisdom our consultants have gained over their decades working in the Human Resources world. What are some of the fundamental tenets Human Resources professionals need to know? How do you achieve the most engaged and motivated employees or team members? What works? What doesn’t? How can you build a trusting relationship with your employees? If you’re not sure of the answers, we’ve been there! We will share our thoughts on these questions and many, many others.
While we won’t be answering specific client questions in Foundational Matters, we encourage you to send these questions to us in a Contact Us request. We would love to work with you to build the best foundation possible! Or let us know what you would like to see in one of our blog posts. We want Foundational Matters to be a resource for you. And now, introducing our first blog post ….
Foundations Human Resources Consulting – why did you choose that name?
A question we are often asked. Naming a company is a big deal, and it took us a while to land on the perfect one for our consulting firm. Your company’s name is a reflection of you, the products and services you deliver, and the image you want to project.
We chose Foundations as the name of our company as we believe that people are the company’s foundation – foundational to the company’s success or failure, and foundational to the company’s image. As consultants we work with our clients to strengthen the Human Resources function, and to help HR and the leadership team understand the critical role that Human Resources should play on a daily basis.
When I hired in to Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky over 30 years ago, I was taught the value of human resources in a way that I had never seen it realized or explained before. Of course, as a Human Resources professional, I was humbled and overwhelmed at times by the sheer responsibility of what it meant to actually work at a company that prioritized people – really valued people.
Which leads me down the path of the second question we are often asked: why did you choose an oak tree image? The tree and its root system are symbolic to us. An oak tree symbolizes longevity, strength, endurance, and perseverance.
If the tree’s root system is strong and receives the correct amount of water, it will likely live for years (barring a natural disaster). If the root system doesn’t receive the nutrients it needs, it may die. However, it may take years before the signs of neglect are visible.
Sounds very philosophical doesn’t it? Here’s the correlation we make to people management. The relationship between employees and the leadership team must also be nurtured. People want to feel needed, heard, valued, included, challenged, respected, and cared for. Pretty basic stuff, but complex for most companies. When leaders focus their efforts on nurturing trusting relationships, most people will give their all every day. However, if leaders fail to provide these very basic human needs, the relationship suffers.
Unfortunately, it may take a while for the visible signs of this damaged relationship to appear. Just as the oak tree will start to show signs of distress, so will the work environment. Turnover, absenteeism, poor quality, low morale, and sabotage are sure signs that the root system – trust – has been damaged.
Foundations Human Resources Consulting is here to help you build, strengthen, or enhance your own foundational root system. Take a look at who we are and explore some of the services and solutions we can offer you – and look for some exciting new training opportunities soon.
— Carol Sampson, Executive Director and Co-Founder