As Northeast Ohio’s most trusted HR resource for nearly 100 years, ERC truly believes in HR and the importance of strong HR leadership. ERC proudly services the HR community with the answers and tools they need to make their jobs easier and their organizations better. We have seen time and time again the difference and influence HR professionals have on creating great workplaces. And that’s why we have created the “We Believe in HR” campaign.
The purpose of this campaign is to celebrate and recognize the HR community that ERC works with every day. We see the struggles these people go through at their organizations. We see that the HR department isn’t always the most popular. We see that their passion for people sometimes gets drowned by the amount of compliance paperwork they have their desk. And most importantly, we see HR for much, much more than that. We want to show them that we care. We want to show them that their work matters, is changing the way organizations run, and, most importantly, positively impacting the lives of their employees.
To launch this campaign, we invited influential HR leaders to a get-together at Downie Photo studio where they shared what they believe in regarding their human resources role. These thought leaders represent the diversity of people and industries in HR throughout our great region, and we are excited to feature their stories in the May issue of Cleveland Magazine. We applaud the impact they are making on their organizations’ culture and workforce, and we want to continue celebrating them and all that they stand for.
“I believe in advocating a teambuilding approach in our company, where managers coach employees and empower them to solve problems and create solutions—an approach that I feel ultimately leads to a more engaged and committed workforce and
a healthier all-around bottom line.”—Beth Stec, Director of HR at MCPc, Inc.
“I believe that an organization is only as strong as its people. HR can have the biggest impact by developing strategies and programs that cultivate future leaders, facilitate their career growth, and reward them for delivering successful results.”
—Tony Brown, Vice President of HR at National Interstate
“I believe in an open and inclusive culture, one that allows everyone to bring their authentic self into the workplace. As an executive HR leader, and an open LGBT female, I have the opportunity to lead by example and provide a workplace environment that openly accepts diversity and cultivates a culture of inclusion.'”
—Stamy Paul, Division Vice President, HR at Airgas USA, LLC
“I believe in creating an employment culture that enhances the engagement of employees to enable the company to exceed their objectives. I believe an actionable talent management strategy that focuses on attracting, empowering, rewarding, and retaining top talent is critical to support the employment culture.”
—Tom Tomasula, Vice President of HR at Bettcher Industries, Inc.
“I believe in empowerment and building knowledge and expertise. Helping to build confidence and fortitude in others to never give up is my passion. I believe HR provides a platform for leadership and self-development, coaching and mentoring that can lead to unyielding success.”
—Dalithia Smith, Vice President of HR, Americas Welding at Lincoln Electric
“I believe in a contagious, innovative, and progressive culture. Culture in every organization drives success, and ultimately determines the existence of true industry leadership! I believe that HR must lead in establishing, effectively communicating, and driving a culture of what must be! This allows for organizational and industry uniqueness that determines ‘Best in Class.'”
—Douglas Dykes, Chief Talent Officer at Cuyahoga County Government
“I believe in respect, just like Aretha Franklin did. Our mission is to engage, teach, and inspire through the power of Rock and Roll and with that, creating and nurturing a respectful work environment is paramount to our success. If the team feels valuable, our organization becomes stronger, and in turn, an excellent experience is inherent for our members, partners, and guests.”
—Carole Bell, Director of HR at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
“I believe in empowering employees. Listening to your employees, instilling trust in their abilities, presenting new challenges, and providing training and development opportunities leads to job satisfaction, talent retention, and increases productivity and innovation.”
—Barbara Kimbrew, Manager of HR at Babcox Media, Inc.
What do we believe in at ERC?
We believe that employees’ families always come first. We believe organizations and employee relationships are built on mutual trust. We believe in attracting and retaining only top performers. We believe imagination and innovation are the currencies of the future. We believe that equal pay, diversity, and inclusivity are essential to business success. We believe in our community. We believe in celebrating great workplaces. We believe in having fun at work.
We believe in paying interns, laughing at work, taking risks, and learning from our mistakes. We believe that everyone can make a difference and therefore change the world. We believe that everyone matters and that everyone is of equal importance at our workplace. We believe in expecting more from ourselves, every day. We believe in creating the future, choosing happiness, and giving back. We believe a healthy workplace is a successful workplace. We believe in making things happen and inspiring others to do the same. We believe in supporting each other’s success.
We believe teamwork makes the dream work. We believe in continuous learning. We believe in being grateful. We believe in providing employees an exceptional experience. We believe that dogs rule. We believe that we know, believe, and love what we are doing. But more importantly, above all, we believe in HR.
Why do you #BelieveinHR? We would love to hear your story.
We are dedicated to empowering you and being inspired by you. This is our thank you to Human Resources professionals everywhere. Stay tuned for more to come on why we believe in HR and we look forward to hearing your stories!