They may not do alot because this Firm is a well-oiled machine, but they rock. Specifically, the main woman in charge of HR. In our old building the HR department was in a small outbuilding next to the company’s main location, so there was that real sense of separation between HR and the rest of the company. But in the new building, instead of putting HR down with invoicing/billing/facilities/IT on the first floor, they put them on The Deuce (which is what the folks on my side of the building call our floor). The main head of HR is directly next to Mr. BIL’s office. At first that bothered me – the idea that The Man could hear/see everything I do. But it’s worked to my advantage because it turns out that the head of HR and I really get along well. When I first got here she kind of scared me – I thought she was a typical gung-ho women-rule-the-world kind of woman. But she’s not – she’s just forthright, honest, and to the point. She doesn’t mince words, and expects the same in return. Because of that, we have developed a nice working friendship.
Now, because she’s HR I still won’t invite her to poker, or White Elephant, or any at-home functions. It’s for the same reason that I would never invite my bosses to such events. She still has a modicum of control with regard to my being here. And thus, she’ll never see my home life up close and personal.
But I figure as long as she LIKES me, I’ll be in good shape!
And let me add, I enjoyed the same comaraderie (sp) with one of my HR ladies at The Company in NoNJ. In fact, she knew I was moving out of the area before a lot of other people did. And the only reason I felt comfortable telling her was because I knew she would understand our reasons AND respect my privacy enough to not let the cat out of the bag or upset my job situation before I turned in my notice to Mr. Russell.