Human Resources: Where people come first…

We all think something different when we hear the department Human Resources. Some think we are the policy enforcers or the principal. We are not the police, and we are here for the people.  We wear many different hats depending on each circumstance. We are the adaptors to each situation that is brought our way. We must find balance between what’s best for the company and the employee. HR wants to make a difference. We care deeply about people and workplaces, and we’re passionate about creating environments where employees can succeed, grow and feel supported. HR requires strength, empathy and resilience.

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I started here at Daifuku Intralogistics America back in 2019, handling talent acquisition moving into an HR Business Partner role supporting our staff onsite and remote and then into the HR Business Partner Supervisor leading a team to support our employees. Now, as the HR Business Partner Manager, I manage a team who supports our employees on organizational structure and design, talent assessment, performance management, employee relations, manager and employee development, investigations, benefits, worker’s compensation and so much more.

My team consists of three HR Business Partners and an HR Assistant who support the entire organization. It’s not just managing people; it’s about leading them which is what we strive to achieve. Our team supports over 800 employees across the United States with about 300 in our manufacturing plant and about 540 onsite at our various offices, offsite at multiple customer locations and remote. This number is growing as we continue to expand our manufacturing plant in Hobart, IN.

In organizations, an HR Business Partner team is successful when leadership looks to us as a partner with their team. Fortunately, at Daifuku Intralogistics America our leadership looks to us as a partner working together with us to make the best decisions for our employees while meeting the company goals.

The HR Business Partner team is dynamic with a desire to help others. Our team supports employees through tough times, assists others by making them feel heard, connects leadership with the workforce, translates complex goals into actionable plans, mediates conversations to keep everyone respected, finds solutions no one else sees, earns respect without forcing authority, creates relationships with people resulting in those employees coming to us for advice, turns values into daily actions, and keeps the team inspired even in tough times.

Today, employees are looking for organizations with a healthy culture, competitive benefits and a work-life balance. In my experience, culture is one of the top reasons people search for new opportunities at other organizations. People want to be appreciated and heard. As we expand our facility, we will be hiring more and more people. The goal of the HR team is to drive our culture and continue to develop our staff through training and mentoring.  

Talent Acquisition:

In addition to the HR Business Partner team, we have Talent Acquisition and Learning and Development which encompasses the entire Human Resource department. Our Talent Acquisition team handles sourcing, recruitment and selection, onboarding, job fairs, outreach and employment branding. Sourcing the best candidates through a strategized method rooted in the idea of building high-performing teams.  Our HR Business Partner team works with Talent Acquisition and leadership on pipeline needs, assist with onboarding along with new hire orientation.

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Learning and Development:

Learning and Development maintains our learning management system which includes our performance management system. This department implements and develops training for our entire organization. The HR Business Partner team partners with learning and development along with leadership to determine what training is needed, how we continue to train/cross-train employees and focus on continuous improvement. This is an ongoing process to make sure we are setting our employees up for success.

Working in HR for over 20 years in manufacturing, I can say my drive for HR continues to be the same as when I decided to pursue this field.

• We want to advocate for employees

• We want to build equitable, inclusive and supportive workplaces

• We want to implement policies that foster fairness and respect

Daifuku Intralogistics America harbors all the attributes above which gives HR the support we need to keep doing what we do best. When we have an organization and leadership team that see the value HR brings to the table, it creates an enjoyable work experience. I’m proud and happy to say I work for an organization that values my time, energy and ideas.

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