As a Corporate HR Leader, Here’s What I’ve Learned About the Power of Feeling Celebrated at Work

Human resources professional Marcie Reese has worked at large and small companies during her career — and she’s decided that the former is her preferred work environment, hands down. 

“I like the structure, benefits and resources that a large organization can provide to its employees,” Reese shared recently. 

Those aspects are what initially attracted her to global staffing firm Robert Half. She joined the company five years ago and, as a member of the HR Business Partner team, she helps the company engage, retain and develop employees and create a positive experience for them. 

“I love how my work is having a positive impact,” Reese, who was elevated to Senior HR Business Partner in 2017, said. “My job allows me to collaborate and engage with so many great people across our organization.”

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Women who work at Robert Half, she added, receive a lot of encouragement and support that helps them define and achieve their professional goals. 

“All employees at the company are given the opportunity to grow and thrive,” said Reese. "We are celebrated, recognized and acknowledged for our contributions. I never thought those things were important to me until I was acknowledged at Robert Half for something that I thought I just had to do anyway because it was my job.”

We asked Reese to tell us more about how Robert Half supports female professionals in their career growth, as well as how it promotes inclusion and diversity overall. Here’s what she shared.

What is Robert Half’s mission as a company? And what are its core values?

Our mission includes helping businesses to grow and helping the professionals we place to build rewarding careers. We also work to help organizations — including our own — create a workplace environment where people can thrive and innovate. We do this by adhering to our philosophy of “Ethics First” in everything we do.

That commitment began with our founder, Bob Half, who emphasized ethics in all of the company’s business activities. He actively lobbied against discriminatory hiring practices, and his advocacy helped drive positive change in the employment industry.

That philosophy is also a core element of Robert Half’s guiding principles — our LEAD principles. LEAD stands for: Leadership by example. Ethics first. An openness to new ideas. Dedication to excellence. And, in the five years that I’ve worked at Robert Half, I’ve seen firsthand our commitment to these principles, and to being an organization that celebrates equal opportunity. 

What differentiates Robert Half from other businesses in its industry?

I would say it’s both our global reach — we have more than 400 locations worldwide — and our ability to localize our full spectrum of staffing and consulting services. I think our specialization is a major differentiator, too. We place professionals in the fields of accounting and finance, technology, administrative and office support, legal, and creative and marketing. 

Robert Half also has relationships with trade associations that help us better serve the fields we focus on. And we work with organizations that provide recruiting and networking opportunities specifically for women, like AnitaB.org and the Accounting & Financial Women’s Alliance (AFWA). 

What are some employee benefits that positively impact women who work at Robert Half?

Flexible work arrangements are key for women, and always have been. But they’re even more important in the COVID-19 business environment. Giving women — and, really, all workers — more time to balance their professional and personal demands is so crucial right now. When the crisis hit, I think Robert Half did an excellent job of helping its employees pivot to meet the challenges of remote work. But honestly, we enjoyed the schedule flexibility even before that. 

Career opportunity at Robert Half is also a benefit. Women earn recognition and shape their career path through their work for the company. This includes opportunities for continuous learning. Our staff development department is robust, and our employees have the tools and support to define and pursue their goals. Not all companies offer that type of encouragement. They just want you to do the work.

Are there opportunities for women to network with each other at Robert Half?

Yes, and they’re expanding. For example, we have an internal social network that provides a lot of opportunity for all employees to connect with each other. And lately, we’re seeing a lot of specialized groups popping up, like a working parents support group and a health and wellness group. 

However, until recently, we haven’t had any employee resource groups (ERGs) at Robert Half. But I’m proud to say that I’ve partnered and collaborated with colleagues in our corporate office, and we’ve engaged with our counterparts and allies in the field, to start the first ERG — or what we are calling Communities of Inclusion (COI) at Robert Half — the Black Employee Network (BEN). The community is designed to help amplify the voices of those who are underrepresented, and to help everyone at Robert Half maintain an active dialogue with these individuals and their allies. This is how the company can continue to flourish as an inclusive and diverse organization.

I’m so excited about the opportunity to help launch BEN. And we’ve received so much support from our executives. They want to know exactly what the company can do to empower and engage all its employees and help everyone to feel included and recognized. The resources and tools we are developing for BEN can be duplicated for other groups, so we expect to see other COIs launching soon.

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