People Operations for Social Change
Blue Swallow Consulting works in community with those who seek to upend systems of privilege and oppression. I provide social justice organizations and consultants with the research, hiring, and HR support they need to move work forward and impact change.
Great support should be as consistent as a blue barn swallow - it seems ordinary, but there is reassurance in its presence and simplicity in its patterns. I am deeply practiced at being a binding force to help create stability and consistency. Having repeatedly served as inaugural operations support for progressive organizations, I know what it takes to successfully set up core systems and center the “human” in HR. I am a member of the Society for Human Resources (SHRM) and am a SHRM-Certified Professional. For 15+ years, I have been streamlining processes, synthesizing findings, and bringing clarity, balance, and joy to collaborative work.
Areas of Practice
Interviews & ASSESSMENTs
Whether it’s an engagement survey, a benefit satisfaction surveys, stay interviews, etc., let’s listen to your team and find out what folks really want and need.
Policies
It may be your first employee handbook or you are due for a update. Either way, I can help you be compliant and team-centered in your policies.
Job Descriptions
Ensure job descriptions are updated, streamlined, and accurately reflect the scope of duties (aka job evaluation analysis for the HR nerds!).
Research for consultants
If you are a consultant looking for some behind-the-scenes help with your organizational assessment, I can help! With a background in qualitative research, I can design and administer survey instruments (interviews, focus groups, surveys), synthesize and analyze findings, and draft a report with key recommendations so you don’t have to do it all by yourself.
HIRING
A thoughtful, intentional hiring process that’s scaled to what you need - from refining the job post to effectively screening applications, conducting illuminating interviews, devising tailored work simulations, and crafting reference check questions that help you set up your new hire for success.
Hiring CommitteeS
Your highly collaborative organization may have a cross-team hiring committee that requires strategic facilitation to help everyone stay organized. I can provide the scaffolding you need to build alignment, keep what’s important front and center, and conduct an effective search.
Hiring Training
If your team is wondering how to hire with rigor and care, I can deliver an informative, resource-filled session(s) with necessary tools and templates.
Compensation
Develop a values-based compensation philosophy to build organizational alignment around your pay practices, refine and finalize your salary administration guidelines for greater internal consistency and transparency, get Executive Director compensation benchmarking with an eye for equity within your holistic pay system, and other strategies for a compensation structure that reflects the world your organization is seeking to build.
Compensation - Small orgs
For very small organizations (typically <30 staff), I also provide market-based benchmarking, peer surveys, and pay equity support, with attention towards mitigating the disparate, inequitable impacts of market data.
P.S. If you are looking to totally reevaluate your compensation scale, check out consulting partners - and seasoned HR visionaries! - Mala Nagarajan, Vega Mala Consulting and Lyn Freundlich, Change for Good Coaching and Consulting.
“Community is a value, but I can’t build community in a messy house.”
Let’s talk!
I’d love to learn about new opportunities to support your work!