Meet Jill Osborn, Recruiting Consultant at KMA, whose people-first approach is transforming workplace culture. From inclusive policies to purpose-driven recruiting, she’s redefining what HR can be. In this Q&A, she shares her insights on balancing compliance with compassion, empowering unique strengths, and building truly holistic workplaces.
Q: Holistic Workplace Policies: You emphasize viewing employees as whole people. Can you share an example of how you’ve crafted or influenced workplace policies that honor the personal and professional facets of employees’ lives?
A: I’ve counseled clients or implemented policies in several areas that have the most impact in work/life balance. Examples include PTO and sick time accrual plans that more than meet the legal requirements, recognizing employee’s obligations to family and self. I’ve worked through interactive processes to provide creative disability accommodations that have generated loyal, hardworking, productive employees! I’ve also helped employers craft hybrid, remote, or flexible schedules to accommodate the demands of outside life.
Q: Discovering the “Special Sauce”: You talk about delving into people’s unique ‘special sauce.’ What strategies or approaches have you found most effective in helping employees identify and leverage their individual strengths to benefit both their careers and the organization?
A: I find that in addition to crafting thorough annual reviews it is a best practice for HR to conduct regular check ins. This allows me to get to know employees, learn their unique skills and also their desired career growth and training needs. Being able to learn where the gaps are and fill them in is an essential part of people driven HR. While on site, I often like to park myself in the break room. It gives me an opportunity to chat more casually with employees and makes me more approachable. This is imperative for gaining the trust of employees and contributes to a better employee experience. HR is not just a figure head. I humanize myself in order to encourage employees that it’s safe to be human with me.
Q: Evolving HR Practices: With over a decade of experience in senior HR and recruiting roles, what do you see as the most significant evolution in how companies engage and develop their talent?
A: I think Covid humanized the work force, and while HR became the go to source for ever changing COVID policies, it highlighted the importance of people-focused HR in contrast to the long-standing mentality of HR as paper pushers. Will I always make sure that the administrative side of HR like benefits forms are turned in on time and with complete information? Of course. But I will also meet with employees and explain how insurance policies are changing, and help them make the best decisions for themselves. It has also given me experience within a highly regulated industry with rapidly changing rules as the industry developed. Background checks, credentialing, training, hiring have all been regulated and require compliant practices tied to the business license.
Q: Impact of the Cannabis Industry: Your transition into the emerging cannabis industry exposed you to various verticals – from agriculture to biotech. How has this diverse experience influenced your perspective on HR and recruiting strategies?
A: When I began recruiting in cannabis, the industry was in its infancy in the northeast. We didn’t have the luxury of hiring people with experience because there had been no legal market to gain experience in. This made me a better recruiter because I had to dig into relevant skills and what we often refer to as soft skills. Learning to use objective interviewing practices that focused on what the person might be capable of, rather than what they had previously done, was a fulfilling experience. Many of those people who were early to the industry have grown and developed strong careers because of opportunities granted on their potential. It also helps me follow through with company goals consistently across departments rather than in a silo, helping the organization function better and be more cohesive as a whole.
Q: Personal Inspiration and Professional Growth: How has your personal journey, especially being inspired by your daughter’s struggles with epilepsy, shaped your approach to leadership and employee advocacy?
A: I think it has made me a more compassionate person. I understand the need for policies, and the need for enforcement to create a fair and balanced workplace.
Q: Balancing Compliance and Employee Well-being: Managing compliance while fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment can be challenging. Can you describe a situation where you successfully balanced these demands, and what you learned from that experience?
A: I have researched and implemented software with specific fonts to assist employees with dyslexia to better access inventory and POS systems. I have met with a representative from the Association for the Blind to provide better accommodations to an individual with sight impairment. I scheduled a company-wide training on assisting individuals with hearing loss, as we had several impacted customers who we wanted to better serve. When it comes to ADA accommodations, compliance is imperative, but going the extra mile to ensure you’ve done everything possible to set an employee up for success is even better.
Thank you, Jill, for sharing your thoughtful insights and experiences. We’re grateful to have you on the KMA team and appreciate the work you do every day to make workplaces more human, compassionate, and effective!