@Lori Flinchum, as my wife always says... I'd rather be cold on a beach than cold in Ohio.

@Larisa Putnam, oh gosh... forgot about the cancellations/delays. Glad you got to enjoy Dayton in all it's splendor!

I always liked the term "Success Factors", but I know that is also an SAP software license name so I have never actually put that down officially, but that is what I think this is... Factors of Success. The clear communicated factors that can allow an employee to be successful in their role, and the measurement and discussion of those factors or that success.

@Karen Packard, didn't think to have it take the reins for replying to a nasty email. That is smart! Let AI help corral those immediate thoughts before they come out in a reply!

@Lori Flinchum, are you all set and ready for the new ED starting next week? What else can anyone here help with? What are the final aspects that need to be completed for this? You got one shot, so let's do this with a bang.

@Michelle Borszich, Niiiiiice!! Way to go. Glad that is behind you. Bring on February!

Hey Bob, Similar to @Leslie Speas, I had a team of 2 for a few years, and this was also in manufacturing. I worked with Strategy, L&D, Compensations, ER (for more complex issues), higher level benefits (working with the brokers, running analysis on plans, etc.), Exempt Recruiting, Compliance, and also Final Payroll. Of course, any time Sr. Leadership had a question it was always a popping by my office, even for super simple stuff. My other person handled prepping N/E Payroll prep, benefit questions from employees, some more simple ER, many of the general questions, N/E recruiting, and we each probably handled a lot more than I can remember now! In some ways, I also focused the different responsibilities on what the other individual was capable of. Often times I would add some things to her plate (and also take some off accordingly) so she had an opportunity to grow in different areas. The expansion from 1 to 2 is difficult (much harder than adding another person to a group of 5), as you now need to let go and trust various items will get done. You can’t review every single aspect of the other persons work like you would your own. Trust and honesty (which probably go together a lot) are key to this. Set up a relationship with trust, but be sure to verify often at the start, and you can lighten up slightly with the verifications once you got some experience under their belt. It probably wouldn’t hurt to give a little preference to candidates who have worked in this kind of environment over those who have only worked in departments of 15 or so, but only if all other qualifications are quite close. It’s not a deal breaker, but something to think about. As I said, this is tricky, so careful and thoughtful planning ahead of time and how you will both communicate on issues is absolutely key to making this a success. Jim

Something else I thought of a little bit ago, but it bears mentioning as an addition to the overall discussion. Judging by your title alone in your profile, Bob, I will make the assumption you have managed others before. But for other HR folks who may be reading this post who are a Dept of 1 going to a Dept of 2 with no managerial experience, take the time to learn how to best manage and lead (yes, those are two different things) the right way. When you go from a Dept of 1 to a Dept of 2 or more… now you are one of those managers you deal with all day long. You are now responsible for your employee’s performance, having weekly discussions, checking attendance and inputting timecards, goal setting, correcting behaviors, and such. Remember all those things you wish managers would do better? Surprise!... now you are held to the same standard. So make sure to invest a little in yourself so you can hit the ground running in your new role.