We’re very excited to unveil our latest video from our new blog series titled “Insights from the Top: 3 Questions with PLM Leaders.” Every month, we’ll feature a different member of our leadership team, offering their perspectives on industry trends and the crucial role PLM plays in addressing the needs of the wood niche.
In this month’s edition, we are joined by SVP of Human Resources – Harold Jamison
Q: What inspired you to get into HR?
Harold Jamison: I consider myself a people person. I like interacting with our employees and just people in general. I consider myself having worked in a lot of career fields or different and have had different opportunities along the way.
I worked in New York City in corporate. I’ve been a part of the military. I worked in the city. I worked in the suburbs, worked through the ranks at one point in time. I worked in housekeeping at Strawbridge and Clothiers and worked my way through the ranks.
I’ve been an intern at an insurance company, I’ve had administrative positions and gained a management level position. And now I’m corporate secretary and SVP here at Pennsylvania Lumbermens. Having had those experience has benefited me in being a part of the HR department and also corresponding. I chat with our folks that haven’t gone through the experiences that a lot of folks have gone through. I think that helpful in what I have to do and want to do as it relates to HR at PLM.
Q: What would you like to demystify about HR?
HJ: HR is not the bad guy. I know there are times where HR might reach out to an employee and you see the HR department call and automatically think, “Oh, what did I do? Did I do something wrong?”
That it’s not the case. Granted, we are a part of the disciplinary things that happen in organization, but we also are there for our employees. We look to work along with them. We’re really there from hire to retire. Through that process, we are involved in any promotions, benefits, training, education, etc.
So again, when HR is calling and knocking on the door, it’s not always a bad thing. From our perspective here at PLM, we look to make sure that we’re keeping the temperature of our employees and trying to get a sense of feel for what is transpiring. If there are any needs that we need to check into and things along those lines.
It’s not always a bad thing. When we were going through Covid, some of the things that we were looking to do was reach out to our employees and make sure that they were doing all right. Obviously, everybody was subject to big changes on those time. There were times you had folks at home transitioning and doing the remote work and some people missed being in office and relish being at home.
There were some conflicts, whether it’s family at home and or being lonely because you’re only one there. During that time period, we looked out, we reached out and made wellness checks.
We continue to do that. That’s just one of the things I just wanted to demystify about HR.
Q: What do people underestimate about HR?
HJ: This ties into one of the other questions. What I think is underestimated is that HR is involved in a lot of things within the context of the organization here at PLM. We have approximately 170 people right now and we touch each one of the 17 on a daily basis. Whether it is payroll related, it’s benefits and training, any events that we’re having, whether they’re corporate being, any type of charitable, events and or national meeting or even town halls.
We’re there were involved behind the scenes, but we are there in the part of the organization – and we’re there for everyone at a moment’s notice. There are times where we come in and we have seven things on our agenda, but when somebody knocks on the door, you have to be ready to reach out to them and meet their needs.
