This week, I wanted to focus on getting some of my intern checklist items complete and dove into some areas that I hadn't quite gotten into yet. On Monday, I shadowed Tori at a client meeting. I observed the structure and organization behind working with a client, along with the communication styles. One thing I noticed was the mutual respect present in all of Tori's and the clients' conversations - they listen to each other and adjust plans based on feedback, limitations, change, and brainstorming. I also noticed a lot of transparency within their conversations. There was one moment where the client was confused, and Tori acknowledged the complexity without sugar-coating it. I felt like I took a lot away from shadowing this meeting and got to see real HR skills firsthand - they were thinking about people and change rather than technicalities.
Along with this, I spent two days shadowing Yolanda while she worked on payroll. Payroll was something that I truly had no idea what went on behind the scenes, and I got a better feel for it. Most of my work this summer lives in the creative lane, so shadowing payroll this week felt like stepping into a completely different side of HR. I learned how tedious payroll is, with Yolanda triple-checking everything she did. It was an interesting area to shadow because it felt like the complete opposite scale of HR than I'm used to learning about. It's precise, rule-based, and unforgiving of small mistakes in a way that content work just isn't. Seeing that contrast gave me a new appreciation for how many different skill sets HR actually requires.
On Wednesday, I helped Alyssa out with some Paylocity busy work for a client. This was honestly fun for me because once I got the hang of it, I was able to quickly get it all done. This week expanded my thinking and learning into places I hadn't really thought about. I appreciate how much I get to learn on a day-to-day basis, and I'm already looking forward to next week!