Recent News

July 7th, 2023

Coffee Talk with Sarah Cozzemera

Our third Coffee Talk session is with Harmonia's own Beverly (Bev) Eagan, B.S., Human Resources + Compliance Specialist.

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WHAT: Having worked in HR at various capacities throughout her career, Bev brings a wide array of knowledge and experience to Harmonia. We are grateful she's on the team! Today we sat down at Prima Oliva Cafe to discuss the role of Human Resources departments + how that has shifted significantly in the past few years. We also discussed how, from both of our perspectives, Harmonia is unique in the ways that it genuinely centers + supports staff.

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Q: What does MENTAL HEALTH mean to you?

A: Mental health means leading a balanced life. Having a balanced sense of oneself. Mental health impacts most facets of our life – our emotions, behaviors, and thoughts and it helps a person to be physically healthy, build healthy relationships, and even contribute to their community. From my perspective as Harmonia’s human resources representative, it means sustaining a work-life balance.

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Q: Why do we need to talk about and support mental health initiatives?

A: We want to remove the stigma from mental health. After all mental health is just as essential to a person’s life in the same way as physical health. Hesitation to talk about mental health adds to the notion that the topic is taboo. It is important to normalize conversations surrounding mental health so people can feel empowered to seek the help they need.

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Q: What services does the Human Resources department offer?

A: Human Resources touches many facets of the employment relationship. Recruitment and onboarding, employee relations, performance management, training and development, compliance, and workplace safety to name a of the ones most often associated with HR. And, currently the agency is hiring. For a complete list of open positions and information, I would suggest visiting our website -- check the Careers section, under the ABOUT tab. My contact information is on the website if you want to contact me.

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Q: Where does human resources find itself situated in today’s workplace environment?

A: Our world has experience so many changes over the last few years, and the workplace is not exception. Collective trauma from the pandemic, the effects from things like climate change and even social and political upheaval – along with workplace stress and burnout have brought the link between work and well-being into the spotlight.

From a human resources perspective, its about taking a “whole person approach.” This is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Our leadership team is aligned on the importance of providing employees with the time and space to address their personal mental health needs.

Mental health providers have been particularly vulnerable to the negative mental health effects associated with our culture and environment as they absorb some of their client’s energy. It is up to us to assist them in maintaining their own morale and centeredness in the face of these challenges.

· As an agency we provide generous PTO time and leadership encourages staff to use it.

· We offer our employees access to an EAP program, and again, encourage them to take full advantage of their services.

· Our CEO, Val Nowak has generously offered to provide the Calm App for employees interested in using this tool.

For us, as an agency, we have to keep our finger on whether our perceptions are aligned with employee health needs? We do reach out to our staff when we are approaching open enrollment to see if there is any interest in a particular benefit that we might add to our substantial mix of current benefits.

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BONUS QUESTION video:

Go to HARMONIA's Instagram and Facebook pages (@harmoniacollaborativecare) to see our wrap up on this Coffee Talk session!

THANK YOU for joining us + check back in for our next conversation. As always: may your coffee be strong and your knowledge of community support systems even stronger.

Special THANK YOU to BEV for her time and all the ways she contributes to our workforce + community. Thank you to Prima Oliva Cafe for hosting! Find them on Facebook + Instagram: @prima_oliva.