#107 Kim Hamer, 100 Acts of Love (Part 1)

In this week's episode, I have part one of my chat with Kim Hamer, talking about 100 Acts of Love, bereavement and people with serious illnesses and how to deal with it in the workplace. She was in HR. She left HR. Her husband died from cancer. She went back to HR ... on a mission. After her husband's death, she noticed managers didn't know what to say or do and were uncomfortable working with an employee with cancer, dealing with loss, or depression. And when an employee died? The ramifications of poor communication and management were detrimental. Lack of knowledge and discomfort negatively affected morale, which harmed productivity. So, she set out to change that. She landed her first job in HR when the Whole Foods Store Manager said, "Hey Kim, we have an opening for a part-time HR person and the department heads, and I think you'd be good at it because you know everyone in the store." Within a year, she was a full-time HR professional overseeing 6 stores in 2 states. She discovered she is an intuitive and lightning-fast learner. Equipped with a capacity to build strong relationships quickly and the support of a helpful corporate team, she skilled up quickly. She enjoys almost everything about HR.