Human Resources Business Partners (HRBPs), formerly known as HR Generalists, are a dedicated group of HR professionals who work with individual staff members, managers, and departmental leadership to foster a positive, high-performance work environment.
“We are here to support Yale’s leaders and staff with strategic problem-solving, coaching, and career opportunities,” said Lauren Slater, senior director of employee relations. “An HRBP is an initial point of contact to help you along your employment journey at Yale.”
Supporting staff, managers, and senior leaders
Traditionally, HRBPs support work that might involve individual and team performance related matters, assessing work responsibilities, and developing workplace programs. HRBPs collaborate with colleagues across HR to streamline requests and help their clients find solutions to talent and culture opportunities.
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HRBPs work closely with departmental leadership on strategic initiatives related to their workforce and work environments. This includes supporting positive relations between management and staff, alignment with university policies, and developing strategies geared towards talent, engagement, wellness, or belonging for the organization and its employees who are at the heart of it all.
“We are here to help provide solutions and offer an understanding of the unit’s culture and climate to leadership,” said Tricia Napor, senior director of employee relations. “A new leader may want to reorganize their team in a way that requires thoughtful change management. A manager might require help understanding how to repurpose a role on their team or how to interpret a policy. A staff member may have a question about compensation or seek guidance in how to give feedback to a team member. We work to understand what these individuals are trying to achieve, and partner on solutions, whether for the overall unit or the individual’s career.”
HRBPs assess staffing needs and support departments during the hiring process in partnership with the Talent Acquisition team. They work with staff throughout their employment at Yale and play a critical role in talent planning and the performance management and merit processes. “Each fall, we partner with most of the units on campus to identify high potential individuals as possible successors for leadership roles. In the spring, we collaborate with business offices and clients to calibrate merit ratings,” said Napor.
Areas of coverage are separated into three sections: operations and administration, Yale School of Medicine, and central academics and professional schools. Each grouping has a senior director of employee relations who manages a team that includes HRBPs. On average, HRBPs support about 335 employees each.
“We work with individuals, departments, or schools to help them map out achievable goals. Often, they want to make some changes that involve and will directly impact people,” said Bridgett LaFountain, senior director of employee relations. “We can lean on experts from our other HR teams — for instance, Learning and Development if training is required, or Compensation for salary analysis.”
Coverage across campus
Anna DeAngelo, Denise Jenkins, and Sarah de Freitas are HRBPs with 18 years of combined service at Yale. DeAngelo’s client groups comprise five departments within the School of Medicine; Jenkins supports HR and Yale Athletics. As a member of the central academic team, de Freitas works closely with the Schools of Nursing, Engineering, the Environment, and several smaller operational areas, including the Yale Office of International Affairs.
In a fast-paced environment, DeAngelo helps her units balance the needs of patients and faculty against daily department deliverables. At the same time, Jenkins partners with Athletics on strategic initiatives including workforce planning, performance management, and talent development. de Freitas responds to her areas’ varying requests and requirements by building strong relationships.
When taking on a new client, DeAngelo examines their organization charts, looks at prior workplace surveys, and meets with department leadership to assess needs. Jenkins makes it a point to meet with new hires to introduce herself and offer guidance and support. “It’s a true partnership; the more we know about the unit, and the more comfortable the staff become working with us, the more we can help make recommendations to support their needs,” said Jenkins.
Finding challenges and rewards in mediation, de Freitas makes it a point to stay neutral while offering empathy. “When you meet in person, you see the human being behind the role, and that’s an important part of the mediation process. We want to be proactive when resolving conflict and mitigating it positively. When a conflict gets resolved, and you see people working together, it’s incredibly rewarding,” said de Freitas.
“There are often organizational challenges and shifts in strategic priorities. We need to determine if we can align what the clients are asking for with the university’s guidelines and policies,” said DeAngelo. “I think it is wonderful when you have an organization and client groups willing and interested in partnering with HR so that we can provide them with tools to make their work easier.”
While they are the first point of contact in their areas, for certain queries HRBP’s will direct staff to the Employee Service Center (ESC). For questions about paid time off, time accruals, pensions, leaves of absence, and benefits, contact the ESC at employee.services@yale.edu or by phone at 203-432-5552.
AdvanceHR
Yale HR has several multi-year initiatives under its overall plan called AdvanceHR: the Learning Strategic Initiative (LSI), the Recruiting Strategic Initiative (RSI), and Job Framework Redesign (JFR). Find out more about these from Vice President for Human Resources John Whelan.
