People Operations for Social Change
Blue Swallow Consulting works in community with those who seek to upend systems of privilege and oppression. I provide small social justice organizations with the HR support they need to move work forward and impact change.
Great support should be as consistent as a blue barn swallow - it seems ordinary, but there is reassurance in its presence and simplicity in its patterns. I am deeply practiced at being a binding force to help create stability and consistency. Having repeatedly served as inaugural operations support for progressive organizations, I know what it takes to successfully set up core systems and center the “human” in HR. I am a member of the Society for Human Resources (SHRM) and am a SHRM-Certified Professional. For 15+ years, I have been streamlining processes, synthesizing findings, and bringing clarity, balance, and joy to collaborative work.
Areas of Practice
Performance
Create or refine your performance assessment processes and practices so they are equitable, actionable, and scaled to the administrative capacity of a small team.
Develop organizational competencies that reflect shared values and practices
Incorporate bidirectional feedback and assess supervision in the evaluation process
Build in processes for peer evals to gather information with a wider view
Formalize your process without losing the orientation towards growth and care for your team
Policies
Whether it’s your first employee handbook, it’s time for an update, or just a few tricky policies need some dedicated attention, I can help you be compliant, accessible, and team-centered.
HIRING
Bringing intentionality and rigor to your hiring process can equip you with confidence in your decision-making (plus be a positive experience for applicants).
Run processes and/or facilitating cross-team hiring committees
Refine job posts and outreach plans
Applicant screening & interviews
Devise effective interview guides and tailored work simulations
Thoughtful, synthesized reference checks and onboarding guidance that helps you set up your new hire for success
Job & ORG DESIGn
Ensure your org structure is the best fit and that job descriptions are updated, streamlined, and accurately reflect the current scope of your team’s duties.
Compensation
How we pay people says everything about our organizational values. Let’s create a compensation structure that reflects the world your organization is seeking to build.
Develop a values-based compensation philosophy to build organizational alignment around your pay practices
Refine and finalize your salary administration guidelines for greater internal consistency and transparency
Market-informed staff and Executive Director benchmarking with attention towards mitigating the disparate, inequitable impacts of market data
ASSESSMENTs
Whether it’s an engagement survey, a benefit satisfaction survey, stay interviews, etc., let’s listen to your team and bring clarity to what matters most.
“Community is a value, but I can’t build community in a messy house.”
Let’s talk!
I’d love to learn about new opportunities to support your work!