My name is Nicole Henneman and I am a strategic operations phenom.

What in the heck does that mean?

Well, I was in the Human Resources game for over 20-uh-let’s just say a long time. My specializations grew over that period but I’ve pretty much seen it all. I stumbled into the field fresh out of college and was fortunate to land at the Association Washington Cities (AWC). I learned how to advocate for employees while also creating “wins” for the employer. This is far more difficult and way more rewarding than it sounds.

Over the course of my career, I observed how all the areas of human resources are interwoven. If you don’t have trained employees or a solid safety program, they get hurt. Lackluster benefits plans can mean employees go longer without treatment. So where are they going to get the treatment? Under your workers’ compensation plan. Don’t fool yourselves. Without a robust leave management/life-cycle program, you are taking from one hand to give to the other.

In plain English, I am a pro in all of the areas that go into maintaining healthy employee populations: leave management, workers’ compensation, reasonable accommodations, safety programs, risk management, drug and alcohol program administration, training development and delivery, benefits management, program analysis and strategic planning/communications.

Ideally, this means your company will bleed out fewer dollars in claims costs, have happier and healthier employees, and a more positive work environment. Remember, I said ideally. This process takes time, culture shifts and process changes. Sometimes entire policy overhauls. You are going to need a lot of communication and buy-in. Sometimes it can get complicated and kind of ugly. That’s where I come in.

So did someone bless my expertise? You bet!

I have many, many training hours, as well as several certificates. I am certified as a Disability Management Professional (CPDM) and Oregon Workers’ Compensation Examiner. I also hold the SHRM SENIOR CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL (SHRM-SCP) designation. Plus, you know, I’ve actually done the work from the ground up and gotten good evals for it.

There have even been some employees who commended me. Yes, I absolutely have proof of that last one.

But surely I won’t understand your employees, right? I have worked in the public and private sectors, as well as a non-profit. I’ve supported non-union/union and multi-union/multi-state programs with employee populations from 400-12,000(+). And, yes, this included call center and field employees.

What industries do I have experience in? My private sector experience is in the utility industry (electricity and natural gas), and my public sector experience is in government. What kind of government? Glad you asked. While I don’t have tribal experience, I’ve worked for county government, city government, state government, a multi-city association, and even a fisheries organization.  Government is a little broad, right? I worked with transportation, public works, technology, police/fire, and general administration departments. I understand the toll that work can take on their bodies and their unique cultures.

Okay, but I couldn’t possibly understand what it is like to be disabled? Actually, I have been on short-term disability, long-term disability, and even social security disability so I know exactly what it is like.

Is that all I’ve got? No, wait, there’s more! I’ve also been an administrative assistant for the Director of Human Resources and the Budget Director while I worked for Island County. I have managed programs and my own department so I can keep people and projects on track. I also make executives shine (no spray polish required).

My undergraduate degree focused on environmental policy and journalism, but I have taken graduate coursework in public administration and I plan to continue my graduate training in strategic communication.

Doesn’t that mean I should be an executive? I certainly have enough training and experience to be one, but I’ve been in the trenches and I know what I want.

Am I a robot? Not that I know of. I am a mom and a creative. I write about vampyre, werewolves, mermaids and the like. I also write a lot about alternate history, mythology, surfing and conservation. I am a Mensan and do some volunteering with Surfrider.

If you would like to get in touch, please click on my contact page or send me an e-mail.