The Gene B. Glick Company is honored to have such hard-working, dedicated employees and we are proud to recognize these individuals in a monthly employee spotlight!

Q: What is your title at the Gene B. Glick Company?

A: I am the senior employee relations specialist in Glick's corporate office.

Q: How long have you been with the company?
A: I started at Glick in May 2011.

Q: Have you had any other positions with the company?
A: Yes. I started with Glick as the human resources (HR) administrator. At that time, there were only three people in HR. I was promoted in fall 2012 to human relations specialist, where I handled our benefits and employee relations. In 2015, I was moved into the employee relations specialist role and promoted to senior employee relations specialist in 2017.

Q: What brought you to Glick? Why did you want to work here?
A: At the time, my husband and I had just moved to Indianapolis. I had heard that Glick was a great company and a hard company to get into since people stayed long term. I saw the open position for the HR admin role and I kept calling until I was able to speak with someone. I was very excited to interview and, eventually, get the offer. Right away it felt like a great fit!

Q: What training/education/background did you bring with you?
A: My degree is actually in apparel merchandising. I discovered very quickly that while I had a passion for fashion and trends, I most enjoyed working directly with people and helping them in their careers. I left retail and entered the staffing world, where my introduction to HR began. After staffing, I worked in an HR services group before coming to Glick.

Q: What do you do in your role?
A: I wear many hats, as we all do. I have the privilege of training new managers during their onboarding training, as well as any team member who goes through Crucial Conversations training. I oversee our employee engagement at Glick, which includes Officevibe and the 360 Recognition platform. I conduct both stay and exit interviews with team members to gather feedback one-on-one. I’m heavily involved in performance management – guiding managers to appropriately handle concerns while also lending a listening ear. I’ve also worked on events like Day of Caring and the holiday luncheon, and I’ve assisted with corporate social responsibility and our annual leadership conference.

Q: Why is your role/the work you do at Glick important?
A: I think it is important for team members to know that HR genuinely cares and wants to help. We have a great HR team in place ready to assist. It is difficult when you hear about a situation but the team member didn’t come to HR to talk about it. I always encourage team members to reach out.

Q: What has surprised you the most about working at Glick?
A: I knew that Glick had a big influence in the community but I didn’t realize how engrained the spirit of giving and caring was in the workplace culture until I started. It is incredible.

Q: What has kept you here?
A: My boss, Lisa Rees, the vice president of HR at Glick, has hands down kept me here. I have learned so much from her over the last eight years and she has been a mentor to me from day one. She encourages growth and learning. She always makes time to speak with you. She also fosters an environment where you feel empowered to make decisions and learn from mistakes. Lisa sees your strengths and ensures that you are in the right position to use them.

Q: Where are you from?
A: I’m originally from a small town in southeast Indiana called Batesville. I believe it still holds the title of “Casket Capital of the World,” due to the Batesville Casket Company’s headquarters there. My family and I now live in Fishers, Indiana.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
A: Our 7-year-old, Zachary, and our 4-year old, Everly, keep us very busy between swimming, gymnastics, dance, soccer and basketball. When we are not doing that, we just enjoy family time. We love family vacations, watching movies and taking walks. I also love shopping – whether it is for clothing or home décor.

Q: What might surprise Glick team members about you?
A: While it is an uncomfortable topic for some, I speak very openly about the fact that I lost my daughter, Emerson, in 2015. She and her twin sister, Everly, were born 10 weeks early and Emerson died shortly after birth due to a rare genetic condition. It was an extremely difficult time in our life but our families – both at home and at work – helped us through it. Now, I utilize the Glick Gives program to make donations in Emerson’s memory. I love that Glick matches my gift to make an even bigger impact.

Q: If you won the lottery and didn’t have to worry about money, how would you fill your time (e.g., dream job, hobbies, causes)?
A: Aside from traveling everywhere with my family, I would start a foundation in memory of Emerson. Losing a child is indescribable. I would love to provide support to families that lose a child and use my experience to help them through their loss.

Q: If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
A: Pretty much all of Europe. I wish I could spend a few months there! Also, I would love to go to Fiji and Australia. I held a baby kangaroo in Gulf Shores, Alabama, this year (of all places) and I would love to do that again. It would be a dream if I could hold a koala as well!

Q: Do you live life by any certain motto or philosophy?
A: I have several but the one heard the most in HR is, “It’s never too late to start the day over.” I saw that saying on some home décor not long after I started and it has pretty much become our department motto. I like it because regardless of how bad your morning may have started, it’s not too late to have a positive attitude and start again.