Counterpart International case study: A dual approach to HR success
Counterpart International
Background
Counterpart International is a nonprofit organization that partners with leaders, organizations, and social sector networks to build inclusive, sustainable communities in which people thrive. With over 55 years in the international development sector and a presence in 65 countries, the company has facilitated trainings for hundreds of thousands of emerging leaders, providing capacity-building assistance for nearly 2,000 organizations, and has strengthened and established at least 145 networks worldwide. Wendy Bradford, senior director of global human resources and administration, has worked at Counterpart International for 3 years, and in the international development sector for over 2 decades.
Counterpart International by the numbers
- Founded in 1965
- 1,836 organizations received capacity-building assistance
- Worked in 65 countries around the world
- Trained over 439,000 emerging leaders
- 145+ networks established or strengthened
Challenges
As an HR professional, Wendy must stay on top of ever-changing employment laws, at both the federal and state level. Because Counterpart International employs individuals across the U.S., Wendy needed a streamlined way to quickly locate state-specific employment laws and requirements. Business and Learning Resources (BLR) was up to the challenge. On a personal level, Wendy also wanted to further hone and develop her HR acumen and needed a goto resource to continue learning new methodologies and best practices, as well as to stay up-to-date on the latest industry trends.
Key challenges
- Instant access to reliable, detailed employment laws at the federal, state, regional, and local levels
- Well-informed on the latest employment law news, court cases, and impending policy changes
- Single access point for laws, news, and resources
- Continued professional development
Solution
As a longtime BLR client, Wendy was confident that her challenges could be met quickly and cost effectively. Prior to BLR offering a digital HR platform, Wendy had subscribed to various printed publications on topics like compensation, FMLA, and ADA. Now, instead of having to purchase individual publications and wait for them to arrive in the mail, Wendy can log in to HR Hero and find the specific state law or requirement she needs in a matter of minutes. “I used to buy all of those publications. Now it’s great to have one platform for everything,” said Wendy.
“With HR Hero, I now have access to up-to-date information, can research by topic area, and have access to training resources.”
– Wendy Bradford, Senior Director of Global Human Resources and Administration, Counterpart International
One of Wendy’s must-reads are recently published court cases found in HR Hero. Because court decisions aren’t always as straightforward as they appear, Wendy likes to read through the details of a case to get a better understanding of the law’s intricacies. “When I understand those intricate details, it helps me make more-informed decisions as an HR professional. Maybe we don’t want to go down a certain route or maybe I better think about this because the law says this, but we have all of these other intricate things to consider. Reading court cases is one thing I do regularly to make more-informed decisions,” said Wendy. HR Webinar Passport also provides a visual opportunity for skill development and keeping a pulse on what’s trending in HR.
“With so much happening with COVID, the webinars on returning to work were extremely helpful, because they let me see what others were doing in different industries and what decisions they were making.”
Moving forward
The HR power duo, HR Hero and HR Webinar Passport, continues to support Counterpart International’s day-to-day HR demands. With BLR on their side, Counterpart International has been able to:
- Gain more compliance confidence
- Cut down on time spent doing online research for laws at the state, local, and national levels
- Make more accurate, strategic HR-related decisions quicker
- Take their professional development to the next level, with access to expert-led HR Webinars where practical use-them-now skills and best practice are shared
Looking to achieve the same success with your organization? Visit our HR solutions page to explore HR Hero’s full list of offerings.
