The AWP: HR Without the Drama: Handbooks, Hard Conversations & Documentation
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Who is Sarah McCormick and how did she get into HR for Health?
Welcome to the Aaron Werner Podcast on iCode Media. And today, we're talking about a topic that most people shy away from, but I've been really looking forward to this conversation with Sarah. We are longtime clients of HR for Health, and Sarah has been on the receiving end of lots of what I think are crazy, off-the-wall scenario questions that I have thrown her way, and she assures me that I'm not insane and I'm not crazy. Which makes me feel like she may be if this is normal for her. But Sarah is one of the many HR specialists over at HR for Health. And so we wanted to bring her on to talk about what life looks like on that side of the HR window, if you will. And, and then kind of get some insights from her on things that, you know, she, I'm hoping to get out of you anyway, Sarah, things that you, you wish we all knew, you know, maybe it cuts back on your job security a little bit if we knew these things, but you just said, hey, this is, you know, simple for me.
I wish you would do X, Y, and Z. So before we jump into that, why don't you introduce yourself a little bit, please?
Yeah, definitely. Thank you so much, Dr. Werner. So my name is Sarah McCormick. I'm the HR Client Services Manager at HR for Health. I've been with the company for about five years. I think we do amazing work here, working with small practices, really helping them with their HR, just getting them up and running. So yeah, I think we advise clients every single day on a lot of the same things that I know a lot of clients, they all kind of, it's always a pattern and it's always interesting to see that everyone is dealing with the same thing. So yeah, It's kind of nice to commiserate together, to learn together. It is
nice to know that it's not just me.
Exactly.
I'm curious, how did you get into this field? Did you go to school to be an HR person? Did job opportunities get created? How did you find yourself where you're at right now?
Yeah, that's a great question. I actually didn't go to school for HR. I went for psychology, and then after I graduated, I actually... ended up working in a small startup dental practice. So that was really where I kind of like really started to understand the problems that small practices, startup practices faced. And then just by chance, I always like to call it fate, I stumbled across HR for Health. So I think that their vision really aligned with what I understood from working at a small dental practice. So it was really just that that really got my foot in the door in HR of, understanding the employee side of working in a small practice and then coming over to actually advising clients and working on kind of more of like the business side and the practice owner side of HR.
So that was really where I got my foot in the door and just kind of learning HR directly from HR for health.
Well, I'm sure you are using your psychology background a lot.
For sure. Yeah. Sometimes it does feel like we're in therapy sessions with our clients, but it's a good thing. I think we all need to talk about it more openly. So yeah.
What I found the, um, whenever I've called you, so I'm curious if you find this on your side or if it's, uh, other people see it is, um, I'll have an issue and the issue is just glaring in front of me. I mean, almost like when I go back to my teenage years and you've got a small pimple and it might be inconspicuous off to the side. But I think that whenever anybody notices, you know, that's all they can see. And so sometimes for me, it's all I can see is this glaring issue. And it sometimes can be challenging to step back and see the bigger picture, see the different perspectives, see the different sides of it. And in most cases in talking through you, you know, that huge large pimple becomes completely unnoticeable or at least much more manageable, and I'm using that example on purpose because it's something we all hate, than what I initially had thought because I don't slow down and think.
And maybe in my world it's the same as somebody who's got an eye problem that they think is life-changing.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Who is Sarah McCormick and how did she get into HR for Health?
0:00–7:00
2
Why do emotions often cloud HR decisions and how can the logic of labor law help?
7:00–13:17
3
What is the role of a current employee handbook in preventing HR issues?
13:17–19:49
4
How should optometry practices handle overtime and work‑schedule policies?
19:49–28:36
5
What strategies can owners use to coach employees through hard conversations?
28:36–35:47
6
How often should a practice update its handbook and what key sections belong in it?
35:47–43:36
7
What reliable resources can small practices use to create or improve their HR handbook?
43:36–49:46
8
Why is consistent documentation essential and how does it protect both employer and employee?
49:46–57:19