Welcome.
WELCOME
Welcome to Volta People Services. It’s hard to believe I am writing about and finally launching my own business. It’s been a journey to get to this point and I am excited to introduce Volta People Services.
At the beginning of this year, I decided it was time to take a break in my career. I knew I needed time…time to listen to my internal voice, time to be a more involved mother, time to be a more present partner, time to take care of myself, and the space to figure out what was going to be next in my career.
PEOPLE POWER YOUR STRATEGY
I have now been in the Human Resources field for over 20 years. When people hear I am in “Human Resources” and they ask me what I do, I explain that I help think about people strategies in an organization. People strategies? Yes, let me explain. My job is to help look at the people side of the business. If your company has a business strategy, it should also have a people strategy that aligns with it. It doesn’t have to be separate, in fact a great business strategy would include the people side of things. But it’s not that easy and companies often are focused on the business…the next technology implementation, the next company to acquire, ways to minimize costs and stay competitive. None of this can be done without people. That sounds cliché, but employees are the drivers of all of this, and if you don’t pause to think about how your people can be your most strategic asset, then you aren’t maximizing performance to make your business thrive. Your business will thrive when your people do.
WHY VOLTA PEOPLE SERVICES WAS LAUNCHED - A PASSION FOR THE PEOPLE SIDE OF BUSINESS
After having working in the industry for 20 years, my job and my gift, have been to help leaders pause to think about how people are being impacted due to major changes, organizational restructures, acquisitions of companies, or changes to performance solutions. Companies are constantly changing and with that, reorgs are the norm. Job expectations are evolving. Employees want to have a clear career path and be able to take on meaningful work. Employees also want to know how they are doing at work and where they stand. What seems simple often is not simple. I have been in the middle of many debates about why an annual performance review is a thing of the past, yet employees still say they want and need a more official review. I have been part of organizations that lack structure because structure is inhibiting, yet once a company is large enough, people want to know who is leading, who the boss is, and what is expected of them. During mergers and acquisitions, people constantly talk about culture as the number one concern, yet few companies will invest what it takes to manage the change well. Change management? “We don’t have a budget for that.” I have been in the Human Resources Business Partner field for many years, and if there is one thing I know, it is that if you don’t make time or invest in managing the people side of your business, you will disengage your employees and impact productivity more than you ever know.
So, that brings me back to my passion, which is enabling leaders to be better leaders by paying just a bit more attention to their people. Whether you need help with building clear job expectations and career paths, creating communication and change plans for organizational structure changes, or time to assess the many changes that come with new technology, my job is to help focus on the people side of this.
MY JOURNEY
After a break and space to think about what’s the next step in my journey, I realize that consulting allows me the most time to focus on this. So here I am, starting my own venture, unsure of my future, but following my inner voice that says the time is now.
Being authentic to myself and to others has been, and will always be a driver for me. So, who knows where this road will take me, but as long as I can remain true to myself and leverage my strengths, I am hopeful that it will be a fulfilling path.
Thank you to the many supporters and small business owners that have been such a part of my journey over the last several months. I am inspired by the community and drive that so many of you have.
With gratitude,
Sara Volta