Berry & Sims

Michele Bendekovic

As a Director of Diversity and Inclusive, Michele Bendekovic is responsible for assisting firm leadership and attorneys in establishing a diverse and inclusive team in order to provide firm clients with the highest quality of work and service. She also focuses on new pipeline initiatives for long-term recruiting in addition to supporting the firm’s affinity groups and initiatives.

What are some of the major challenges and trends that have been impacting the HR industry lately?

I believe balancing hybrid work and culture is one of the major challenges that every industry is facing after Covid. The ability to make employees feel accommodated and flexible enough to be able to work from home, requires striking a fine balance between wanting that and wanting them to be in the office. It seems like the traditional way of working is gone. However, being in the office still serves a very important function. It helps with culture, professional and career development, and with mentorship and sponsorship.  It may continue to be difficult to bridge the gaps between those who want to work from home and those who want to be in the office.

Another challenge occurs when we think about why we want to be at work or does going to work every day still makes us happy. For me, a sense of belonging and purpose go hand in hand. I believe it will become more and more popular since we all genuinely want to find that fulfillment in our regular jobs. I'm hoping to start a trend where people start to consider purpose in their everyday job as well as diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Also, challenges with staffing, retention, and recruitment will all persist through 2023.

Can you also talk to me about some of the trends that you see in the marketplace, kind of solving these challenges there?

I think a sense of belonging and purpose within a community will be a trend. We need to consider that every one of us has a unique method of relating to jobs and determining purpose in life. Helping employees inside the organization make the connection between their actions, objectives, and core values could be the true solution.

"Giving an individual time and space helps them improve their work as well as provide an opportunity to understand their place in an organization."

The best way to achieve this is to improve communication, provide the big picture and explain how each employee's work fits into the organization's overarching objectives. Another important factor is transparency. To help individuals understand where they should go within an organization, and you should also be able to offer honest feedback and evaluations. Giving individual’s time and space helps them improve their work as well as provide an opportunity to understand their place in an organization. It won't happen in one night, and it's undoubtedly a journey to connect with people at the workplace and fulfill their purpose to solve those challenges.

Is there any project or initiative where you leveraged any of these trends? 

Working with our employee resource groups is one of the things I really want to concentrate on in the coming years. How can we strengthen those groups and define what role they play in DEI strategy. Therefore, I really want to concentrate on thinking about our ERGs and determining how they fit into the company's culture and business plan. So as we approach 2023, that is undoubtedly something I will consider.

How do you envision the future of the space? 

Being heard is essential to achieving the best results and fostering an inclusive and productive workplace. Every company must carefully evaluate its history and culture and recognize the elements it wants to maintain and modify. Working in this area will reward you with more attentive and engaged coworkers, more teamwork and trust, and better business results that benefit the company's bottom line and  clients.

What would be your single piece of advice to the upcoming professional? 

Be gentle with yourself. Try not to be too hard on yourself. I believe that we occasionally experience some imposter syndrome. Are we capable? Can we carry this out? But we need to extend a little kindness to ourselves.Understand that this is a long process,  sometimes solutions take time to materialize, and that we must persevere on our journey.