About Us
HR Collaborative helps businesses grow their most valuable asset: their people. We transform organizations through high-impact HR consulting, staffing, and recruiting services, powered by our community of fractional HR professionals.
Who is HR Collaborative?
We're a community of fractional HR professionals. We work tirelessly to make work better by filling in the HR gaps organizations have today and working with them to build more sustainable people practices for tomorrow.
Our Values
We become part of the organizations we serve. We attend staff meetings. We answer an employee’s calls. We go to holiday parties and summer picnics. We don’t just know our clients' HR. We know their business goals and aspirations, fears, and concerns. We believe that HR should complement and enhance the business, not be a necessary evil that is pushed to the corner of the operation. We have relationships that go beyond the transactions and become transformational.
It’s part of our company name and part of our fabric. No one of us alone can serve the client as well as all of us together can. Every client has at least two people at HR Collaborative that they can contact directly about their services with us. When any client needs even more expertise than those two people offer, we bring in an expert in search, compensation or in leadership development. As talented as each one of us is alone, we succeed because each person builds on the strengths of others to accomplish the goal for the organization.
We all aspire to have relationships built on trust. But as easy as it is to say, it’s really hard to do. How do you become worthy of trust? In this organization, we operate with integrity. We honor our promises and commitments to the client and to each other. If we truly can’t deliver, we own it, confess it, and work to find a better solution.
We lift each other up and help everyone to be successful. If there’s a problem or a mistake, we don’t point fingers or place blame. Instead, we look for a way to fix it, and to make sure it doesn’t happen again. If someone needs a new skill or ability to do a job, we help them learn it. We invest in professional development and encourage learning. We support each other in our journey of professional growth and success.
Every person at HR Collaborative does a little extra to add value to our clients' services. Our clients are often delighted that we provide a fully-facilitated approach to search, or a comprehensive discovery of their organization. They don’t expect such a high level of service. But, because we know them personally, and because we work collaboratively, we are able to offer an even better solution than any client would expect.
Our Commitment to DEIB
Prioritizing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) makes work better. That’s why we are committed to creating spaces where all are welcome and able to do their best work.
We recognize that every organization is in a different place on its DEIB journey. We meet our clients where they are at and walk alongside them.
In all of our talent acquisition and placement opportunities, we strive to present our clients with a diverse slate of talent that best represents the communities they work in and serve.
Preaching What We Practice
We don't just recommend evidence-based talent strategies to our clients; we live them.
We Run on EOS®
Since 2018, we've run on the Entrepreneurial Operating System® — strengthening our Vision, People, Data, Issues, Process, and Traction.
West Michigan's Best and Brightest
The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For® program identifies and honors organizations that display a commitment to excellence in their human resource practices and employee enrichment.
Meet the HR Collaborative Team
Debbie Lockwood
Camille Thomas-Heinicke
Our Clients
We've been honored to work with many amazing organizations. Here are just a few.
Nate Koetje, CEO, Feyen Zylstra
HRC was a good fit for us because they hit the ground running. I found their process to be complete and well-thought-out. What I appreciated is their willingness to look at what our expectations were and what we needed for our business, versus them telling me what I needed.
Beverly Grant, Interim CEO, D.A. Blodgett - St. John's
It was an absolute pleasure working with HR Collaborative! They were top-notch from the beginning to the end of our relationship. The process our agency experienced was thorough, comprehensive, and allowed for HR visioning and possibilities of our agency to be realized. I would recommend HRC for all your human resource needs. Thank you, HRC!
Michael Kunzler, Managing Partner, The C2 Group
We've had a handful of thorny situations arising out of the COVID-19 mess, and [Stephanie] handled each with grace and urgency. She's teaching our team how to apply HR best practices and she's making a big difference. We're grateful for her focus and hard work.
Associate VP for HR, Grand Valley State University
In the changing landscape of Human Resources in higher education, HR Collaborative has helped GVSU HR respond to the changing talent demands of the institution. I view the HR Collaborative team as an extension of my HR team. With their expertise, high level of responsiveness, and professionalism, they help me extend the impact of what human resources can deliver to the community.
Frequently Asked Questions
Got questions? We've got answers. Here are some of our most frequently asked questions.
Absolutely! For example, we provide hourly, interim HR services for those times when your HR professional leaves unexpectedly. We also engage with our clients to deliver strategic HR projects such as performance management program design, leadership development, compensation planning, etc.
We create custom solutions rather than using cookie-cutter approaches, and we work alongside our clients at every step to implement a plan rather than telling them what to do. Unlike consulting firms, we both advise and implement changes to improve your business. Other firms tend to be either high-tech or high-touch; we're both.
With an individual HR professional, your benefit is limited to one person’s expertise. When you engage with HR Collaborative, you have access to a team of HR professionals. We make it possible for small and medium-sized businesses to have the same HR prowess at hand as do large employers.
We can walk with you through the entire search and hiring process. HR Collaborative will help you determine the talent gaps in your staff, create job descriptions, recruit viable candidates, draft offer letters, map out compensation plans, and conduct background checks. We will search for the perfect fit for as long as it takes.
Take a deep breath—that’s why we’re here! We can help you identify which services you require right now, establish a timeline and workplan for future needs, and walk with you throughout the entire lifespan of your business.
Ready to Connect?
Reach out to us today, and let's start collaborating!