Apr
02

This is not Toby Flenderson’s Human Resources Office*

Amelda Fuller is here to combat the notion that human resources is stodgy, bureaucratic and unresponsive.

Graphic showing Venn-like diagram of Human Resources responsibilities drawn on blackboard

Acting Associate Director in Smithsonian’s Office of Human Resources (OHR), as well as Manager of OHR’s Recruitment and Classification branch, Fuller—according to OHR Director Antonio Guzman—“is a superstar, worth three of me.”

Fuller joined the Smithsonian in October 2021, following nearly five years at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, a section of the Department of Homeland Security.

Fuller has been pretty busy ever since. Last year, “we filled nearly 800 positions at the Smithsonian through streamlined hiring processes and additional resources,” she says. That reflects a 36 percent uptick in hiring in 2023 over 2022.

Head shot of Amelda Fuller

Amelda Fuller is Acting Associate Director of the Smithsonian’s Office of Human Resources

While the tasks of hiring, training and administering employee benefits may look the much the same whether the arena is STEM or arts and culture, the types of jobs required in these fields definitely aren’t.

Case in point: Consider the specialized requirements needed for an animal keeper to work in the Gorilla House at the Zoo. Prior to coming to SI, “I had never envisioned sitting down with a hiring official to discuss how we will hire someone to care for primates,” she says with a chuckle.

The sheer breadth of positions Fuller’s office recruits and hires for is as wide as the breadth of the Smithsonian itself. From conservationists and attorneys to exhibition designers, security officers, cashiers, curators and animal keepers, the list of prospective positions and the respective skills sets they require is long.

Torch contributor Amy Rogers Nazarov recently talked with Amelda Fuller about reducing red tape and prioritizing in-person time with SI staff.

How have you been able to come up to speed on the wide range of jobs here at the Smithsonian?

I have leaned on the units. Who better to tell you what they are looking for in terms of the job responsibilities in various science, culture and arts positions? I also rely on my classification and recruitment team, a few of whom have been at SI longer than I and are more familiar with some of the positions.

Antonio and I also meet biweekly with HR directors at other small agencies, like the Library of Congress, National Gallery of Arts, and the Kennedy Center. They’re very transparent, and we are as well. Networking with this group allows us to compare business processes, practices, and metrics.  We bounce things off each other. For example, when a new executive order is issued, we may ask, “How are you implementing or are you required to implement this executive order in your agency?

You came onboard at the Smithsonian mid-pandemic. What has changed in your practices as we have emerged from the crisis?

It was very challenging when I first arrived. [Virtual meetings meant] I was learning how SI managed from a human capital perspective and meeting and interacting with my team and customers virtually. It required extra attention maintaining communication, collaboration, and employee engagement to ensure employees remained connected, accessible, and were in-tune with the needs of the customers, in spite of not having in-person meetings. As we emerged from the pandemic, we began to have more in-person meetings, and also started “OHR2U,” an effort designed to meet the customers (at all levels) at their locations.

OHR2U graphic poster with NMAI meeting information

The most recent OHR2U session was held at the American Indian Museum in March

What prompted the formation of OHR2U?

OHR2U was formed to give us an opportunity to reconnect with our customers face-to-face and to address concerns that HR was not as responsive or accessible. As [the pandemic] has eased, we are meeting our customers where they are, whether it’s the Quad, SERC, Cooper-Hewitt, NMAI, or other SI unit.

We bring representatives from every branch of HR. OHR2U is a chance for employees to meet the OHR staff face-to-face, and get their human resources related questions answered, whether there is an employee relations issue or they need to talk to someone from our Employee Assistance Program or they have a question about their position description and how it was classified. This is an opportunity for us to let people know who we are and that we are here to hear from them.

OHR has received positive feedback following the OHR2U sessions. I have had staff in the units say to me things like, “I have been at SI for years and I have never met someone from HR, so thanks for taking the time to come answer our questions” or “This is great, we really appreciate OHR being here.”  We had eight OHR2U sessions last year at various SI locations.  We have had two so far this year, with four [OHR2 sessions] lined up for the next three months!

Are your customers the people who do the hiring at the units?

Our customers are everyone at SI, not just hiring managers.

Our focus is to support hiring managers, employees, and external candidates to ensure a positive experience throughout the hiring process and beyond.  We manage HR programs and policies and ensure managers and employees are educated about their compensation and benefits, performance management, employee relations, SI policies and procedures, etc.

What’s a popular misconception about HR?

That we’re inflexible. That we have rigid policies. I find that to be inaccurate.

With federal hiring (roughly two-thirds of the Smithsonian work force), we have laws, rules and regulations that we must comply with. With Trust hiring, however, we establish the rules. We can and do create policies that serve Smithsonian objectives.

Let me give you an example: A few weeks ago, we eliminated the requirement for SI employees’ to provide performance appraisals during the application process, following concerns from employees and hiring managers that SI employees were not receiving consideration due to this requirement. In reviewing the concerns, we determined that this was not a federal law or regulation but rather an SI policy requirement. Therefore, we eliminated the requirement to ensure our talented workforce is not disqualified for a minor technicality, and in keeping with our strategic goal of creating “nimble” OHR processes.

Why do you make it a priority to get out and meet staff as often as you do?

Smithsonian has a talented and passionate workforce. When you get an opportunity to meet the curator or the scientist or the animal keeper and get to see and hear about the collections or exhibits, you get to see upfront what SI is all about. In OHR, we are helping hire the talent and manage the people carryout Smithsonian’s amazing mission. If you are just behind the desk and moving paperwork, you don’t always get the sense of connectedness to the mission.

Screen shot of character Toby Flenderson from the television show "The Office"
*Ed. Note:  This is Toby Flenderson’s Human Resources Office


Posted: 2 April 2024
About the Author:

Amy Rogers Nazarov writes about D.C. culture & history and manages social media for non-profits and small businesses from her home on Capitol Hill. Her byline has appeared in Cooking Light, The Writer, Psychology Today, The Washington Post and many other print and Web publications. Before going freelance, she spent a decade reporting on high tech for a wide array of newspapers and magazines.

2 Responses to This is not Toby Flenderson’s Human Resources Office*
    • Linda Wilson
    • Great article and way to showcase all the good stuff happening in OHR and in support of the good people working at SI.

    • David
    • This was a great way to get me to read the article! Great click-incentive and resulting read.