Why pie?
A colleague asked me this during a recent Zoom meeting (referring to A Slice of HR's name and logo, of course).
At the time, I didn't want to get too philosophical... but you're reading this blog, so I'll consider you a captive audience.
When I started A Slice of HR, I was reading a marketing book (I can't recall the author's name) that said the best thing you can do for your business is call it what it does.
At the time, "A Slice of HR" seemed like a solid explanation for a fractional HR service. We aren't just doing a project here and there; we're a piece of your team, fractional in nature but inclusive in services. Now I realize that I had grossly underestimated exactly how much time I would be explaining the concept! But the name certainly helped lead to success. Casey at Sugar Studios, who was contracted to add a visual to support the fractional nature of our services, added the pie to our logo. And it just seemed to fit.
So why pie and not a cake? There has been much debate over the years, since the cake symbolizes employee celebrations and unity. But for me, it will always be pie, and here's why.
Humble as Apple Pie
First of all, I love the intricacy of a freshly baked pie—so unassuming to look at, but a lot of freaking work goes into making it. This reminds me of our work in HR consulting. We make a lot of this look like it's easy-breezy, no big deal. But there's a lot of time, knowledge, and expertise behind our practice.
Cake is big and impressive and often gets an entire song devoted to it. But I see HR consulting as on the periphery, consistently helping leaders and organizations to look good, keeping them out of legal trouble, and advocating for their teams. We're diving into the deep corners of your employee files, often cleaning up things long before they will ever be an issue. We're always trying not to spend too much time there, because leaders may not see that as a priority; on the other hand, we need to put our focus there, offering services like HR audits, because we know the damage it could otherwise cause down the line.
We facilitate, we develop, we assess, and we project manage. We're giving people their paychecks—correctly and boringly. We're hiring people who seamlessly integrate into your team like they've always been there. We're helping people have better conversations and working relationships. And so long as we are doing our jobs right, it's quite uneventful.
We keep things as humble as an apple pie if you will.
Pie is a Symbol of Gratitude
This is the time of year to give thanks (and eat pie)! I always get a little sentimental this time of year. I feel a deep sense of gratitude. For the people I've met. The work that I get to do. The team of HR consultants who get up and choose to do this work each day. The organizations that I am privileged to serve. The resources and support that we have internally. That is what the pie has always meant to me, and when I see it in the corner of the logo, I am humbly reminded of all those to which I have to be thankful who have walked on this journey.
Ask me about it sometime, and I bet you will see a tear well up in my eye—it's real, guys! Thanks!
As our HR consulting firm integrates into OneDigital, I love knowing that instead of referring to us as the "Cincinnati" or "Mason" HR Team, we are known as "The Slice of HR" Team. They're learning that we're made up of a variety of flavors, humble disposition, a ton of hard work and a lot of gratitude... just like a pie!
If you're looking for amazing pie in the Cincinnati area, we can't recommend Erin's boutique bakery, Wildflower Bakery enough! Contact them at 513.456.2056 or visit their Facebook page.
We also absolutely love our friends at Buttermilk Sky Pie who will ship a pie (or mini pie) almost anywhere!
Our HR Consulting Team Makes Things Easy As Pie
Human resources tasks can be a headache—that's why we're here to take over. We want to take those tasks and hang out a little in the background, keeping things running smooth and helping you reach your business goals, one piece at a time.
And as a OneDigital company, we now have more services, and resources to help your business stand out.
If you want to add smart and talented people to your team, we are executive recruiters, hiring experts, and talent acquisition pros.
If you're looking for an HR team that is equal parts HR smarts, humble, and friendly, get in touch with one of our awesome HR consultants today!
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