“Never Forget the ‘Human’ in HR”

Tell us a bit about yourself: who are you, and what do you do at MME Legal | Tax | Compliance?

I was recently asked in a seminar to describe myself with three adjectives starting with the first letter of my name. The result: Barbara, the enthusiastic, courageous, and down-to-earth (three words that start with the letter B in German :) )

As Head of HR, I lead my team in managing the HR life cycle of our business law firm. I also organize projects around people and organizational development and coordinate our leadership team.

What makes working in HR at MME Legal | Tax | Compliance special?

Our company culture is something we take great care to protect. It was one of the founding principles for our three founding partners, and I think it's a remarkable achievement that this spirit is still one of our most important pillars 27 years later, after growing headcount by 4,566 percent – from 3 to 140 people :). In the six-plus years I've been here, I've experienced a good atmosphere every single day.

What topics or challenges are keeping you especially busy right now?

Even though the corporate world is changing rapidly, many classic HR tasks remain (for now) the same. The challenge is making day-to-day operations more efficient so that there is room to try out new approaches. Integrating AI is one of the big topics.

Looking back over the past few years, what has changed the most in HR?

In large companies, I see a trend toward shrinking HR teams and outsourcing processes. That moves HR further away from the actual core of the function: people. I prefer a more direct contact with employees, which is why I've deliberately chosen to work at smaller companies. At the same time, I see HR gaining importance again as it's called on to solve issues like the skills shortage and the changing expectations of younger generations.

What's the HR compliance topic that most companies currently underestimate?

In Switzerland, and especially in the services sector, companies generally have compliance topics well under control. What's often "inconvenient" and therefore neglected is data protection. Many job applications sit on desks as a printout or get forwarded from person to person by email – sometimes including salary details and other personal information.

How did you first come across flair?

flair was recommended to us when we were evaluating HR tools. Our inquiry initially landed in their spam folder, but flair responded quickly once they saw it. The look and feel appealed to us, so we took a closer look at the tool.

Was there a moment when you thought, "Okay, flair really is making our work easier"?

Before implementing flair, we only had a recruitment tool in place. We handled the rest of our HR work in Excel sheets and Word documents. We got lucky in an unlucky situation: our recruitment tool provider went bankrupt, and we had about three weeks to find a replacement. We were already in the process of implementing flair at the time, so we were able to fast-track the recruitment module. That really got us out of a bind – and it was also a step up in quality for how we ran our recruitment process.

Do you have a favorite feature or process in flair that you couldn't do without today?

We have a fairly complex annual employee review and feedback process. As far as I know, there isn't yet an HR system that can handle this process exactly the way we need it. But with flair, we've been able to find solutions that make the work easier and bring real value for managers. I definitely don't want to go back to stacks of paper review and feedback forms.

If you could give other HR teams one piece of advice, what would it be?

Handle day-to-day business with down-to-earth discipline, try new things with enthusiasm, and make courageous decisions even when they're not always pleasant in HR. And most importantly: never forget the "human" in "HR."

Many thanks to Barbara and the team at MME Legal | Tax | Compliance for these candid insights!