Stephanie Chamberlin’s strengths lie in recruiting talent, keeping talent and building cultures for companies via her Providence-based talent acquisition and human-resources consulting group, PINCH LLC.
The company’s chief talent officer, she is a fan of finding creative solutions and is not one to blindly follow rules or boxed-in mindsets. Looser structures can garner more opportunity for companies and their teams, she says. And she’s seen more-flexible attitudes breed success.
With a sociology degree from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut under her belt, Chamberlin’s resourceful thinking and corporate experience are part of her unique brand of skills – skills that often see her go beyond recruiting, bridging the gap between a company and its employees. In the process of serving as a go-between during salary and promotion negotiations, for example, she ensures executives know their employees.
“I’m like a sports agent, helping employees be self-aware enough to know their strengths and know their path,” which isn’t automatically a management track, especially in the technology industry, she points out. “Executives need to recognize [employee] strengths,” which can be a foundation for retention.
A cultural ambassador for clients’ firms, “I go on-site to see what [employees] want, like and wish was different,” in their workplace, said Chamberlin.
In fact, for companies that hire PINCH to conduct employee workplace reviews, that is the wording used to gather input. Employees are asked to complete sentences such as, “I like …” and “I wish …,” she said. That way, team members aren’t just resorting to a check-the-box-type framework – or failing to fully engage in a way that offers the company information it needs to keep them on board.
“Performance reviews can’t just be a rating system. They have to be set up for conversations, interactive conversations,” Chamberlin said.
Chamberlin is a Rhode Islander, though she lived in Miami for about a decade.
‘I go on-site to see what [employees] want, like and wish was different.’
STEPHANIE CHAMBERLIN, PINCH LLC chief talent officer
A former HR director at Providence’s Ximedica LLC, Chamberlin helped staffing grow from about 25 people to more than 250 during the 12 years she was at the company. She earned her Senior Professional in Human Resources and Human Capital Strategist certifications while at Ximedica.
“One of the things I loved was the culture and involvement of the two original owners,” said Chamberlin, “a culture of flexibility, fun, inclusivity and accountability that I think a lot of larger companies do formulaically.” PINCH team members Ailsa Petrie and Amy Quadrini also have Ximedica ties, giving the PINCH team common ground on which to build.
First and foremost, Chamberlin looks at HR recruiting as a sales role – making a match not between a buyer and product, but a company and a prospect. She helps smaller- to medium-sized companies that don’t have an HR department, or that do have one but are overwhelmed. She is especially of value to a company going through growing pains, she said, able to conduct an HR audit and formalize systems where needed, offering companies space to grow on a firm foundation.
Chamberlin’s company serves the medical-device field as well as consumer, industrial and military markets. Whatever the industry, the way employees work is changing, she said. And a large part of Chamberlin’s approach regarding employee retention involves flexibility and communication around these changes. “HR is – in many ways – very rule-oriented and I am more guideline-oriented,” she said.
Employers’ flexibility should involve more than just allowing employees to come in at 9 a.m. as opposed to 8 a.m., said Chamberlin. “We have to handle people’s fluctuating lives and that can be challenging to a company. Many don’t know that there is not just one solution for everybody.” New moms, for example, may have different needs than would an employee whose spouse is battling cancer.
However, offering flexibility must come with what Chamberlin calls interconnectivity. That means if an employee is given flexible work time or time off and that is abused, there also needs to be accountability.
Communication, says Chamberlin, is more than just an action, but a “part of the whole culture piece. It’s creating safe frameworks for people to have discussions on money, or when you’re not getting what you need to get done. I can prep both sides of it,” she said, ensuring that messaging from both sides – the company and employee – is clear.
Chamberlin’s mission is more than just working to boost employee morale. It’s creating better workplaces overall, for all sides. She gives companies information they need to be proactive if they so choose.
“Part of what I’m doing with this cultural work is identifying where the risks are,” in terms of improving employee retention and its associated costs, comparing salary levels within the market, for example.
“You need to know what your employees are talking about. Having me there, you’ll know,” she said.
