Nicole Holland, Director of Human Resources
Did you always want to go into HR?
No, definitely not. I don’t know if anyone dreams of an HR career as a child! I found it while I was in law school. I really thought I’d practice labor and employment law, but I learned that, when it came to labor and employment issues, lawyers tended to get involved at the end, after someone lost their job or was being sued. I realized that I wanted to use my skills and strengths to help organizations do things the right way and prevent issues from escalating to lawyers.
Why is education important to you?
My mom was a teacher. I’m one of four girls. My mom was actually the first woman in her family to go to college, and she raised us as a single mom for most of her life. She always made sure my sisters and I knew how important it was to get an education, to work hard for the things you want, to be able to support yourself, and to really chase your dreams. My mom made sure all my sisters and I graduated from college. We are all doing work we really love. And that’s in no small part thanks to my mom.
What are your favorite and most challenging parts of your job?
The answer is the same when working in human resources: It’s the human part. Relay does a great job of thinking through the fact that there’s a person at the end of every process. What does this look like to them? What’s their experience? That’s probably the best part of my job: making sure that when we are creating things or when we’re working through tough situations or even things like switching platforms for our HR information systems, we’re thinking through what that looks like at the other end for the person who will actually be using this or going through this. That’s also the most challenging part, because people are very different. People need different things, people may have different experiences, and we want to be considerate of that as we do our HR work.
What’s the best part about working at Relay?
It’s very meaningful to be part of an organization that approaches their work with such heart and such thoughtfulness. It’s so grounded in our values. I think the work speaks for itself. Through the work, you see the heart of the people behind it.
What do you enjoy most when you’re not working?
My husband and I moved to Colorado for the quality of life. We love being outside and going hiking and exploring our state, especially with our two huskies, Charlie and Jack. I am a big reader. When I was a little girl, my me-maw introduced me to murder mysteries, starting with things like Agatha Christie, so I’m still a fan of a good murder mystery. I also do very amateurish nature photography, because Colorado is just so beautiful.
Not getting The Relay Report yet?
subscribe now