What Lessons Did Team Hillary Learn From The Campaign? Need More Office Dogs!

The Democrats still refuse to come to grips with reality, it seems. That’s fine. The Republicans can get nice and comfy with their newly-acquired power.

A clever and competent reader sent us this interview with the chief diversity and human resource officer (excuse me while I laugh at the fact that is A Thing) of Hillary For America, Bernard C. Coleman III. The interview, conducted by a reporter from the Society for Human Resource Management, was about what Coleman learned as an HR officer that could be passed on to other HR departments, even if they weren’t working for political campaigns.

Okay, sounds like a good piece for a publication from SHRM to do. It’s timely and relevant and brings current events into the human resources field.

However, most of the suggestions Coleman gave were things that I’m pretty sure most HR departments already know – communication, security, meeting management. The usual boring-but-necessary (I think?) stuff. Though Coleman did talk something called the “Buddy Program,” where staffers were paired with buddies throughout the campaign, so they continued to feel like one big happy family –

After the campaign launched, our staff numbers ballooned and what started as a small, tight-knit group seemed to change overnight. We didn’t want to lose the family feeling, so we decided to roll out a buddy program designed to enable new hires to acclimate more smoothly into HQ. For many of our staff, moving to New York and working in a campaign environment was a bit overwhelming, and the buddies helped alleviate some of the stress associated with a new job. Through the program, new hires were matched with an existing campaign staff member, and folks were encouraged to meet informally, especially during the first few weeks on the campaign.

The buddy program ended up being a staff favorite and was an overwhelming success. We periodically polled staff who participated to gauge how they felt about the program and to solicit feedback on how we could improve it. Overall, people loved it and said it made a big difference in feeling welcomed and valued.

If you think that’s cute – wait until you meet the unofficial campaign dog, Winnie –

Did your team take other steps to minimize employee stress?

The campaign was a pressure cooker as new issues emerged daily, but there were a lot of amazingly fun moments as well. For instance, since many staffers spent more time in the office than at home, they’d bring their dogs to work. Technically, we didn’t allow dogs in the office, but that didn’t stop (wo)man’s best friend from becoming campaign companions. There were Shih Tzus, Yorkies, teacup varieties and bulldogs. And then there was Winnie, a Pomeranian and Schipperke mix.
Winnie, the official unofficial campaign dog.
Winnie was the official unofficial campaign dog. She might be the calmest, best mannered, most cuddly dog I’ve ever encountered. Staff would scoop her up and cradle her like a baby, and having her around was like onsite dog therapy. She had a cathartic impact on staff, especially at high-stress moments, which was pretty much every day. Frankly, the overall adorableness was a welcomed presence.
I’d encourage HR to embrace a culture that allows a dog-friendly environment. The only downside was the occasional puppy vomit or rare puppy poop accidents, but those were infrequent.

That’s the big takeaway that Team Hillary wants HR departments to know. Buddy-up and keep an office dog. And you too can be just as big a loser as Hillary Clinton!

The jokes write themselves, people.

I’d be interested to find out if SHRM ever interviewed someone from the Trump side. You know, the one that ACTUALLY WON. But why would you want advice from someone who ran for president and was successful at doing so? I mean, that’s just crazy talk!