General Article
December 4, 2003
Getting to ‘aha’
Human Resources’
Jon Flowers builds bridges,
empowers employees
to succeed
Jon Flowers generates an atmosphere of trust as he works to help people find common ground on an issue or misunderstanding. photo by Todd McNaught
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By LYNN MCINTOSH
For Jon Flowers, it’s all about people. “I love relationships, interacting with people, people from diverse backgrounds,” said Flowers, employee relations specialist in the Human Resources Department. Working in a 12-member team comprised of four groups—recruiting, training, employee relations, and immigration—that serves Fred Hutchinson and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Flowers focuses on employee relations and policy training.
“I enjoy the conflict-resolution aspects of my job. Usually there’s just a misunderstanding. To watch a person when the revelation hits, they’re like, ‘Oh, that’s what it is!’ When someone who was reluctant about the whole process changes their attitude and says, ‘We can resolve this’—that’s an amazing thing to see.”
With several years of experience in employee relations, Flowers has honed his skills to a fine point.
“He’s really compassionate, really just loves people,” said Kim Williams, Flowers’ supervisor. “He’s so humble and just an overall nice guy.”
For anyone heading to his office in Human Resources, to clarify policy or address conflict, that’s good news.
“He’s very, very skilled. He believes in treating people with dignity. He impacts our whole team and teaches recruiters ‘tricks of the trade,’” Williams said. “They brainstorm with Jon and through his coaching, the recruiters feel empowered to handle employee relations a new way.”
Background in law, HR
Flowers worked at BF Goodrich Aerospace for eight years, mostly in employee relations, before moving to the center two years ago. He holds a professional human resources certification and recently completed a program in negotiation at Harvard Law School. He also studied advanced interviewing and interrogation techniques at Reid Institute in Chicago.
On top of his formal training, Flowers keeps up-to-date in the field to handle changes inherent to human resources. “It’s always evolving as people evolve, the situations change, the laws change,” he said.
Flowers takes pride in serving as a bridge between managers and other staff. One of the most satisfying parts of his job is helping staff resolve conflict and get to that “aha” behind a misunderstanding, he said.
“We’ve got to build up those managerial muscles. If you avoid the tough issues you’re not going to get where you need to be. I’ll sit in on conversations. I’ll go in with the manager and say, ‘Okay, I’m here but you have to lead.’ We’ll role play, walk through a couple different scenarios to get the manager prepared, and then we go in,” he said.
And, if he notices an employee holding back, he’ll offer his card. “Sometimes I have to draw people out,” Flowers said. “They disclose to me and I’m able to go to the manager and say this person has a real issue. As a manager you’re not privy to the specifics, but you have to trust your Human Resources Department to know how to support this employee and bridge communication gaps.
“In Employee Relations it’s a matter of trust,” he said. “If people trust you, trust that the advice you’re giving is good—whether they agree with it or not—they will call you back. It’s my responsibility to gain that trust and ensure the overall interactions they have with me are beneficial.”
Flowers likes to meet with people in their environment to understand what they do, Williams said. “Even if he delivers hard news he wants to be able to say, ‘Hi, how’s it going,’ and continue the relationship. That’s the sign of a successful employee relations person.
People person
“He’s also a “kick in the pants,” Williams said, adding the nickname: “Mr. Jon I-keep-the-staff-in-stitches Flowers.”
“I’ve had so many nicknames—that’s one of the fun things about the Human Resources Department.” Flowers said. “We have a great group of people, wonderful, the best team of human resources professionals I’ve ever worked with. They really care about people.
“At Human Resources you’re constantly having to deal with other people’s issues and my experience is it’s easy to neglect our own people. Just like anyone else, they have a right to take advantage of the benefits of this department.
“I make a conscious effort to talk to each and every person on the team every day,” he said. “If you ask someone how it’s going today you never know what you’ll get. Someone may say, ‘You know in fact it’s a pretty tough day.’ And then you start the conversation: ‘What’s going on? Is there any way I can help?’”
He also finds his team an invaluable sounding board for his favorite motto: “I tell people rarely is there a right or wrong way for resolving issues but there’s always a different way. It’s good to bounce things off people, to get what comes from different peoples’ backgrounds and experiences.”
Connection to cancer
When he checked out Fred Hutchinson, its history rang a bell in his core. Flowers lost a brother in his twenties to cancer. Today he supports the center’s mission by helping the people who fulfill it.
“Looking at it from the big picture you’re giving someone an opportunity to succeed in life, from their health-care coverage and compensation—their livelihood—to protecting their rights under the law,” he said. “Knowledge-wise maybe anyone can learn the job, but to be a human resources professional you have to care for people and have a desire to see people succeed.”
[Lynn McIntosh is a freelance writer and continuing education specialist at the UW Center for Health Education and Research.]
