HR Freelancer: Darlene Rasmussen, SHRM-CP

Our newest featured freelance is Darlene Rasmussen from Grateful Synergies HR Consulting based in Toms River, NJ. She is a veteran of the United States Air Force, has over 20 years of experience in Human Resources providing guidance and leadership.

We asked her a few questions over email.

What do you consider your top 3 skills as an HR freelancer?

HR Compliance Audits, HR Start Up, Project Management

Biggest accomplishment in HR/recruiting?

Being served a Notice of Inspection from ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) for a construction company (all seven divisions were audited) I was working for and finishing with no fines being assessed. Throughout our HR careers we hear about how terrifying these audits are. You can read many cases where companies have been assessed hundreds of thousands in fines for incomplete forms, even fines for something as simple as the employee not dating page 1, or the incorrect hire date on page 2. Keeping up on I-9 compliance is such an important part of HR which why I have included HR Compliance Audits as a service offered through my consulting practice.

Which project from your past work are you most proud of?

Creating a Wellness Fair for a company of 300 employees. I planned every detail of the event including all vendors, incentives for employees to visit all vendors, and drawings at the end for donated prizes. This event put the focus on employee’s personal health. With the free Blood Pressure screening we offered, there were a couple of employees with extremely high blood pressure who had no idea. They were able to get on maintenance medication immediately and avoided a catastrophic stroke/heart attack. Maintaining a healthy workforce is key to productivity and adding a positive value to the workplace. 

Do you believe the HR/recruiting industry is poised for more freelancers?

Yes due to the current business landscape with many businesses closing I see many HR professionals moving towards starting their own consulting practices. 

What types of HR projects would you love to work on as a freelancer?

• HR Start Ups – creating HR services for growing companies so they are in compliance with the many laws that impact their business.
• Compliance Audits
• Project Management – Managing payroll conversion projects to eliminate the additional burden put on HR staff. Setting up paperless employee onboarding which streamlined the onboarding process removing all paper and improving onboarding time by 90%.
• To be a resource for smaller companies who don’t have a current HR Department but need advice to help keep them compliant with employment laws and regulations. We can work together to create a plan that aligns with the businesses budget.

Whats a fun fact you want people to know about you?

I have always been an fan of live music. I cannot wait for the pandemic to end so we can get back to life that we knew as normal, when going to see music was a regular thing.

What advice do you have for HR execs entering 2021?

Hang on tight and enjoy the ride! HR is a continuously changing environment. We all need to be able to pivot and adapt quickly!

Visit her website | Browse her HR Lancers Profile