Meet Senior HR Business Partner Georgia Meyer

Georgia Meyer is the Senior HR Business Partner for the Darden School of Business and the Claude Moore School of Nursing. We caught up with her recently to ask her how things were going and to learn more about her role with UVA Human Resources.

Tell us what you do as a Business Partner.

I work with my schools’ leadership to achieve their business objectives, by facilitating productive conversations with their employees, supporting change initiatives, and developing growth opportunities for the employees.  I also advise on how they can streamline their operations to maximize efficiency; increase faculty, staff, and team member engagement; reduce turnover; and create a highly functioning team. What a great job!

I’ve spent the past year cultivating relationships with leaders and partners across Grounds. My goal has been to understand our business as a university and dig into the needs of those I work with. Doing this has allowed me work with all the HR Communities of Expertise (COEs) and with numerous HR leaders to evolve our processes and empower employees to align with our new way of working.  Ultimately these partnerships create a more inclusive environment that support diverse perspectives and ideas.

What is one project you are currently working on?

I look for events and projects at the functional and university level to be involved in, that will allow me to support operational improvement and team engagement, while broadening my knowledge and experience. Right now, I am serving on a team that is tasked with developing the annual merit planning process in Workday, which is an important issue for our employees and their managers. The team includes compensation and training partners, Workday experts, and a few of my fellow Business Partners. A streamlined and simpler merit planning process in Workday will allow managers to spend more time developing their employee’s skills and less time navigating the technology. And it will help employees feel more motivated to reach for higher career development goals. I have learned a great deal about the merit process while staying focused on the broader solutions needed across the University. Being involved in technology-focused projects that align with the broader goals of the University has been great!

What is the one thing you are most proud of in your work as an HRBP?

During my short time here, I am personally proud of the relationships that I have developed across Grounds, all of which have not only helped me navigate a new environment and new industry, but have also allowed me to take care of the people I support at a high level. Our work in Human Resources is always about the people and about relationships. It’s about listening to our customers, and about delivering on what our customers need.

What I’ve been hearing from my customers is that HR processes for them have been bogged down by legacy systems that don’t talk with each other, and one HR person doesn’t know what the next one is doing, which has made HR service delivery to them inconsistent. With the new HR, that all changes! Now I can focus instead on helping them navigate Workday, building their trust, and redirecting their energies to organizational objectives and goals. Creating an environment where everyone has an opportunity to thrive both professionally AND personally brings me great satisfaction.  I’m so proud of what we have achieved in such a short period of time and so happy to be here!

The feedback I have received thus far about the HR transformation and about using Workday keeps me focused on providing the highest level of guidance and partnership. I am very proud of the progress I and my HR colleagues have made in the short time I’ve been here. I look forward to what is next!  It’s going to be not only great, but good! 

What else should we know about you? 

On a personal level:

• I am owned by one spoiled-rotten Airedale Terrier. 
• I’ve completed 7 half-marathons, 1 marathon and a half ironman. (Read “susceptible to peer pressure.”)
• One time, I actually got out of Target with only the items I specifically went in to purchase, LOL! 
• Contrary to popular belief, I did not move here to meet Dave Matthews; that is just a bonus!
• Making people laugh and giving back to my community bring me unlimited joy.
• If you need help decorating your home or planning an event, I’m your girl!
• I would love to find someone to go rock climbing with if anyone is interested! 
• I’m always up for just about anything. I love trying new things.

Like I always say, it’s all good!