HR & PR: Drive Organizational Success Together

Holly Shelton & Chris Tatum, Amarillo ISD

Sitting in a district leadership meeting packed full of people, my mind is wandering, when someone taps me on the shoulder and whispers, “I’ve got the neatest thing to tell you. Our custodian fixed the tire on one of our student’s bikes on his own without anyone knowing while the kids were in class last week. Isn’t that remarkable? We’re lucky to have him. Thought you’d want to know.”

Walking down the hall, I’m headed to the break room for some ice when I run into a teacher I haven’t seen in a while. She shares a story about a student publishing a book. Quite impressive for a middle schooler.

Does this sound familiar to you? For years as a noneducator in education, I’d be stopped in the hall, and get emails and phone calls, about special things happening in our schools. I’d take it in, think to myself, “Wow, that’s amazing,” and then get back to my to-do list, really not knowing what to do with the story I’d just heard. Ten-plus years later (I’m a slow learner) we discovered a way to use those stories to share about the value of public education in our community.

Commonalities

As Human Relations and Public Relations pros, we are in the “people business.” Sure, you may say, although our end goals are quite different. But are they, really?

HR needs- quality candidates to educate students and support district operations.

PR needs- mission-minded employees who are influencers on behalf of their district.

HR needs- strong workplace culture to attract and keep quality staff.

PR needs- a strong reputation in the community for schools with proven student success.

HR needs- sounding boards for the development of internal/external messaging.

PR needs- a network of local communicators (otherwise known as employees the HR department hired) who want to share the district’s successes.

HR needs- communication pros to help disseminate important and/or timely information.

PR needs- “in-the-know” pros to provide advance notice of potential negative news items. Simply, whether you sit in an office in the HR department or down the hall in the PR office, we both want to be part of a school district that is a trusted institution with a strong culture. We want to be known as the best place to work and the best place for students in our communities. By working together, we can leverage our strengths to build a stronger culture internally, influence public perception externally and promote our district by telling powerful stories.

Collaboration

Instead of filing away those success stories in the back of our brains where they will never see the light of day, HR and PR professionals have an opportunity to work together to bring these stories to light. As an HR pro, you hire the district’s employees and work closely with principals and other campus staff. Leverage those relationships and time spent with campus personnel to gain insight about the extraordinary things going on at schools and then share those stories via your department’s typical communication channels (Facebook, employee newsletters, etc…) or with your district’s communications department. Take a photo, write a short story or make a video showcasing the best of your district.

Scan the QR code to visit a playlist for a look at how we’ve done that in Amarillo ISD and consider how you can play a role in sharing your district’s unique stories.