Creating my own little United Nations...

As is always the case in troubled economic times, one area of employment that never seems to have a downside and, in fact, often gets better is Human Services. Recently, I've had to hire a number of new case managers and it was pointed out to me today that I seem to be creating my own version of the United Nations.

First, it started with Therese. She's originally from Sweden. The irony of me hiring someone from Sweden was quickly spotlighted because my staff knows I'm in a relationship with a guy from Sweden. Next came Mary from Puerto Rico. Okay, not technically a foreign country but close enough. The cool thing about having Mary on staff is that we serve many people who don't speak English and this is the first time we haven't had to struggle to gain some understanding because she is an excellent translator. After Mary came Mahmoud from Africa. Now he decided not to take the job but it was about the time I interviewed him that people were saying he was a shoe in because he wasn't from the US! Today I gave the green light to hire Anne who is from Ireland. She has a brogue so thick you can cut it with a knife!

Seriously, I'm not trying to only hire people from other countries. It's just that compared to the qualified applicants from the US, these folks were head and shoulders above in knowledge and experience. Another interesting thing is that just a few years ago this field was overwhelmingly an area dominated by women. That is partly due to the fact that Human Services, especially in a not for profit sector, pays very little compared to other jobs with equal responsibilities. Men, generally, are the bread winners (yes, I know...this is an archaic yet still applicable notion in most parts of our society) and they couldn't support a family on what a social worker makes. The good news is that now it seems there is a more even playing field salary wise in this area so I am able to hire more men. Why is this important you might ask? Because there are some people who relate better to a male perspective and having a good mix of workers - male and female - means we can be more effective in working with our clients.

So if I haven't done anything else of note on my job what I have done is create a care management unit that is diversified. We bring a variety of life experiences to our work and we can relate to many, many more people just based on who we are. Honestly, I'm a little bit proud of that!