From the outside, it can be hard to grasp the full scope of the HR function. “Many employees may only see the outward-facing, fun aspects of people and culture,” says Fallon Carpenter, head of people and culture at employee benefits provider Sentinel Group. “We don’t just manage policies, we hold space for real human experiences, and that can be incredibly heavy.”
HR is also rife with misconceptions—namely that it only serves the company’s interests. Thus the dilemma: How can HR leaders best support a potentially distrusting employee base, contribute to business objectives and convey the impacts this qualitative work for strategic growth?
Carpenter spoke with StrategicCHRO360 to share how she balances it all, from employee experience to prioritizing her own continuous learning.
What does it mean to hold space for real human experiences?
My team leads with empathy first. Whether we’re helping a manager navigate a difficult team dynamic or supporting an employee through a personal crisis, we approach every situation with compassion and care. We exhaust every possible avenue to offer support, guidance and practical solutions—all while balancing the realities of business operations and the boundaries that naturally exist in this role.
One of the most challenging aspects of our work is that much of what we do happens behind the scenes. Many employees may only see the outward-facing, fun aspects of people and culture, like organizing a company event or holiday celebration, but those moments are just a small piece of our day-to-day.
What they often don’t see is the emotional weight we carry when we’re walking beside an employee who has just received a life-altering diagnosis, is experiencing a family crisis or is navigating a mental health challenge. We don’t just manage policies, we hold space for real human experiences, and that can be incredibly heavy.
Despite the challenges, this is the part of our work that we find most meaningful. Our role isn’t about enforcing rules, it’s about creating a workplace where people feel supported, heard and valued. We’re not just people and culture, we’re culture builders, advocates, listeners and partners. And at Sentinel, we’re proud of the trust we’ve built and the difference we’re making in people’s lives every single day.
What’s one misconception about HR that you often encounter?
In general, people and culture can often be perceived as being solely aligned with the interests of the company. This perception, while common, doesn’t reflect the full reality of what we do.
At Sentinel, we’ve made a conscious effort to change that narrative by building genuine relationships with both managers and employees. Our goal is to ensure that everyone within the organization knows we are here as a resource, a support system and, most importantly, as people they can turn to when they need help. Building that trust is not just important—it’s essential to our work.
We often describe people and culture as the bridge between employees and the business. That means we sit in a unique and often complex position where we have to advocate for both individual and organizational needs.
What’s your biggest priority in HR right now?
At Sentinel, our top priority right now in people and culture is fostering the development of critical skills and core competencies within our workforce. We recognize that the foundation of a strong, future-ready organization lies in the capabilities of its people. That’s why we’ve made a significant investment in implementing a comprehensive learning management system.
This platform is not just a tool; it’s a strategic asset designed to support the professional growth of our employees and ensure they have the knowledge and resources necessary to succeed.
With the new LMS, we’re transforming the way learning is delivered across the company. The platform will allow us to provide consistent, high-quality training experiences for new hires, ensuring they are well-equipped from day one. The onboarding process will be more streamlined, engaging and tailored to individual roles, which enhances the new hires’ confidence.
Beyond onboarding, the LMS will empower managers to take an active role in guiding employee development. They will easily be able to create, assign and track learning objectives, build personalized growth paths and align training initiatives with departmental goals and overall business strategy.
Moreover, the system will serve as a centralized hub for company-wide training and communication. Whether it’s compliance requirements, technical skill-building, leadership development or cross-functional knowledge sharing, everything can be managed and delivered efficiently through a single platform. This will help to foster a culture of continuous learning and collaboration, while also promoting transparency and alignment across teams.
Ultimately, our investment in the new LMS reflects Sentinel’s broader commitment to innovation, employee empowerment and long-term success. By equipping our people with the right tools and opportunities to grow, we’re not just building capabilities, we’re shaping the future of our organization.
How do you measure the impact of HR on business outcomes?
In the people and culture space, we are usually presented with data that skews more qualitative than quantitative. Therefore, when setting up quantitative measurements, it’s important to ensure alignment with the company’s key goals objectives.
People data is not always simple and straightforward. It can be broad and large-scale—organizations, teams—and/or granular and specific—specific types of personnel. The data is complex, and it requires us to consider multiple and varying perspectives, contextual factors and individual experiences.
There are many different measurements to consider. However, it’s crucial to identify the ones that are most important to your company as a whole, the people, the culture and, of course, the business goals and objectives. Once you identify what’s most important, holistically, it narrows the data selection, therefore, making it more precise and specific.
For employee insights, which is extremely important at Sentinel, we use a third-party survey. Many questions are presented to employees in the surveys. However, the two key factors that help our team keep a pulse on the culture are the Employee Workplace Experience Score, which is similar to an engagement score; and a question within the Net Promoter Score, “Would I recommend working at Sentinel Group to others?”
In addition, we look at manager ratings from the surveys to ensure the tone of our leaders aligns with expectations of their role. We also pay close attention to our quarterly employee happiness scores. It gives us a recurring snapshot on the overall satisfaction of our culture.
Lastly, we look at new hire turnover ratings and retention ratings. These provide insights on our hiring practices, onboarding effectiveness and employee experience. These can help to identify issues with compensation, benefits, management and culture. By monitoring these, Sentinel can improve employee engagement and reduce the cost of excessive turnover.
How do you stay current with HR trends and best practices?
There are several ways my team and I stay current with evolving HR trends, emerging best practices and shifts in the workplace landscape—because staying informed is essential to keeping our people and culture strategy relevant and impactful.
We’re constantly learning through a variety of channels. Reading industry publications, subscribing to reputable HR newsletters and keeping up with thought leaders on platforms like LinkedIn allows us to stay on top of both macro trends and day-to-day best practices.
We attend webinars and virtual panels to dig deeper into specific topics, and we make it a point to participate in conferences—both locally and nationally—to learn from others in the field and hear firsthand how innovative companies are approaching similar challenges. These experiences not only spark new ideas but also offer opportunities to engage in meaningful dialogue with peers, which is often where the most valuable learning happens.
Additionally, we place a lot of importance on networking and building relationships with other HR professionals. Whether it’s through formal networking events or informal conversations, connecting with others in the industry helps us benchmark where we are, exchange knowledge and explore what’s working well in other organizations. I encourage my team to join professional associations like SHRM or local HR groups like NEHRA in Massachusetts, which are great for ongoing education and collaboration.
All of this helps us bring back fresh, relevant insights to Sentinel. We don’t just want to follow trends for the sake of it; we evaluate how new ideas align with our culture, our people and our goals. Our aim is to adopt practices that help Sentinel operate more effectively, inclusively and sustainably from a people-first perspective.
