Today, Laura and Neil are joined by Jessica Morris, Head of People and Culture at Reckon.

Jessica is a driven HR professional and genuine people person who has thrived by throwing herself headfirst into every opportunity. Jess discusses her career progression from studying business to becoming the Head of People and Culture at Reckon, highlighting that throughout her journey, people are what make a company amazing.

Jess started her journey at university where she majored in Business Law and HR. Her initial vision was to be a lawyer, identifying a desire to help people but through a limited prism where she didn’t know the scope of different career options. However, after interning, Jess discovered her love for business and changed the trajectory of her path.

Transitioning from academia into the real world of HR, Jess explains the shift from a focus on psychology to placing importance on wellbeing. This change forced Jess to essentially reconsider what she had learnt at university, harbouring the fundamentals while placing more emphasis on being a “really good people person”.

Jess discusses the benefits of opening up a conversation about mental health in the HR space, explaining that it gave her the ability to “bring her whole self to work”. This shift came with a realisation for Jess in terms of her relationship with HR: people trusted her more when she was being authentically herself in the work space.

“I think you should really get to know everyone in a company to succeed.”

Jess’ clarity regarding getting to know people in the workplace informed her decision not to work within agencies. From her first role at Groupon she moved onto an HR Administrator role at IGT and was promoted to HR Business Partner within the year. Here, she worked with a network of people who motivated and mentored her.

The knowledge and confidence Jess gained at IGT inspired her to embrace an unexpected opportunity at her next company when her manager resigned, effectively promoting Jess to HR Advisor. While also discovering her own capability in this role, Jess learnt how to say no to get the most out of herself.

Finally, six years ago, Jess found herself at Reckon. Talking about the transformative journey that Reckon has undergone in this time, she is proud of the upwards trajectory it has taken and her own personal growth.

“My favourite saying is ‘love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life’.”

To hear more from Jess, including her definition of an organic mentor and the tools she uses to grow personally and professionally, listen to the full episode of Strivin and Thrivin.