Liddy Romero | Executive Director at WorkLife Partnership

A fresh project in Colorado shows that caring about your employees’ lives yields better business results. Managers are smart to acknowledge the obstacles that employees face, even though matters such as expensive rent, a low-wage salary and emotional distress are commonly seen as personal issues. However, there are many cases in which the hardships employees face become too big of an obstacle to overcome on their own. That’s where WorkLife Partnership comes in; its navigators connect directly with workers to determine the best way to help them. There’s a range of tools they employ, including education, counseling, and financial planning.

As executive director, Liddy Romero opens up supervisors’ eyes, helping them understand that employees’ personal turmoil off the job affects productivity and profitability on the job. Severe cases that are not dealt with often result in employees leaving the workplace. As a consequence, the company suffers from turnover and everyone loses. That’s why Liddy dedicates 80% of her time to network with prospective funds partnerships. She helps them realize that their workers are far from robotic moneymaking machines and that Human Resources departments often already have their hands full.

WorkLife is a powerful synergy between human resources and human services. It’s the only organization of its kind in Colorado

Before moving to Colorado in 2009, Liddy excelled in different areas of expertise. Back in Indiana, she worked at a legislative firm and then moved on to offer translation and interpretive services for large companies. When asked which language capabilities her team had, Liddy amazingly answered that they could
translate any language. Liddy made it happen by outsourcing work to her expansive network, “I consider myself a very resourceful person and good networker.” In fact, that’s how she landed her executive leadership role at WorkLife. Thanks to the professional relationships she made in Indiana Liddy was able to set up four interviews during her first week in Colorado. She received a job offer within four days—it’s truly remarkable!

It is evident that professional networking has been essential in building Liddy’s career. In addition to being useful for business progress, Liddy also values networking on a personal level.

Groups like Boulder 2140 offer an invaluable way to position yourself by talking to others. I, for instance, want to see where I’m at, especially in terms of skills and how I stand up to the economy

• 5:30 a.m. Liddy wakes up with her kids
• 7:00 a.m. Steps into the office, where she averages three meetings a day
• 4:00 p.m. Gets off work and then enjoys family time

Liddy believes in the success of WorkLife Partnership. She’s working to secure a budget that will allow the organization to grow comfortably for two consecutive years. The marketing campaign she’s designing on the side will surely gain some extra attention as well. The plan involves Yelp-like stickers, so that a workplace can be awarded for being socially responsible.

There’s also a national conference that’s bound to attract employers. Liddy and her colleagues in Grand Rapids will be the first to showcase the value of
investing in these projects. Liddy will speak in May to convince managers that in the long run they’re not just supporting stabile lives for their employees, but also greater retention, productivity, and profitability for the company itself.