Who are the people that are taking the lead in disrupting the future of work?
They’re the official Disruptors (Organizers) of DisruptHR events held in cities around the world. Each week, we’ll introduce you to one of these intelligent, inspiring, and beautiful people (okay, pick two) who have stepped up, and volunteered to organize a Disrupt HR event in their city.
Ashley Raus – DisruptHR Boston (Disruptor #37)
LinkedIn – Ashley Raus
Twitter – @Raus08
Who are you, and what do you do in your “day job”?
Ashley Raus, Director of People Strategy for SnapApp.
How did you first hear about DisruptHR?
I used to attend a yearly conference call HREvolution. It was a small group of us who would meet each year and discuss innovation in HR. My networking group from that event turned me onto DisruptHR.
Why did you decide to raise your hand and become an organizer for DisruptHR events in Boston?
Boston is an amazing city for innovation, and I was shocked when I started looking into HR networking groups and learned that the only groups out there were not located downtown and were focused on best practice and compliance. I wanted to meet other people who were as passionate as I am about HR, and wanted to share their innovative ideas.
When I started reaching out to some of my contacts in the area, they expressed running into the same problem. That’s when I reached out to my HREvolution crew, who told me all about DisruptHR.
How many events have you organized?
We launched our inaugural event March 2016, and had about 250 attendees. The event was incredibly well received.
I get messages at least once a week from people asking when we’ll be hosting our next one. We’re excited to be hosting our next event June 1, 2017 at the Brightcove space in Boston.
What types of people/industries have attended your events?
We had a great range of attendees, from HR practitioners and recruiters to HR-related vendors. The industries ran the gamut from small tech startups to large corporations.
We also had a startup alley to showcase up-and-coming companies in the area that could partner with HR.
What are you most proud of that has come out of being involved with/organizing DisruptHR events?
I’m most proud that we got people talking!
I’ve networked with a number of people who attended our inaugural Disrupt event, and they’ve shared the new ideas that they’ve put into action at their organizations after coming out of the event.
What kind of feedback have you received from those who attended prior DisruptHR Boston events?
I can’t recall specifics, but I remember having a handful of attendees stop me at the end of the evening to tell me how invigorated they felt by the event.
What is your favorite DisruptHR Talk, and why?
I’m a bit biased, but one of my favorite speakers from our Boston event was Allen Telio who presented on “Resumes Are Dead. Now What?”
Resumes Are Dead. Now What? | Allan Telio | DisruptHR Talks from DisruptHR on Vimeo.
We spend so much time creating a talent acquisition strategy and candidate experience to get the best candidates, but then we still get caught up on resumes and putting people into an ATS based on their keywords.
Based off of the Talks and conversations at your events, what do you feel are the areas with the biggest opportunity for disruption?
I believe in constant improvement, so there aren’t many areas where I feel we can’t continue to be disruptive!
What excites you or frustrates you about the future of work, your career and/or DisruptHR?
I’ve been in HR for about 10 years now. While that isn’t a long time, the transformation I’ve seen over the last few years has been huge.
In my experience, HR has always played the role of a strategic partner within the startup realm. We brought creativity to the role because we were competing against more established companies on a daily basis. Now, as I talk to those in my network, I’m seeing HR transform in larger, more established corporations.
HR is no longer viewed as a tactical, operations function, but as a strategic business partner that can make a real impact on the organization. It’s truly an exciting time to be in the profession.
Follow What’s Happening With DisruptHR Boston:
– DisruptHR Boston Community Page