Case Study
In the midst of their mission to help Latino youth and families reach their full potential, the staff at Latino Network has always held onto something special within their own, internal culture.
They refer to the staff as “La Familia,” and they seek to mirror their efforts to empower Latinos in Multinomah and Washington Counties in the way they treat one another as a team. As Deputy Director of Operations and Workplace Culture, Eva Maribona, describes…
I’d describe our culture as empowering. We really encourage folks to find their voice, and we love to have fun. We love to celebrate the rich diversity that exists within the Latinx culture and honor their cultural traditions. So, we have lots of fiestas! We just had one for the holidays which was amazing.
When Latino Network began to experience explosive growth during the pandemic, the question on everyone’s mind was whether they could maintain this beautiful sense of family and inclusion while managing to care for the needs of an expanding staff.
About Latino Network
Founded in 1996, Latino Network was created to level the playing field for Latinx people in the Portland region. Their mission is to create Latino communities that are thriving, engaged, and influential, and they have built an amazing array of services in pursuit of that goal.
Latino Network sponsors programs for:
- Advocacy and Leadership
- Arts and Culture
- Early Childhood
- Education
- Economic Justice
- Educational Access
- Youth Empowerment and Violence Prevention
This wide range of services is a powerful force for positive change and empowerment, and when the pandemic hit in 2020, Latino Network found its programs in greater demand than ever before.
Partners in Managing Rapid Growth
Latino Network has long been a part of the Custom HR program at Xenium. It’s a program that wraps support around a business or nonprofit to meet specific needs.
For years, Xenium’s involvement was largely tactical, assisting Latino Network with hiring, onboarding, employee relations, and building its foundation of policies and procedures.
But when the pandemic hit, the need for Latino Network’s programs exploded, and so did the organization. From 2020 to 2023, the program grew by 55%, and as of writing this, they now have a staff of more than 260 dedicated professionals serving more than 10,000 program participants in the region.
Before the pandemic, Latino Network didn’t have a Director of HR. They now have a Director and a small, internal HR team which became necessary as they grew.
As their team grew, Xenium’s role in supporting them changed. Xenium became strategic partners in managing and empowering the sudden growth of the organization.
We’ve grown significantly and Xenium was able to step up during those times of need. So, we are super grateful for Xenium’s support because it has really helped us be able to serve our mission and continue to grow.
– Eva Maribona, Director of Operations and Workplace Culture, Latino Network
Xenium’s Custom HR Services
Wrapping Support Around Existing HR Teams
Latino Network’s HR team and staff are supported through our Custom HR service.
The Custom HR program wraps tailored support services around existing HR personnel. It’s the perfect program for businesses and nonprofits who don’t need payroll support but do need support in building their HR foundations, navigating times of change, or simply augmenting the skill set of existing staff.
In short, working with Xenium has given Latino Network access to enhanced resources and knowledge. Their internal team now has the support of a team of more than 80 HR specialists and experts.
Latino Network’s customized HR services are managed by a dedicated HR Business Partner at Xenium and backed up by our entire staff.
I am just one person as a Director of HR, but I’m able to reach out to Xenium and have our HR business partner step in or, you know, sometimes even the VP gives me a call back. The bottom line is, we have an extended HR team that we can rely on.
I typically get a response within 24 hours, if not by the end of that business day, depending on the time. The folks at Xenium are amazing people – caring, loving, and they understand the needs and the urgency that sometimes comes with the job.
– Oscar Rico-Cazares, Director of HR, Latino Network
Wrapping Around Workplace Culture
Xenium’s Custom HR team knows that the foundational task of working with any organization is to understand its fundamental values and culture. This need is only magnified with a mission-driven organization like Latino Network which is also managing sensitive DEI concerns.
However, as Xenium’s Senior Director of HR, Lacey Partipilo, explains.
I’ve found we align really well with nonprofits because our core values are about people and transforming workplaces. I think the way we deliver HR has that at the forefront. It is about policies and procedures and things that are structural, but really when it comes down to it, the heart of the work we do is about people.
And Latino Network’s Eva Maribona confirmed the same.
One of the main reasons we find the partnership works so well is that they’re able to really understand who we are as an organization. I mean, it sounds cheesy, but it’s true. They really are all about people, and though they’re not non-profit, it really does feel like they’re here to serve.
Wrapping Around Strategic Initiatives
Latino Network’s growth would have posed a challenge for any organization, but it also occurred during a pandemic that forged a paradigm shift for workplaces everywhere. They had to rethink what it meant to be a workplace while expanding it faster than ever before.
Their HR Business Partner, along with our Custom HR team, engaged with their leadership on multiple fronts to help manage the HR concerns around their growth, including the following…
- Redesigning the Workplace – During the pandemic, Xenium helped Latino Network’s HR team conduct a series of 12 focus groups across different areas of their staff to capture their thoughts and determine the future structure of the team. This led to the current hybrid workplace they all now enjoy.
- Compensation Review – Xenium’s team consulted on a process to ensure compensation for their team is both equitable and a fair living wage.
- Redefining Performance Evaluations – Massive changes and growth brought about the need to rethink how team members are evaluated in their new workplace model and within their expanded team.
- Workforce Development – Xenium has stepped in at multiple points to assist the leadership team in developing recruiting strategies for their rapid growth and processing key strategic decisions like rebalancing staff ratios for supervisors and manager
Wrapping Around Day-to-Day Operations
Day-to-day operations are where Xenium’s role in augmenting the existing team is felt like a heartbeat. At any given moment, Latino Network’s HR leaders know they aren’t alone in supporting a staff of 260 employees.
- Equipping HR Hires – As Latino Network expands its HR team, less experienced hires always have experts at Xenium to turn to on complicated issues like compliance.
- Training for Management – Xenium maintains extensive training programs which help equip managers and supervisors with the latest HR knowledge and skills.
- Sensitive Situations – All of Xenium’s Custom HR clients lean on our team’s expertise when difficult moments arise. We help teams strategize the best path forward and often engage in the process directly to help reach the best possible solution.
- Staying Up-to-Date – One of the biggest stress points for internal teams is staying up-to-date on changes in regulations and compliance. Our team has the bandwidth to track changes, keep your team informed, and answer questions along the way.
No team was meant to tackle HR alone.
HR is an ever-changing, moving, expanding target, and every small to mid-sized business or nonprofit struggles to keep up with the demands.
Our Custom HR service was created to be more than an HR helpline and more than an extra set of hands, though we fulfill those roles every day. We are strategic partners in growth who level the playing field for your organization. Most importantly, we do it by syncing up with your unique workplace culture so that we truly feel like an extension of your existing team.
We took our task to help protect and preserve Latino Network’s family culture to heart, and we stand by their side as they continue to reach more and more Latinx families and youth in the Portland region.
“The reality is, we’re only so many people and we want to make sure our folks know that Xenium really is an extended HR partner and part of our team.
And so, if we need someone to navigate through a difficult situation, Xenium is always there, and that’s priceless. As much as you wish you could be, you can’t do it all for everyone. Xenium is trusted backup you can rely on.”
– Eva Maribona, Director of Operations and Workplace Culture, Latino Network
“I can tell you, being a director of HR can get kind of lonely. So, you really need that strategic partner you can bounce ideas off of, and, you know, have a more of an open conversation about what you’re trying to accomplish and get some honest feedback.
It’s super important for us to have someone who can relate to our mission, to be a partner in our fight for Latino justice. And Xenium provides that to us.”
– Oscar Rico-Cazares, Director of HR, Latino Network
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