Ashley Rosser

I attribute my success to my kids. They encourage me and really inspire me to do better and keep doing the best that I can. They're probably my biggest encouragement in life. I have three boys, and they're what keep me going and motivated to continue growing in my career.

The best career advice I've received is not to take everything personally. Don't take every criticism harshly or personally. Try to take any criticism, constructive or not, in stride, and just try to do better next time. One of my favorite quotes from an HR manager I had years ago was, 'We're in HR, this is not open brain surgery, no one's going to die.' Everything will be fine. I consider that career advice as well - it reminds me not to take things too seriously and to keep perspective.

Show up, and show up confidently anytime you can. Even if you have to fake it. Showing confidence and kindness are your two biggest assets. Those are the qualities that will serve you best as you build your career in this field.

The biggest challenges in my field right now are working between states and making state leave claims run concurrently with company-sponsored benefits like FMLA and STD. It's a huge challenge to make sure leave of absence runs correctly, people are paid correctly and on time, because payroll deadlines are a real thing in HR. This applies to every country - every country has different eligibilities and benefits, not just the U.S. Ensuring that statutory benefits and statutory pay all run concurrently with a company's benefits, including leave of absence benefits and pay, is critical to ensure employees are taken care of from start to finish. Keeping things in a timely manner is essential - documentation in on time, processing payroll on time, responding and giving employees the timeline to keep when things are due, not just from them but from myself as well for statutory leaves. There are deadlines for everything, and staying in good compliance with every single country is a major issue that everyone in my field has to keep up with. I'm over 8 to 9 countries right now, so keeping everything in regulation standards is an ongoing challenge.

Humility would be probably the strongest value for me, personally. Not taking yourself too seriously and trying to find the humor in every situation. I believe in keeping perspective and maintaining a sense of humor, which helps me navigate both my professional responsibilities and my personal life with three kids.