Finding Her Footing From overwhelmed to empowered—how one HR leader found direction at the 7th Philippine HR Assembly
Wearing Too Many Hats, With No Real Map
Clarisse, a first-time HR Manager at a mid-sized lending firm, had been promoted just six months prior. Her background was in payroll and compliance—but now, she was expected to lead recruitment strategy, employee engagement, and even culture development for over 120 employees. With no senior HR mentor, minimal resources, and a rapidly changing workforce, she felt like she was “building the ship while sailing it.”
She was unsure where to begin. Her inbox was filled with complaints, exit interviews, and new compliance memos. Her CEO wanted her to “revamp the company culture,” but Clarisse was still figuring out what a structured performance cycle even looked like. She didn’t need more pressure—she needed a playbook. That’s when she came across the 7th Philippine HR Assembly, hosted by Circa Logica Group.
The Right Event, At the Right Time
Clarisse attended the Assembly with modest expectations—just to learn “something useful.” What she got was a cascade of clarity. The plenary sessions helped her understand the broader role of HR as a business enabler, not just a people administrator. The fireside chats about burnout, DEI, and talent flight reflected her daily struggles. The panel on balancing flexibility with structure gave her actual frameworks she could bring to her CEO the following Monday.
Most importantly, she didn’t feel isolated anymore. Hearing other HR leaders speak vulnerably about their challenges—and how they worked through them—restored her sense of purpose.
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Lack of HR strategy experience, despite being promoted to lead the department
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Unclear expectations from leadership, especially on “fixing” culture
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Low morale among rank-and-file staff and no formal engagement plan
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No access to updated HR tools, templates, or benchmarking data
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Felt alone in navigating compliance, people development, and leadership all at once
At the 7th Philippine HR Assembly, Clarisse accessed:
✅ High-value learning from CHROs, consultants, and policy experts
✅ Live discussions on real issues: quiet quitting, hybrid work, and disengagement
✅ Tools and frameworks on modern retention, performance cycles, and culture shaping
✅ Peer connections who shared resources and offered follow-up support post-event
✅ A reset in mindset—realizing that strategic HR isn’t about having all the answers, but about asking better questions
Within three weeks of the Assembly, Clarisse:
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Presented a revised 6-month roadmap for culture and retention
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Adopted a new performance review model introduced by a panelist
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Secured leadership buy-in to attend future training and certification programs
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Joined a private HR network she connected with during the event
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Reported higher confidence, better clarity, and more structured conversations with leadership
Today, Clarisse refers to that Assembly as her “turning point”—the day HR stopped being overwhelming and started becoming exciting.
