The “HR Experience Story Morning” events have become a space where HR professionals come together to share not just theory or “best practices,” but real-life experience – including situations where things don’t go according to plan.

In modern HR, professionals are increasingly facing situations where ideas meet limited resources, time pressure, and the realities of the organization. This was the focus of the HR Experience Story Morning, where HR professionals discussed recruitment, employee motivation under constraints, and practical approaches that help achieve results even when resources are limited.

Iluta Gaile, Managing Director of ASTRAL Executive Search, shared insights on recruitment under constrained resources, highlighting challenges many organizations face:

  • the need to fill vacancies quickly while the candidate pool is limited,
  • budgets that do not allow for extensive recruitment campaigns,
  • HR functions often operating under high workload and limited capacity,
  • roles requiring niche and hard-to-find competencies.

In such an environment, traditional approaches do not always work – which means HR must be able to adapt.

At the center of the event was Kristīna Kaņepe, Head of Human Resources Development and Management at “Rīgas Nacionālais zooloģiskais dārzs” (Riga National Zoo), who shared practical examples of how HR ideas are translated into real actions and the challenges that arise during implementation.

The discussion focused on a key question — what happens when HR initiatives encounter budget constraints, resistance, and organizational realities? And how many HR initiatives are truly able to sustain themselves in the long term?

Organizational context defines the HR approach

Riga National Zoo is a multidimensional organization with a wide range of functions – from animal care and research to customer service, infrastructure maintenance, and educational activities. This also means a highly diverse workforce, with different needs and motivation drivers.

In such a structure, a one-size-fits-all HR solution is not always feasible. The HR approach must be flexible and tailored to different employee groups, job specifics, and the organization’s development goals.

HR initiatives: from idea to execution

Across participant discussions, it was emphasized that HR initiatives most often face three key challenges:

  • limited budgets,
  • internal organizational resistance,
  • operational priorities taking precedence over development initiatives.

This means that not all ideas can be implemented in full, and compromises, pilot projects, or phased approaches are often necessary. A key takeaway – the most successful HR initiatives are those embedded into everyday processes, rather than introduced as standalone projects.

Key takeaways from the third “HR Experience Story Morning”

  • HR initiatives must be adapted to organizational reality.
  • Not all ideas should be implemented at once – a phased approach is often more effective.
  • Different employee groups require different approaches.
  • Leadership involvement is critical for the sustainability of HR initiatives.
  • Sustainable initiatives are those that become part of everyday work.

Kristīna Kaņepe’s experience highlighted that the role of HR in modern organizations is not just about administering processes, but about connecting ideas with reality. It is within this balance that sustainable HR practices emerge – creating value for both employees and the organization.

The April “HR Experience Story Morning” once again confirmed that the role of an HR leader is not about perfect processes, but about the ability to make decisions in real-world conditions. And often, it is именно in these situations that the best solutions are found.

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