HR executive Laura Dabkowski possesses over a decade of experience in senior-level roles leading HR departments in diverse industries, including managed services and health care. A recipient of the National Association of Professional Women’s Woman of the Year Award, Laura Dabkowski is an advocate for human resources approaches that facilitate work-life integration.

While the phrase work-life balance is better known, many workplace professionals now agree that work-life integration is actually a much more desirable goal. Work-life balance refers to having enough time to perform business-related and personal tasks. According to this approach, work should not be performed during personal time, and vice versa.

Work-life integration, on the other hand, focuses on building enough flexibility to address any type of task when it arises. In practice, work-life integration can be achieved through flexible scheduling or work-from-home options, allowing dogs or children in the workplace, or starting a corporate volunteering club. Since time isn’t blocked off for a single purpose, many people find work-life integration more realistic and achievable.

Senior human resources business executive Laura Dabkowski currently serves as a human resources principal and consultant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When she’s not working, Laura Dabkowski spends her time volunteering and mentoring, and engages with the Bethesda Project and Care for Friends Outreach Organizations.

The Philadelphia-based Bethesda Project provides shelter, housing, and other supportive services to adults experiencing homelessness. The organization operates with a “housing first” approach that helps people complete their journeys at their own pace. Bethesda Project residents complete an individualized care plan with their case managers, who help them identify their goals and connect them to resources that will help them achieve those goals, with the ultimate aim of achieving stable housing and increasing their independence.

To run its programs, the Bethesda Project relies on the support of generous donors and volunteers. Volunteers can prepare and serve meals, host activities for residents, and assist with daily operations. The organization also facilitates group volunteering. Additionally, the nonprofit accepts donations of both items and money. Visit https://www.bethesdaproject.org/volunteer to find out how you can give.

Previously named a VIP Woman of the Year by the National Association of Professional Women, human resources executive Laura Dabkowski worked with GE and Aramark before starting a consulting role. In addition to her successful career, Laura Dabkowski has been involved with several community programs, including the Federation of Philadelphia’s workforce readiness program.

Workforce readiness programs help participants gain the skills needed to enter the workforce and remain steadily employed. These programs are diverse and usually developed through a partnership with private employers, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and learning institutions.

Workforce readiness programs may focus on vulnerable populations, including people with low educational attainment or with a disrupted work history due to incarceration. Other programs are designed to retrain current employees with marketable digital and technical skills. Youth workforce readiness programs help young people with career planning, finding internship opportunities, and developing high-demand soft skills such as communication, problem-solving, and time management.

Laura Dabkowski leverages an MBA and extensive experience in human capital and business transformation as a strategic business consultant for nonprofit and for-profit organizations. In her work, Laura Dabkowski seeks to blend contemporary economic and financial realms with principles of respect and human dignity.

Human dignity refers to the intrinsic value of every human being that demands respect. The concept, often an important element of ethical and social philosophies, was cemented by the United Nations’ (UN) Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

The UN declaration adhered to a human rights framework for human dignity, stressing that all humans are born with dignity and deserve respect and equal rights. This opposed historical applications of human dignity that relied on class, race, or other social advantages.

Another framework of human dignity, the religious framework, also holds that all humans deserve equal respect due to a variety of religious beliefs. For example, the Catholic religion holds that all individuals are made in the image of God, while Hinduism teaches that humans are manifestations of the Divine.

Respect for human dignity, embracing and leveraging similarities and differences is critical in the workplace as well as in our communities. It is a fundamental foundation of how we build relationships, trust and empowered teams.

Laura Dabkowski, a Newtown Square, Pennsylvania resident and a Senior Leadership Consultant, has spent most of her professional career helping businesses devise strategies for becoming more productive. Laura Dabkowski’s early childhood experiences taught her to give back, and one way she has done so is to support Philadelphia’s Bethesda Project.

The Bethesda Project assists residents with shelter and other services. It also has a program that works with the homeless. Bethesda Project operates 14 sites throughout Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that offers safe havens, supportive housing, emergency shelter, and independent living spaces. Our Brothers’ Place, for example, is an emergency shelter provides space for 150 men and can accommodate supportive serviced for 50 more.

For those who find themselves experiencing homelessness, the organization offers help through My Brother’s House (MBH) and various churches. A HUD-funded program, MBH helps men with substance abuse and mental health problems. In addition to this program, St. Mary’s Chapel Year-Round Shelter, Old First Reformed Church, Trinity Memorial Church, and The Well provide men with overnight shelter and meals, in addition to case management services.

Bethesda Project also provides permanent housing to the homeless in locations around the city. Each home provides the homeless with various levels of support including warm meals and genuine care.

Laura Dabkowski has spent most of her career in human resources management assisting organizations with organizational engagement and effectiveness efforts. Though long before her professional career, Laura Dabkowski acted in high school plays as an outlet for her creativity. While acting is considered a hobby by most, participating in theater has real-world benefits and applications in the workplace.

Participating in theater productions requires people to learn how to work both independently and collaboratively. For instance, actors must learn to make time to study their lines and craft the identity of the character they are playing. At the same time, participation requires individuals show up for rehearsals on time, contribute to the discussion regarding the direction of the play, and participate in other aspects of the production. Similarly, employees must adhere to individual deadlines knowing that their efforts will contribute to the success of a project. In addition to their personal responsibilities, it is empowering and enjoyable for employees to work in groups to flesh out and share ideas and make major decisions.

Engaging in theater also facilitates the ability to think creatively and problem-solve. The actor has to decide how to approach playing someone else in a way that makes the character interesting to watch. Depending on the size of the production, they might also play a role in set design and other tasks. These skills are also needed and valued in the workplace. Regardless of the profession, all employees encounter situations that require critical thinking and creativity to solve. By engaging in these areas at both work and at play, it strengthens an individual’s capacity overall while at the same time enjoying oneself.

Philadelphia resident Laura Dabkowski has a distinguished career in organizational development and human resources development that she credits to values instilled as she was growing up. In addition to coming from a strong family, Laura Dabkowski was active in the drama program at her high school in Cleveland.

While research illustrates the academic benefits of performing and fine arts education programs within the K-12 system, fewer efforts have attempted to quantify the social and emotional advantages. A recent study found that students who attended schools with vibrant arts education programs were more likely to aspire to attend college. They also performed better in writing assessments, while at the same time were less likely to commit disciplinary infractions.

The study also found that students who had been exposed to arts education expressed more compassion for others. In addition, exposure to an arts education program enabled elementary school students to better draw on others’ experiences and learn empathy.

Before attending college and graduate school and working over 20 years in organizational management, Laura Dabkowski of Philadelphia was influenced to volunteer and proactively engage in the community by her parents. Today, Laura Dabkowski devotes time to outreach needs across Philadelphia area, including the Bethesda Project.

The Bethesda Project has provided assistance to Philadelphia’s homeless since 1979. In the most recent years, the organization has taken a harm reduction approach to helping the homeless transition into more stable situations. Harm reduction seeks to gain the trust of the affected individual by looking at the person’s entire life from a place of non-judgment and without instituting punishment, which can cause even more harm.

The harm reduction approach focuses on the core issues that negatively affect a person’s ability to find housing, such as drug addiction. Instead of telling a person addicted to drugs to quit taking drugs, the harm reduction approach asks a counselor to focus on ways to reduce the amount of drugs or alcohol. For instance, a counselor might advise a person to drink one beer instead of five while taking other medication. Sometimes harm reduction is an intentional step supports towards sobriety; other times, it helps a person adjust their substance use to a level that is safer and more manageable, but without sobriety being the goal. For some people, quality of life involves some substance use; for others, it doesn’t.

While it might seem a contradiction to encourage a person with a problem to continue on with that addiction, only using less, the harm reduction approach focuses on helping the person manage their addiction. The overall purpose is to help the person resolve their housing crisis by helping them manage their addiction. Resolving the housing crisis then allows the person to deal with the addiction more effectively.

Prior to pursuing her doctoral degree through the business program at Temple University, Pennsylvania resident Laura Dabkowski spent over 20 years in human resources management. Laura Dabkowski credits her success with the significant role and importance her parents played in her life.

Even today in the time when technology has made life so convenient, nothing takes the place of parental involvement, especially in the case of education. In fact, according to the National Parent Teacher Association, the most accurate predictor of a child’s educational success is parental involvement.

For one, involvement in the day-to-day activities of their child’s education provides them a window into knowing what is happening at school. More than just having an open relationship with the teacher, the parent knows the child’s strengths and weaknesses and can help address them at home.

This engagement also provides the parent with the chance to reinforce some of the behaviors and lessons taught at school. This is the opportunity for parents to help their child set goals and the objectives to achieve them.

Finally, parental involvement in a child’s education provides another opportunity to be active in school culture. Whether it involves advocating for school improvements or more resources, parents are an integral factor in shaping the tone of the conversation between the public and administrators.

A human resources principal consultant, Laura Dabkowski, has spent most of her career advising businesses on effective organizational strategies and implementing best in class processes. Laura Dabkowski credits much of her success on the lessons imparted by her parents regarding defining one’s path and passions.

Defining one’s path includes finding a career, which is also a passion for some. One way to determine whether to pursue an activity as a career is finding out whether it is a hobby or a passion. When jumping into a new career, a person needs to know whether or not they can spend eight-plus hours a day doing it. For example, bird watching is a favorite pastime for many, but after a long time, a person might find the activity exhausting.

Typically, a passion is developed from having considerable experience in the area. If not experienced in the area, finding a job that allows for the development of necessary skills is one way to not only become experienced but to also learn whether the activity is something that would be of interest as a career.

After consideration, simply look for the tools needed to succeed. This requires identifying the skills that a person already possesses and looking for resources and people that can help the person achieve career goals.