Underwater photo of scuba diver with tank and fins.
Why

DEEP DIVE?

Why Deep Dive?

EYES WIDE OPEN

I’ve always been fascinated by unique stories and individual perspectives.

It is this interest that led me toward an undergraduate degree in History and a passion for travel. When I had the opportunity to become PADI Open Water certified at the Great Barrier Reef, I was not prepared for the perspective-change I would soon experience.

Being out on the open water and seeing the shoreline fade out from view, I was overcome with feelings of both wonder and tremendous humility. The horizon seemed truly endless.

Putting on my mask, I took a giant stride off the back of the boat, and found myself floating in the open ocean. In control of my own buoyancy, but also not in control: subject to the wind and the waves, hyper-aware of the boat and the proximity of your dive buddy.

But then, I put my face in the water. The size of the world I thought I knew permanently expanded as the underwater horizon was defined only by the depth of the water. I found my bearings, checked my pressure gauge, gave the ok-sign to my buddy, and swam down, following the anchor line to the bottom of the ocean.

A sail boat on the horizon at sunset

New Perspectives

New Perspectives

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying looking at the surface of the ocean itself, except that when you finally see what goes on underwater, you realize that you’ve been missing the whole point of the ocean. Staying on the surface all the time is like going to the circus and staring at the outside of the tent.Dave Barry, Author of Peter and the Starcatcher

Going beneath the surface

Planning ahead

An inward focus — on breathing; on moving with intention; on experiencing a living, vibrant, yet fragile eco-system — all while being unplugged from technology and our typical systems of support is one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had in my time on this planet.

The activity of scuba diving is a fantastic analogy for business success:

  • The activity is safe because you can manage the known risks.
  • You have responsibility for your own equipment and check it according to a standardized, accredited process.
  • Never go in alone. You have a dive buddy and you are mutually responsible for one another.
  • Plan your dive. Dive your plan. You discuss and rehearse all aspects of the dive before going into the water.
  • You know what to do if something goes awry. (Crucially, you’ve practiced this in advance.)
Scuba diver looking up at a school of fish from under water

Focusing on what’s important

Safety Stop

At the end of every dive, you perform a “Safety Stop”. This is a three-minute pause, at a relatively shallow depth, during which you allow the gasses that have accumulated in your bloodstream to leave your body. (Don’t worry! This is a completely painless and transparent process.) Typically, you are surrounded by your fellow divers and can look up to see the bottom of the dive boat. Only after this Stop is completed will you ascend to the surface.

It is the Safety Stop that both physically and emotionally prepares you to return to the surface.

At Deep Dive HR Consulting, we begin all of our engagements with a Safety Stop. This is a critical opportunity for us to be in conversation with you about your business. This analysis covers all aspects of your People Operations: recruiting and hiring, onboarding and training, payroll, benefits, employee relations, supervision, and separations. We also review business insurance, any currently open legal and compliance concerns, and your internal HR bandwidth. We use this information to inform our initial work together, prioritizing areas of greatest liability and opportunity.

Don’t Go In Alone

Dive Buddies

Throughout this process, we aim to be your Trusted Advisor.

We don’t sell software, health or business insurance, or act as your bookkeeper/CFO — but we sure know processes that need improvement when we see them. We work with a trusted network of professionals that can help to upgrade your business operations; saving costs will maximizing clients and minimizing risk.

Each business has a story and is driven by a set of values and traditions. (Hey, you’re here on our website reading about how scuba diving and Human Resources go well together!) It is our individuality and diversity that make the world an interesting place, and give your business a competitive edge.

That said: You don’t want to be a unicorn in the way you process your payroll, or train on workplace harassment, or link with your accounting system. Leverage our decades of HR experience to bring battle-tested best practices to your business.

Let’s Get Started

A giant turtle looking at the camera from underwater