Spotlight on Marie Mitchell-Jackson and Benefits at Kleinfelder

“In HR, you never know what your day has in store for you,” says Marie Mitchell-Jackson, a Senior Human Resources Specialist in our San Diego office who just celebrated her 16th year with Kleinfelder.

“Things are fast-paced and constant in the world of HR. When you start work in the morning, you have in mind the things you plan to accomplish during the day; however, an urgent issue will come along out of nowhere and knock you for a loop, changing the whole direction of your day.”

But that’s what keeps things interesting for Marie. “There’s never a dull moment,” she continued “and with every challenge comes a learning experience and the opportunity to improve our processes and policies.”

Engineering a Career in HR

Before joining Kleinfelder, Marie was a Senior Sales Administrator at a biotech/software firm. When she heard news that her position was being eliminated – and with some encouragement from the senior VP of HR at the firm – she decided to take “a leap of faith” into the field of HR.

“I registered with a local firm that specialized in HR recruitment and placements, updated my resume to make my past work experience more functional, and later enrolled in HR management classes,” she said. “Now, here I am 21 years later (16 with Kleinfelder) and extremely happy I made that career move.”

Marie says the experience she’s gained, the close relationships she’s made, and the employees she’s been able to help along the way are what she’s most proud of in her Kleinfelder career. “I also work with an amazing group of HR professionals, who support and empower me,” she added. ​​​​​​​

Benefits of Being on the Benefits Team

So, as part of the Benefits team at Kleinfelder, what does Marie recommend Kleinfelder employees take advantage of, if they’re not already?

“Sometimes, the Employee Assistance Program, or EAP, is overlooked when an employee or a family member experiences a personal crisis,” she said. “Especially during these unprecedented times – with issues related to COVID-19, such as feeling more isolated than usual – it’s important to take care of both our physical and mental health, and the EAP is just one tool we have available to us.”

Kleinfelder’s EAP, through ACI Specialty Benefits, is available at no cost, whether you’re enrolled in a Kleinfelder medical plan or not. Through this program, you and your family members have 24-hour access to mental health assistance and legal and financial help from a number of professionals. All services provided are confidential and will not be shared with Kleinfelder, and the topics you can seek assistance for range from emotional health, alcohol or drug dependency, and relationship issues to job pressures, anxiety, depression, and grief. You can even seek financial or legal advice through EAP.

“I think (U.S.) employees are excited about Teladoc, too” she added, referring to the telemedicine benefit through Aetna, “because of its convenience and relatively low out-of-pocket cost. And let’s not forget about the funding that Kleinfelder contributes to employees’ Health Savings Accounts if they’re enrolled in one of our medical plans and the HSA.”

Information and resources on Kleinfelder’s benefits are available on K-NET, UltiPro, and through our Benefits Assistance Center. Links and contact information are also provided below, and you can of course reach out to Marie – or anyone from the Benefits team – at any time for additional support.

“There’s always room to improve what we do,” Marie said in closing, “and we are always seeking innovative ways to communicate our benefit offerings.”

Marie Mitchell-Jackson is a Senior Human Resources Specialist at Kleinfelder. She is based in San Diego, CA.