Interview with Sharlis Montgomery of Hogan Lovells - 2025 KYSHRM

The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth.

Jason was joined by Sharlis Montgomery, the Learning and Development Manager at the global law firm Hogan Lovells. Sharlis shared how she supports over 2,500 non-lawyer staff members across the globe. With eight years at the firm, Sharlis focuses on upskilling "business teams" in areas like leadership and interpersonal skills through a structured competency framework. She is passionate about making training fun and innovative, ensuring every employee leaves her facilitation sessions with something valuable. One of her favorite aspects of the role is championing major investments in her team's growth, such as providing access to certifications from prestigious institutions like Harvard and Yale. When asked about retaining talent, Sharlis stressed the importance of truly listening to staff through post-surveys and "real, raw" focus groups to understand their development needs. She noted that many companies actually offer great benefits, but employees often leave simply because those opportunities weren't marketed internally well enough. Recognizing she is an expert in learning, not marketing, she advocates for cross-departmental collaboration to ensure staff are fully aware of the resources available to them.

Sharlis believes that engaging directly with departments helps her identify and expand the training options that contribute most to long-term retention. She wrapped up the session by emphasizing that HR and marketing must work together to effectively share value with the organization. To challenge the next guest, Sharlis left the question: "If there was one thing that they could change about their role, what would that be?"

To learn more, visit:

· Website: www.hoganlovells.com

Sharlis, thanks for stopping by to speak with us!

That's where we'll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We'd love to hear from you.

Need Help Supporting Your Company's Recruiting and Staffing Goals?

We're here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions:

· Jamie Swaim, SPHR – www.ParcelKnows.com

· Molley Ricketts – www.IncipioWorks.com

· Jason Heflin – www.CrowdSouth.com

We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!