Working for Both Sides

MEET TODAY’S GUEST

Matt Furness

Matt Furness is the HR Director at Arrow Lift, where he leads hiring, employee relations, and people operations. With experience across agency recruiting, independent consulting, and internal HR, Matt brings a grounded, multi-angle perspective to the people side of business.

Today, he shares why HR works best when it’s grounded in transparency, real conversations, and trust.

THE INTERVIEW 

A Path That Wasn’t Planned

Matt didn’t set out to build a career in HR. His early plan was sales, a path that led him into recruiting as a way to learn business from the ground up. Over time, recruiting turned into consulting, and consulting eventually turned into internal HR leadership.

Along the way, Matt realized the part of the work that stayed with him wasn’t closing deals or filling roles; it was helping people navigate decisions that had real, long-term consequences. Career moves, relocations, and transitions aren’t just professional choices; they’re deeply personal ones.

Today, Matt serves as the HR leader at Arrow Lift, overseeing the full employee lifecycle. The role is broad, but the philosophy behind it is simple.

Seeing HR From Every Angle

Having worked on the agency side, as an independent consultant, and now internally, Matt has seen how differently HR can be perceived depending on where you sit. Employers often assume HR exists to protect the business. Employees often assume HR exists to advocate for them.

Matt’s approach lives in the middle. His focus is on objectivity, helping both sides understand each other well enough to build something that lasts. Not perfect alignment, but honest alignment.

That mindset shows up in how he hires, how he communicates expectations, and how he navigates difficult conversations when interests don’t perfectly align.

Hiring Without Losing the Human Element

Hiring has changed dramatically over the past few years. Automation and AI have made processes faster and more scalable, and Matt sees real value in using technology to reduce administrative work and free up time for meaningful conversations.

Where he’s cautious is when technology starts replacing judgment instead of supporting it.

At Arrow Lift, many roles can be trained. What matters most isn’t a flawless résumé, but character, work ethic, communication style, and the ability to learn. Those qualities don’t always show up neatly on paper, and they’re easy to miss when new hiring technologies become too mathematical.

The Work People Don’t Always See

Much of HR happens quietly. It’s the behind-the-scenes conversations, the positive results that don’t always get public credit, and the responsibility of delivering messages that aren’t easy to hear.

Matt describes HR as a role that requires emotional resilience and a willingness to be misunderstood. You can help move a company forward, improve outcomes, and strengthen relationships, and still be the one to accept the responsibility when things don’t go as planned.

It’s not glamorous work, but it’s necessary work.

Why the Work Still Matters

Despite the challenges, Matt is clear about why he continues doing this work. HR decisions don’t live in systems or policies; they live in people’s lives.

A single conversation can influence whether someone relocates, changes careers, or feels supported during a difficult transition. That responsibility is something Matt approaches with care, humility, and seriousness.

What He’d Tell Someone Just Starting Out

For those early in their HR or recruiting careers, Matt offers grounded advice: focus less on being liked and more on being trusted.

HR requires navigating competing perspectives, absorbing frustration from multiple sides, and understanding that you can guide change, but you can’t control every outcome. Accepting that reality makes the work more sustainable and, ultimately, more impactful.

A Leader Who Left a Mark

One of the most influential figures in Matt’s career was Barry Barber, former chairman of Kimley-Horn. Under Barry’s leadership, the company built a reputation for a genuine culture of caring, not only because of messaging, but because people felt it every day.

That experience reinforced Matt’s belief that culture only works when it’s lived consistently, not written once and forgotten.

Final Thought

HR doesn’t exist to pick sides. It exists to hold space for honesty, accountability, and real conversation.

When it’s done well, it doesn’t draw attention to itself.
It quietly helps people and businesses move forward together.

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