We don’t normally think of HR as fieldwork, but for Kimberley Hikaka, a field administrator with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders), recruiting for a field hospital in Yemen or OH&S during a cholera epidemic in Malawi is all in a day’s work.
The circumstances surrounding HR in the field can change, but the core tenants of MSF – impartiality, neutrality and independence – are always front-of-mind for Hikaka and her colleagues.
All of the HR and finance responsibilities revolve around providing the best medical care for the people who need it, says Hikaka. To do this, HR administrators with Medecins Sans Frontieres have to be flexible and prepared to work in a variety of contexts because no two projects, or locations, are alike.