Clerksy and Founder Albert Roberson, LL.M.
This month we are proud to introduce you to Albert Roberson, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Clerksy, a company specializing in human resources services. His company focuses on the “human” in Human Resources with particular attention to emerging issues like diversity, the gig economy, and navigating the current pandemic. Clerksy may just be the ideal partner for your company too.
What gig work do you do? What made you decide to do this? How long have you been doing it?
Clerksy is an HR-Tech company that uses proprietary software to automate human resource services for small to midsized businesses. Our services range from employee payroll and compensation, talent acquisition and management, workforce analytics, performance management, benefits administration, and workplace investigations. Clerksy was founded in 2018.
What training or education did you have? How did this inform your career path and/or your side-Gig?
I hold degrees in law from Kingston University School of Law in London (LL.B.) and Washington University School of Law in St Louis (LL.M.). My background and training focus primarily on employment law, contracts, and litigation. I've been in the industry for many years, where my legal knowledge and understanding have been best served. The law inspired me to create in this space.
What is the best part about gig work?
Clerksy's slogan is "A People Company," - so the best part of this gig work is serving people and assuring that people come first. Assisting people by providing HR services makes the work that we do all the better.
What was the hardest part about starting with gig work? How would you advise others about this?
The most challenging part of starting this gig work is ensuring that we were building these tools for the right reasons. Think about it; an organization that is built on a faulty foundation will never withstand the test of time. Clerksy is stable and has a team of brilliant minds behind every decision.
The advice that I would give to others is to have an open mind, understand all variables before embarking on a creative journey, and have real communication with your founding team. The market is full of new businesses, but the smart ones create tools that enhance people's lives. Also, don't forget to stay true to yourself!
How have you leveraged social media and the web to grow your gig work?
We are currently pivoting to introduce social media and blogging to our storytelling efforts. The most critical component of leveraging these systems is to ensure that you are doing so in an authentic way. For us, it's about ensuring that diverse perspectives are being communicated to the masses and that we are providing authentic storytelling in all that we do. These elements will guarantee that we provide a breadth of difference in our product and throughout our service offerings.
Many people start doing gig work to reach financial freedom. Has it been profitable?
Clerksy is a fantastic venture that has provided the freedom to bring new life into a space that may seem to be archaic at times. The benefit of building more consistent technology in the HR space seamlessly supports people culture within your organization. As the HR industry grows, so will Clerksy. We work to represent small to midsized businesses in a scalable and human way!
Profit is an excellent discussion; however, I believe that true passion, life, and diversity are much more necessary to focus on. I am passionate about what I am doing in my life. The company that I am creating will provide more space to have a conversation about bettering society and the organization that we service. My dedication is to changing lives by providing accessible services.
How do you balance your gig work with your personal life (family, vacations, leisure-time, etc.)?
When you are building a business, the goal is to ensure that you understand all components of your creation. As a company that represents people, we focus on doing things and building better systems because it's the right thing to do. We have an extensive list of clients that continue to utilize our services and other offerings. I balance this work by spending time with my lovely family, clocking additional sailing hours, and continuing my private pilot lessons.
How has your business adapted to the sudden changes of the past couple of months?
COVID-19 has indeed exacerbated the apparent issues within small to midsized businesses and even more so in communities of color. Our mission has never changed, given the current circumstance - we are a company that focuses on providing fantastic services to people. At this present moment, Clerksy's operations are fully remote
What is your goal in the next 5-10 years?
Over the next five to ten years, Clerksy will truly focus on creating HR systems and processes at its helm Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity through technology. Our existence as a company is to build a more inclusive world and forward thinking tools that serve a greater purpose for all that we serve!
The opportunity we have is to reimagine and rehumanize human resources for all.
For more information:
You can email Mr. Albert Roberson at albert@clerksy.co, or you can visit the Clerksy website directly.
