April Vaden was recently promoted to Director, WorkForce Software Implementation Services after two years as a Workforce Management (WFM) Solution Delivery Manager and Senior Technical Consultant at HRchitect. April has over eight years of experience with HR technology and over eight years of experience with the WorkForce Software product. Before joining the HRchitect team, April held various roles at WorkForce Software, including Application Consultant, Team Lead, Knowledgebase Manager, and Project Manager. This experience gives April deep expertise in Time & Attendance, Reporting, Documentation, Troubleshooting, and Upgrades.
Hometown: Van Wert, Ohio
Alma mater: I earned my B.A. in Telecommunications and Information Management from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
All-time favorite restaurant: She-Wolf in downtown Detroit. The chef is incredible, and I love their homemade pasta.
Fav recent book or movie you recommend? I really enjoy reading self-help books, especially about money and investing. One of my favorites is Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. This book really got me thinking about investing and being responsible with money overall.
What do you do when you’re not working? I love to travel. Living in Michigan, my husband and I love to go to warm locations. We also enjoy going to concerts and watching live music. We recently caught a Greensky Blue Grass show at Red Rocks for my birthday in September which was incredible! They are a five-piece American bluegrass/rock band founded in Kalamazoo, Michigan, that we enjoy seeing. I also enjoy spending time with my two English Bulldogs, Bowser & Bourbon.
How did you find out about HRchitect, and what made you join the company? I heard about HRchitect from a former colleague and close friend. He and I worked at a previous company together. He told me that HRchitect was a great company to work for. I was ready to advance my career, and it has turned out very well for me.
How has your background impacted your experience as a consultant? Each job outside of college really helped me grow all my skills: technical, functional, communication, and leadership skills. I started in support doing tax/accounting/project management software. I then got into training and traveled around the country, training and consulting CPA companies to use project management and tax software. This helped me gain technical, project management, and troubleshooting skills. I also worked in healthcare software which gave me specific insight into the healthcare industry. Once I joined WorkForce Software, it brought it all together. Each job and all the skills I gained really helped prepare me for my current position at HRchitect.
In your own words, what do you do at HRchitect? I am a leader of the workforce management implementation practice. I focus on helping my team be successful and grow, mentoring them, as well as consulting and implementing workforce management systems for HRchitect clients.
What’s a typical workday like for you? I usually start my workday at about 7 am and respond to issues and support tickets. Then I move onto project work interspersed with checking in with the team and attending client meetings.
Tell me about a project you’ve worked on that you’re particularly proud of. Just after joining HRchitect, I worked on a project for our client Tennant. I would say that was my favorite. It was a very successful project.
What’s been one of your favorite destinations to travel for work? I really enjoyed going to Denver for the WFS Vision conference. It allowed me to get some quality face to face time with the HRchitect team and WorkForce software customers.
As part of a team that works 100% virtually, what technology or collaboration tools do you use to make your work life easier? I predominantly utilize GoToMeeting and Slack for conversations with internal team members as well as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and OneNote.
What motivates you to wake up and go to work every day? My dogs scratching at my door (haha). I really enjoy helping my customers solve complex problems when they need a creative solution. It is rewarding to help clients achieve their HCM technology goals.
Which employee perk that HRchitect offers do you enjoy the most? Why? The perk I enjoy most is being remote and the ability to work from home. It allows me the flexibility to do my job, but also to do errands and attend appointments. This also allows me to be home with my dogs and not have to leave them all day long. I love the freedom of remote work.
Learn more about April Vaden