In the evolving landscape of human resources, Candice Elliott, founder of HR firm Fortress and Flourish, is leading the change by daring to champion fair, equitable, and sustainable pay systems in California and beyond. As an HR strategist and community advocate, Elliott’s HR mission includes transforming traditional compensation frameworks to better reflect the real costs of living. Her innovative methods promise to support local economies while also ensuring that workplaces become venues for genuine human flourishing. And companies are hiring her to implement exactly this vision.
“In a world where the cost of living has doubled in less than five years for many people, our local businesses struggle to keep pace with wage demands,” said Candice. “It often leads to workforce instability, high employee turnover, and overall dissatisfaction. But the solution for companies is not to cut wages further. Businesses have to reconfigure their compensation strategies if they want to retain talent and enhance their operational viability as a bulwark against economic and societal uncertainties. The best defense against these unknowns is a fairly compensated, talented workforce. And if you nurture them, they will nurture your goals.”
A Needed Shift in the HR Paradigm
With an extensive education and deep understanding of socio-economic factors affecting workers, Elliott’s approach often focuses on aligning HR practices with the living wage – the amount a person needs in order to survive where they live. With the recent catastrophic rise in prices and inflation, this wage has seen an unprecedented mega-jump in many places like Santa Cruz, where workers now need at least $36 an hour to survive.
“A high Living Wage is a reliable indicator of the urgent need for systemic change,” explained Candice. “Which is why Fortress and Flourish is not just responding to the increasing complexity of human resources – we’re ahead of it. We envision a society where creating fair wage systems is more than an ideal, it’s a practical reality. It should be the standard, not the exception. And I help companies see how they can thrive by doing so.”
The Fortress and Flourish Approach
Fortress and Flourish revolutionizes HR support for small businesses and nonprofits, giving them a new focus on values-alignment practices. Based in California and serving clients globally, the firm specializes in developing compensation systems and HR strategies that reflect deeply ethical values. Values that companies can proudly advertise, and in doing so, bring in top-talent employees.
Candice’s expertise spans law, sociology, leadership theory, and trauma-informed HR communication, ensuring a comprehensive approach that is committed to fostering meaningful work environments. Taking a social and economically conscious approach to helping organizations navigate the complexities of human resources, she extends an open invitation to any business or nonprofit organization looking to revolutionize their HR practices with policies that actually work.
“Reach out to us here at Fortress and Flourish, and let’s have a conversation. You can set new standards for what it means to work in a supportive, equitable, and thriving environment. And it can help your business grow.”
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