Where do HR leaders draw inspiration from? What are their worst nightmares? How did they stand the test of the changing times? In this segment, we will trace your journey to the top. This is your story - a story that is made of extraordinary accomplishments, methods that helped you overcome adversity, innovative programs that you led, and fundamental changes that you brought in. It's your chance to inspire the next generation of leaders.

 

Heather Smith is Chief People Officer and Sr. Account Executive at Flimp Communications. She is a hands-on HR and business leader with over two decades of experience spanning human resources and operations. Prior to joining Flimp, Heather served as Vice President of Human Resources at Fidelity Investments, where she worked with leadership to set the direction of the company’s goals. During her tenure, she managed several key HR improvement projects that positively impacted over 5,000 employees in the business unit. In an exclusive interview with HR.com, Heather talks about her HR journey and shares valuable insights on the current and future areas of focus for HE, new job roles, her leadership mantra and so on.

Excerpts from the interview:

What has your HR journey been like, and what influenced you the most to positively impact your career?

Heather: My journey has been amazing and I am grateful for how I fell into HR. I actually studied marriage and family therapy and, a few years out of college, I was lucky enough to accidentally stumble into an HR role with Fidelity Investments, a Fortune 500 company. Initially, I accepted the role to build up my business acumen while attending grad school. I climbed the ladder at Fidelity through hard work, grit, and my own advocacy, and, ultimately, I made it to the top of the ladder as the head of HR. In total, I learned a lot in my 24 years with the company. I took many of those learnings with me into my role as CPO at Flimp Communications.

In terms of the thing that helped keep me focused on a career in HR, it was knowing I was making a positive impact on employees and managers. It was clear many folks didn't have the tools in their personal and professional toolkit to work out their workplace problems. They struggled to be objective and understand the nuances of building a positive working environment. I realized I was able to help guide so many of these employees on the right path because of my background in HR, but also because of my non-traditional degree in therapy.

How important has the role of CHRO become in today's world of work?

Heather: HR needs a seat at the C-Suite table more than ever. Covid elevated the role of HR leadership beyond the functional department head to critical partner to the CEO. In order to navigate all the nuances of the new normal and the new remote workforce economic situation, HR leaders bravely stepped up to steer the organization both reactively and proactively. They expanded their ability to handle rapid-fire crises and address issues like health and safety, relocation, office protocols, and testing protocols, on top of ongoing initiatives like DEI programs, benefits realignment, and retention.

What according to you is one of the most overlooked issues facing HR today?

Heather: One of the most overlooked issues facing HR today is communication - specifically, how HR leaders listen to and communicate from the leadership table. As an HR leader, you have to continually advocate for your employees (to leadership) and use your voice to help the organization and its people advance. You also have to remember that employees build trust in HR through authentic communication. Being direct, transparent, and empathetic will win respect and increase employee engagement. Meaning, they will listen when you have important messages you need to convey. Whether that means they open your emails, explore resources you provide like benefits-enrollment portals or HR microsites or drop by your office for a one-on-one. Engagement starts with communication and trust.

What are the top three things CHROs need to address in preparation for current and future needs?

Heather: Given the economic crisis, the lack of staffing and resources, and the headlines speculating about a continued rise in the “quiet quitting” trend, CHROs should be focused on the following three areas:

Prioritize employee happiness. Survey employees on what really makes them happy. Ensure managers and supervisors schedule regular check-ins with employees to get a pulse check on how they’re doing. Ask that they be done in person or on video when possible. Read employee body language and ask open-ended questions such as “is there anything missing for you here that you need to feel happier?” It’s no surprise that a reason many people stay in a job longer is that they feel strong camaraderie with their teams and managers. One-on-one check-ins outside of daily working meetings go a long way to keep the focus on employee well-being and happiness.

Evangelize your benefits. Benefits help you differentiate your company from prospective and existing employees. They demonstrate how you prioritize their medical and financial health. It can be a point of pride for employees to brag about the great benefits they have and an excellent way to improve retention, but only if they KNOW how great they are.
 

Make flexibility part of your culture. You can’t ignore the overwhelming amount of workers that now prioritize their work-life balance. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workforce report, more than a third of workers that can do their jobs from home want to stay remote permanently. Give employees incentives to return to the office, however, when performance isn’t at play, provide flexibility. It’s the new normal and fighting the norm without a good reason will lead to wasted time, energy, productivity, morale, and great employees.

Do you see any new job roles being created by the transformation?

Heather: There is a need for a new HR role that focuses solely on improving the employee experience. Many times, HR will send out climate surveys in an effort to determine what employees want or need. However, HR teams are usually too busy putting out fires to focus on proactively addressing employee responses never mind the needs that arise.

The creation of a dedicated “people experience” role ensures that employees are happy and managers are happy with their employees. In the past, this happiness quotient was a “nice to have” for employees, but now it’s mandatory. The reality is if you don’t have someone dedicated to better-serving employee needs for benefits, flexibility, and overall happiness, you’re going to lose people. The perks matter, communication and listening matter, and action matters to this new in-demand workforce. Adapt or risk losing the best employees you have. Being happy at work is key to keeping employees and managers, and ultimately creating an organization that produces positive results for the business, the customer, and the employee year after year.

What are some major changes you see affecting HR within the next few years?

Heather: The main shift happening in HR is an increase in adaptability and flexibility. We’re used to HR being a traditional functional area that’s slower moving, paperwork heavy with priorities driven by the executive team. HR has changed in a major way over the last few years into a role that is anything but traditional. The Great Resignation and improving employee experience to solve retention challenges is a massive undertaking with HR teams shifting focus on employee happiness, DEI programs, recognition, perks, benefits plans, and more.

New technology is another factor. More tools and data sources are added to the workforce regularly, creating a need for more education, training, and productivity demands. While employees scramble to keep up or disengage in a “quiet quitting” of sorts, HR helps ease the transition as best they can to help everything run smoothly.

These ongoing changes (and many more) make the job of an HR leader even more demanding, but with those additional responsibilities come great opportunities for leadership potential and career acceleration.

What is your leadership mantra?

Heather: My leadership mantra has always revolved around just being myself. I try to be transparent, so my colleagues can anticipate my actions and understand how I operate. I believe building genuine relationships is key to being a successful leader. I’ve always led my teams with the core tenants of respect, recognition, and empowerment. Oftentimes, I’ve spoken about knowledge being power. The more you share knowledge with your employees, the more empowered they feel, which leads to feeling respected to do their jobs in their own way. True leaders create more leaders.

 
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