Interview with Katy Conway, Chief People Officer, RGP

“Culture Will Take Center-Stage With Increasing Shift Toward Gig-Economy And Autonomy”

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.
 

Katy Conway is Chief People Officer at RGP (Resources Global Professionals) that employs 3,500 people. She joined the company in 2001 and worked till 2010, and then came back to work with RGP again in 2011. Katy has spent 25 years working in HR, with a heavy focus on talent acquisition, talent management, employee relations, analytics and employee experience.  She has worked in both public and privately-held organizations across a variety of industries for including higher education, consumer goods, consulting and manufacturing, with most of my time spent in human capital businesses. Katy’s hobbies include reading, outdoor, activities, discovering new dining areas around Atlanta, and she also developed an interest in TikTok challenges, home haircuts, and family trivia over the past 12 months. She is currently reading The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q: What has your HR journey been like and what influenced you the most to have a positive impact on your career?

Katy: My HR journey was a bit unchartered in the early days of my career, although I was always drawn to the “people” side of business and followed that passion. That became a theme for me manifesting itself in my significant focus on talent management, talent acquisition, employee relations and team management roles. Looking back, I see that the common thread has been anything that can influence the employee experience and organizational culture.
 

Experiencing the positive power of true leadership has certainly had the biggest influence on my career. For me, this came from individuals who demonstrated the rare but powerful combination of strong business acumen, above-average empathy, killer judgement, humility and inspiring leadership. I realized that I worked much harder for these people – and had fun doing it. I also saw the efforts of many talented individuals come together to achieve previously unrealized results. It was an eye-opener that successful leadership is more than just smart strategy and sound execution – it’s inspiring the team to deliver differently that is a game-changer.   

Q: What were your challenges during the early days of your career? What are those today?

Katy: I did not receive my “formal” education in the HR space – I did BA/curriculum at a liberal arts university. Gaining practical HR experience was a challenge that I faced early on that was compounded by my own insecurity about not having an HR or business degree. This also translated to a slower start to competitive compensation for the roles that I accepted.  Over time, I was able to narrow down both the knowledge and compensation gaps by raising my hand more often and leaning into projects and roles that may have been less desirable for some. 

I always maintained the view that every experience presents something to learn, and over time, I learned that experience is a fantastic teacher.  And in the end, the Psychology and English degrees have served me well too.

Today’s biggest challenge is the transition to an agile business approach given the current pace of change, innovation and disruption in business.  

Q: How do you see workplace culture changing/evolving over the years?

Katy: Culture will increasingly take center-stage with the increasing shift toward a gig-oriented workforce and heightened demand for autonomy for when, where and how we work. As autonomy and flexibility become the calling cards for workers, the organizations that will win are the ones that can rally their teams around a value-centered culture that offers membership, community and access to new skill acquisition. This will mean flexible and agile policies that attract, motivate and upskill diverse talent pools.  

The concept of organizational culture will expand beyond employees and customers to consider the broader eco-system of workers, contractors, freelancers and vendors. As organizations become adept at buying, growing or leasing talent, the culture must also serve all of these constituencies.

Leveraging the right mix of collaboration and digital enablement for borderless teams to foster human connections will also be key, with a heavy emphasis on learning opportunities, leadership development, networking, flexibility in policies and benefits, and employee investments.

Q: Can you share the top three learnings from the adversities/challenges you faced?

Katy: Position yourself to reasonably anticipate and respond effectively to change. Investing in change management, leadership and agile capabilities has a much higher return than exerting energy to control outcomes. 

Interact authentically, communicate transparently and always do both with great empathy. This usually trumps having all of the right answers.

Listen to your gut – it’s often right. And balance that with the understanding that there is something to learn in every situation. Be curious, ask questions and don’t assume you know everything there is to know.

Q: Where do you draw inspiration from? What do you have to say to those who are still struggling to find a place in the boardroom?

Katy: I draw inspiration from the strong leaders I’ve had the good fortune of learning from directly. I also love reading biographies and take inspiration from real people and their experiences.  

To those still struggling to find a place in the boardroom, I encourage you to look at the change we’ve seen in the last few decades. Yes, there is much more work to do, but the progression we’re seeing offers hope and inspiration. Be confident and prepare yourself for that work if that’s your aspiration. Participate in activism to encourage more diverse boards and, in the meantime, invest in yourself to ensure you are prepared to contribute in a board or senior leadership capacity.  

Q: Where do you draw the line when it comes to work-life balance?

Katy: I’ve always sought workplace cultures that value flexibility. For me, balancing work and life requires flexibility, and it is a reciprocal relationship. There are times when my work requires greater effort and time from me, and I’m willing to do that because I love what I do and the people with whom I work. The flip side is that when I need personal time – to attend a child’s sporting event, to attend a parent/teacher conference, to enjoy an anniversary dinner or go on a family vacation – I take it and manage my work schedule accordingly. 

For me, I draw the line as my life priorities – both work and personal – require, but I deliberately choose organizations where I’m given the trust to navigate that.

Q: What fundamental change(s) (in terms of culture) have you brought into your company?

Katy: The mission of our HR team is squarely focused on creating an irresistible organization and stellar employee experience.  This focus is evolving an already strong culture in a lot of different ways. We’ve prepared our teams to cultivate future-of-work centric competencies, while empowering leaders and their teams to manage Covid-driven flexible work arrangements that are here to stay. 

We’ve implemented an internal recognition and gratitude platform where employees can recognize each other and formalized career tracks to increase transparency to mobility. We’ve adopted a Pay for Success philosophy to further evolve a culture of performance. 

And we’re building a programmatic and employee-driven approach to DE&I while working to become a listening organization driven by feedback. We’re also continually working toward creating a better digital experience and increasing collaboration tools to enable our borderless teams. We have lots of exciting progress underway.  

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

Katy: AI, machine learning and automation will continue to drive digital transformation and evolve the workplace of the future. Experiences, including UX, CX, and EX, will remain a key competitive differentiator and data will become even more critical for driving efficiencies and addressing needs. The convergence of all of these technologies will develop better talent ecosystems to bridge the skills gap. 

An equally significant change will be the way HR handles ongoing social developments, including social activism, employees’ desire to make meaningful social impact and shift in workforce demographics. Meanwhile, globalization will also continue to impact HR operations, especially as the shift to remote work accelerates the movement toward a borderless workforce across the globe. 
 

---