Transcript for "Owning HR's Seat at the Leadership Table": Hi, everyone, and welcome, and thank you for joining us today. We're excited to have you here in this virtual room with us for our webinar, owning HCL's seat at the leadership table. My name is Chi Fukuda, and I'm part of the marketing team here at Rippling. I'm joining from Sydney today, and I love to know where you're, joining from. So please, drop your location in the chat whenever you have time. Alright. So for those who are new to us, Rippling is the only one platform that helps businesses manage HR, payroll, IT, and finance in one place. And we support your team every step of the journey from hire to retire. And our goal is to give people teams more time to focus on strategy, not manual admin tasks, which is exactly why we're here today. Just a quick note before we dive in. Today's session will run for about thirty minutes including the live q and a at the end. We're also running a poll, throughout this session. So if you go to the poll section on the right side of your screen, you can see the poll and additional resources, that will be helpful for HGL leaders. And, yes, we're recording this session, and I'll share the replay after the webinar. Cool. With that, I'm honored to introduce today's moderator and speakers. First, Zirinka love, love branches, CEO of Work Plus. Work Plus is a dedicated, is dedicated to helping companies transform their workplace experience through cutting edge technology, research ideas. And with decades of HR leadership experience, Zirinka brings a wealth of insight into building better workplaces. Next, Sherry Bashi, head of people and culture at OnDeck, a leading online small business lender delivering smarter, faster lending decisions. And finally, Kate Franca, people strategy and performance lead at Livent. Livent is a Brooklyn customer transforming a hospitality industry with innovative people strategies that enhance employee experience and drive measurable impact. With that, I'm excited to hand it over to our moderator for the day, Zrinka, to kick off our conversation on earning HLC at the leadership table. Thank you so much. Thank you, Chi, and thank you to everyone who joined this webinar today. So having a HR in the strategic strategic leadership team ensures that the people strategy is fully aligned with the organization's business goals. Why this is important is that, ultimately, people are the ones who drive performance, innovation, and culture in your organization. So when HR is involved in those key decisions that are being made by the organization, the organization is better equipped to attract and retain and develop the talent they need to stay competitive and resilient in this rapidly changing environment. So organizations that effectively leverage HR as their strategic partner report 1.4 times higher revenue growth than those who don't. And effective change management, which is one of HR's core strategic capabilities is and is more critical than ever in these constantly changing times. But organizations that excel at HR led initiatives see a staggering 364% increase in revenue, compared to those with weaker practices. So we have two companies joining us today that well and truly have HR embedded into their strategic team to just help us understand how to get there, how to stay there, and look on to the future. So thank you so much, Sherry and Kate. If we can maybe start with exploring one of the most pivotal shifts in HR, which is moving from an operational function to becoming a strategic voice at the leadership level. And being seen as a strategic partner requires a whole set of new behaviors, mindset shifts, and communication styles. Sherry, if I can start with you, what do you feel are some of the key shifts that you believe are necessary for HR to effectively operate and communicate to that, as a true p at the executive level? So, firstly, thank you for having me. It's nice to sort of be on panel with panel with you again, Zrinka. I think that that if I look at some of the core things, I would say are really important is, for HR leaders to know what is keeping the CEO or the sweet sweet, up at night. If if you can't answer that question knowing my CEO is kept up at night because of reason x y zed, I think that's already you're on the back foot because you're not talking their language. So that's the first question I'd encourage people to think about. So for example, in in your business, if the priority is is is growth, and then that's what keeps the CEO up, then in our world, that may translate into talent acquisition. How do we do it? How do we run it? How do we manage it cost effectively? If it's innovation, that's that's keeping the CEO up at night or the c suite up at night. Then in our world, that might be something like, well, how do we upscale our people? How do we acquire the talent we need, for innovation? So I think the question I would encourage HR leaders to ask is what keeps you up at night to your c suite? And then make sure you're talking their language, to build that credibility. Second thing is I'd say, know your customer, internal and external. Again, if you wanna have that strategic influence, you've gotta know your customer. For us, that's Australian small businesses. And, you know, we how we service out our our customers, how we take care of them, is very much impacted by the engagement of our team members. So, again, there's a journey there. Know your customer when you're talking to the c suite. Talk about how it impacts the customer, and and that's also where you get credibility from. They're probably the main two I'd highlight at this stage. Excellent. So understanding the pressures of the executive board, how that relates to people, and also understanding the pressures of the customer. Kate, do do you agree with that? Do you have anything else to add? Yeah. I I completely agree. I think what Sherry, mentioned, shifting the language, we use is is key. I think to truly operate as a here at the executive level, HR needs to shift from, obviously, being a service provider to being a strategic business partner, and that means evolving how we communicate, how we present data, and how we tie our work to business priorities. I think one of the most impactful shifts I've made is in how I present HR metrics. So, in the past, we used to report on turnover or engagement scores in isolation. Now we need to translate them into business impact. For example, instead of saying, our onboarding time decreased by 20%, I'll say this change accelerated time to productivity, saving us 50,000 per new hire. So it's about speaking executive, level language, tying people data to revenue, risk, and retention. And when HR shows up with that lens, you're no longer a support function. You are a strategic one. Very true. And you both mentioned shifting the language. You know, when we think about COVID lockdowns happened for the first time five years ago, and since then, it's just been so many changes. Almost every six months, we're changing strategies and direction and how we're responding to global pressures and economic pressures and so on, both globally and domestically. What are some of the things you do differently, Tay, compared to five years ago when it comes to influencing the, executives or the board, Sherry? So I think, Kate nailed it with with metrics. I think that's sort of a journey we're on, at OnDeck at the moment. We're in the middle of a a pretty exciting growth phase, and, you know, sometimes it's a bit hard and for companies that are going through similar things. Sometimes, you know, when you're reporting on 50 people, you know, you you you've gotta add a flavor to to the metrics that you're using. But I think, you know, compared to five years ago, that's definitely a shift we're making in our business that's commensurate with the size that we are now and the the the the journey that we're going on. And I think the other thing that I see myself doing a lot more, again, in the context of a scale up, is anticipating future needs. And I think that's also where you build your credibility as as a business partner through the executive is if you're anticipating, you know, we're gonna be excised. These are gonna be our business problems. That's how this is therefore what our people problems are gonna be, and here's what I think we should do to make sure we're best positioned for success. So anticipating the future and metrics, to Kate's point earlier also, are some things we've really started focusing on in the last couple of years. And, Kate, what about you? How do you feel that the role has evolved in the last five years? Yeah. Look. I I bought my carrier in tech and product startups, and one thing I learned quickly is that if you treat HR like a product, execs take you seriously because, again, you're speaking their language. So I apply lean startup principles to HR, meaning, you know, test ideas, validate fast, pivot smart before wasting time on people initiatives that might miss the mark. So, you know, you show up with MVPs, experiments, use the feedback, and data to iterate all these sort of, like, smart stuff. Right? But that's when, they see you as a one of them, and that's when the influence actually really starts to happen. So for example, when we rolled out, a new learning management system, we didn't, start with a full launch. First, we validated the idea with, some key stakeholders to make sure it met real need. And then we built a minimum viable version, tested it with a pilot group, you know, gathered feedback, and made necessary improvement. And only that, we we did scale it across the organization. So and that that approach made it, made the adoption smoother and helped us catch gaps early and, you know, demonstrated clear data backed value to the business. Yeah. The the incredibly valid points. I started my career in HR, advisory and consulting in the early two thousands. And, you know, HR was very much seen as the personnel department where only hiring and firing happened. It took a really long time for companies to actually catch up to even the name of HR. It's human resources. You know, company the department that manages for most organizations, the most expensive resource companies have, the smartest resource companies have. And so it's taken us a while to transform HR to be speaking that language about metrics, about the impact an individual has on the organization, and it's a very important step to to getting you to that leadership table and not not reporting for another function into the senior leadership team. So, one once we make that shift from operational to influential, the the next part is, you know, really avoiding the stagnatic plateau. I know from my experience in organizations, sometimes it gets to a place where HR leaders do reach that point of strategic involvement only to find out that that their influence slowly erodes over time. So, Kate, what are some of the common traps that limit HR's influence over time? I think a big one is slipping into the role of a fixer or a firefighter, you know, solving immediate issues but losing the strategic lens. You become known for putting out fires but not for shaping the future. Another trap is not evolving your own toolkit. The business is moving fast and if we are not learning a line alongside it, be it in tech, AI, or analytics, we we lose relevance. And this actually has been a huge focus for us lately and it's that that's why I stepped into that people strategy and performance role because as a PNT function, people and culture, HR function, same as finance or other functions in the business, we constantly balance the business as usual tasks with our strategic work and OKRs. And it's not enough to work in HR. We need to carve out space to work on HR if we want to have real impact. Excellent points. Sheree, what is what have had been your experience in when HR starts to lose influence? Very similar, to what Kate has gone through. And, Kate, I loved your comment around working in HR versus on HR. And I think particularly in, organizations where maybe it's a leaner team, maybe you're going through that period of growth. And I we we joked about this offline where I'm wearing many hats at the moment myself. And I think focusing on on your own infrastructure to better support the stage that the business is at, and that will be different for every business and and every stage of growth or scale or whatever's going on in your business. I think that that's really, really critical, and it becomes less about how am I influencing HR as a person over time and more about how is the HR function supporting or partnering with the business relative to what the business is trying to achieve. And the other thing I think is really important is I think it's easy, particularly once you've earned that trust. I think it's easy to get comfortable. Like, I'm here now, and and, you know, and and I've got that trust, and I'll just carry on with things. And I think, you know, in the same way that a CFO is currently paying attention to his p and l, We need to do the same in our world and keep our finger on the pulse, in terms of, you know, whether it's whatever's driving the business, whether that's culture, whether that's, whatever key I mean, culture's a big one in our business, so I talk about that a lot. But whatever it is that's going on in the business, don't get comfortable and and keep talking as a business leader, you know, whose area of accountability is people, to your point, Zrinka, being a very expensive asset in the same way that the CFO is constantly looking at his p and l. And to that point, I'd say we've gotta keep innovating. We've gotta keep offering new things. And so I I encourage HRAs to think about, you know, if you're doing your goal cycle or whatever whatever it is you're doing, however often that is is when you write that down, what is different, six monthly cycles, what is different, and what are you offering that is new that is relevant to where the business is at? You both very much, answered my next question, but I will ask you just to summarize that in, like, your number one advice, you would have, to share for keeping that influence strong and to continue to build it over time. Kate, to pass that with you, your number one number one tip for that. Yeah. Obviously, earning a seat at the table is one thing, but staying there requires a different kind of work. And I I think that kind of work is built over time through relevance, and consistency and and impact. Yeah. So for me, it's not about, yeah, delivering, you know, HR initiatives. It's about understanding the the business and demonstrating how our work directly impacts key outcomes of the business. No. That's great. Thank you. And, Sheree, what about you? Sheree, I'm gonna ask. I struggled with one, so I'm gonna go with two because they kinda go head to and I think I I think we can't take for granted that as much as we wanna be strategic partners, the business still needs to tick along. Right? So I I think we've got to think of the main if we are hypothetically, you know, sending unemployment contracts with typos all over it, that's a very simple example. Okay? At the end of the day, the the the executives are not gonna take you seriously. So I think you've got to operationally keep your house in order and find an innovative, efficient, effective way to do that so that it it ticks along, like clockwork. So I think, you know, we we've still gotta maintain that, high professionalism, high level output operationally just with less focus from us as individuals. So keep your house in order. And then I think that the big one is, for us as HR leaders to be thinking about is our critical thinking skills. I'd say that's a really, really big one, around how do we evaluate things, why are we doing what we're doing, what are we focusing on, why do we do it that way as a business. If you're asking those kind of questions that are associated with critical thinking skills, that's that's, I think, how, again, you're gonna maintain that seat and ensure you maintain that influence long term. That's really great advice from both of you. Thank you so much. So, looking ahead at the future, you know, things are constantly evolving. Of course, they're constantly evolving in HR as well. We've got new technologies, new and evolving workplace dynamics. Pressures on organizations to drive with purpose and performance means that HR really can't stand still. So thinking about looking backwards how HR has changed up until this point. And, you know, I feel like traditionally, HR was one an admin role and then, you know, slowly, it grew by adding, psychology professionals into it to help understand people and their motivators, and then we moved into hiring statisticians and data analysts into the HR team to help us understand the metrics behind it. What do you see as the next generation of strategic HR looking like? Sherry, I'll start with you. Look. I don't think we can talk about this question without talking about AI. I mean, it is one of the the the biggest, things in our world at the moment, and I personally think it's a real positive for the HR world. To my point earlier around, you know, operationally make a tick effectively, and and with a high degree, of of positive output, automate where you can leverage these these these these AI tools where you can so you can focus on things. So I think, the, using AI is gonna be a big one in in the HR world to enable us to to be a a more effective partner to the business. And I think, you know, business is not static. And so where you focus your energy and how you evolve, and I'm probably broken record with it, but it has to align with whatever the business priority is. If you're acquiring talent, that's gonna be a focus. Let's not say other parts of our world aren't important, but it's it's how you dissect your time, and I think that skill is Absolutely. AI has definitely made the whole HR function run smoother. It it is quite labor intensive when you think about keeping track of performance reviews and growth plans and career development and so on. So AI are definitely seen as a as a huge benefit for our sector. Kate, what kind of changes do you see happening in the next generation of strategic HR? Yeah. I think, obviously, HR is reshaping how we think about, well, everything in in HR. But I think our role I think we're shifting into the role of workforce architects, designing agile skills based organizations where talent sort of flows dynamically, you know, across business needs, not just by job titles. So we saw this firsthand when we made the decision to become an AI first company, actually. And instead of, defaulting to external hiring, we created an internal AI guild, bringing people together from across the business who had adjacent skills or, a strong interest in AI. We supported them, with, target learning and gave them space to collaborate on real, use cases, which, accelerated, innovation and reinforce the culture of continuous learning where people are valued for their potential and not just, their current role. So I think that's the kind of thinking I see defining the next era of HR leadership, fluid, skills first, and a business aligned. Yeah. It's really refreshing to see companies talk about that they are embracing AI because too often we're hearing and reading a lot about, the dangers of AI. But like everything, there is a good and a bad to it, and it's important to understand the good and really harness that. Sheree, second last question. What should HR leaders be investing their time, energy, and resources to over the next couple of years to stay relevant with the business? I think going back to my point earlier, and and not something that we learn at uni as HR professionals is is is that critical thinking skill. I think it's a really, really important one personally, to be able to to talk about the business, with HR as as as the product or the service you you you you provide in that context. So outside of the obvious things that we've that we've spoken about already around automation and staying ahead of the curve, I I I genuinely think critical thinking is a really big one and asking the questions that give you that credibility, with the executive team. What are we doing? Why are we doing this? How are we doing this? What's what how does it impact the business? What's the return on investment? All these sort of types of questions that are associated with really strong critical thinking skills, I think are a must for senior HR professionals in in my opinion. And, you know, I can't not say, but to me, culture is always king. That sort of underpins, I know, in in our business, who we are and what we do and and and everything that we offer our internal and external customers. So I think it's really important that we we we also keep that at the forefront of our minds. Absolutely. And, Kate, where do where do you feel that, time, energy, and resources need to be invested in over the next couple of years? For me, that investment needs to go into AI and automation. And, obviously, as Cherry mentioned, critical thinking is a basic skill to adopt AI as well. But, you know, not in a futuristic sense, but as a part of our everyday toolkit. That means learning the tools, understanding the risks, and, you know, applying them in practical and transparent ways. We've already apply we are already applying this, mindset in in learning, learning and management and development at at Live and where we use custom GPTs to create, and generate, tailored micro courses instead of building everything manually. It's it's faster, it's scalable, and still feels personal. And if, yeah, if HR leads in this space using AI ethically and humanly, we don't just adapt to the future. We help shape it. One area we're excited to explore is recruitment. Like, we're looking at embedding AI not just in CVN application screening, but also in phone and video screening where candidates respond to structured prompts and AI assist with the initial evaluation. But the idea is to be transparent about it, you know, letting candidates know it's AI, and designing the experience to feel intentional and engaging. And the goal could be, yeah, disrupting the traditional process and getting candidate candidates a clear answer in hours and not weeks or never. Yeah. Absolutely. Okay. To wrap this session up, which, I really hope everyone's enjoyed, as much as we have. Kate, I'll start with you. In one sentence to wrap it up, what is your personal mantra or your top tip for HR leaders who want to lead and not just support? If there is one principle I come back to again and again, it's lead with empathy and decide with data. And and I sorry. I won't say with just one sentence. But, yeah, thank you, and, you know, in our approach means leading with empathy, not just in how we support people, but in how we understand them. But empathy alone is isn't enough. We also need to make, you know, decisions based on data and not instinct to to keep the business going. And that combination is, what allows, HR leaders to remain grounded and trusted and and effective as well, especially when, you know, navigating complexity and change. So it's not about choosing between heart or head. It's about leading with both. That's really important to remember. I guess when we're talking about AI and technology and so on is to is to, you know, keep it human as well. Sherry, one one advice from you in one sentence, what would be your personal mantra or your top tip for HR leaders who want to lead and not just support? Well, I did summarize this one. So, to me, it's two two core concepts, which is evaluate and innovate. They're two things I'm constantly thinking about and applying that to, whatever facet of our world that that is the priority at the time. So whether that's culture, whether that's talent acquisition, whether that's aligning with the business, whether that's, you know, to the point of not becoming stagnant, once you've earned the trust is constantly evaluate and innovate. That that's what I would end with. Yeah. No. That's really great advice. It is all about moving forward, staying current with the time, staying current with the organization's pressures both in house and, and with the customers as well. So thank you both for sharing your vast experience and information and insights. It's really great to have, two leading Australian companies be be able to to share what they're doing to stay relevant and different. So we just have just under two minutes to wrap up, and I have a question, Kate, for you, which is have you employed AI specific roles within Liven? We haven't just yet. We more have sort of ambassadors of AI and automation in every single team who focus, how to embed AI and how to automate their own processes and work and how to just make their lives and at work easier. So that that could probably be a next step. But at the moment, we're just embracing AI as, as a tool in the company, and, yeah, we'll see where it will lead us. And the second question, which could easily be a whole, multi day topic in itself, how do you define company culture, and what do you measure as a good culture? What do you think is, like, your number one measure of a good company culture? Sorry. Who's that? Oh, sorry. I don't think that would tell anyone specifically, but for sure, feel free to answer it. Sorry. Awkward silence. Have to fill the void. I think you're right, Zareka. We could do a whole session on this. You know, culture is everything. It's it's your vision. It's your values. It's how is that emulating people's work, in their sense of psychological safety that this I mean, we get going. Development, how do you recognize people? It it's not a one it's not a one thing that I think makes up good good culture. But I think, you know, it's it's also the pulse check, in terms of, you know, if you come to the office in the morning, you know, how do you feel? But I think also tangibly, you you need the data to measure it, you know. And, again, depending on your size of business, there are a lot of metrics you can look at to to determine how effective your your culture is, whether that's engagement surveys, employee NPS, your attrition rates, absenteeism rates. Exit interview data is one I love personally. Onboarding data, pulse checks. Like, there's so many data sources you can call on, as they're relevant for your business to to measure the effectiveness of your culture and and whatever it is that you're focusing on. No. You're right. This is this is a whole topic in itself, maybe. Yeah. She and Rippling can organize that one for next month. But, once again, thank you everyone for joining the webinar. Kate and Sheree, thank you both so much for your time and your, invaluable insights. Really appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Bye. Bye. Thank you.