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Q1: What’s the first advice you would give to any new-in-role HR leader when creating their 100 day plan?
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It is a pivotal moment for HR. Changes, caused by the pandemic, have provided a positive opportunity to look anew at how we organise both workplaces and our lives. New ideas and new technology have become central in our race to adapt to a rapidly changing world.
There is a spotlight on HR, and their response to this challenge. It is more important than ever to make your impact quickly, especially when new-in-role. A strategic approach is necessary and creating a 100 day plan can be a powerful step to making your new role a success.
We asked our Chief People Officer, Claire Scott, how she approached her own 100 day plan when she joined The Access Group, and what practical advice she would pass on to new-in-role HR leaders.
Your 100 Day Plan
A: Be brave, be curious. Put your questions to a wide range of people throughout the organisation. You’ll get a better sense of what is really going on and how people truly feel. Don’t assume senior leadership have all the answers. Once you understand how the business operates, what it is trying to achieve and how it measures success, then you can start to prioritise what to focus on.
Importantly, don’t take too long to make your 100 day plan. It’s a starter for 10 for your longer term priorities and will evolve as time progresses.
Q2: Writing a plan and putting a plan into action are two different things. What advice would you give to a new HR leaderabout staying on course?
A: Keep score.
Once you’ve written your plan, you need to be very clear on how you measure business success. Agree top level metrics in the form of a scorecard to give yourself a clear sense if things are heading in the right direction. Keep it simple and measurable - top priorities only, things you can actually track. Hold yourself accountable through regular reporting and course correct where required.
One key metric on your scorecard should be employee engagement. Research shows if you have engaged people, they perform better.
Q3: What role does technology play in helping keep score and delivering your plan?
A: Keep score.
A: Technology gives you data and insight helping you track progress and evolve your plan. Data shows you what is and isn’t working and where you need to course correct.
But technology gives you the freedom to do so much more. To focus on the things that your employees really care about: what it’s like to work at your company, how easy it is to get things done, how they can develop and grow their career.
Technology has become vital for running your business, connecting your employees so they feel informed, involved and appreciated, building a sense of community and fun and helping them to be more productive. All this adds up and helps create a better experience.
We live in a socially connected world of technology. Employees want their experience in and out of work to be similar. They expect to have technology that makes their
Q4: The support of senior leadership is vital to your plan’s success. How should new-in-role HR leaders go about engaging and holding the attention of their fellow leaders?
A: Be clear and aligned around vision and how you’re measuring success. When speaking with your CEO or board, whoever it is, you need to show what you are doing is achieving the results you have committed to. Talk commercially and report regularly on the progress being made on your scorecard. Demonstrate positive business impact with tangible proof points. That’s how you get future investment.
Q5: How do you balance short term needs and long term vision in your planning?
A: Create your plan as quickly as possible and keep evolving it. The reality is there will always be reactive circumstance to deal with or things that you hadn’t planned for. HR is a constant balance between long and short term needs. New, pressing events are always going to happen.
For instance when I first joined Access we made our biggest ever acquisition at that time. That demanded a lot of attention.I constantly had to pull myself back from the immediate priorities of the acquisition and the integration, important as they were, so I could create and focus on the my longer term plan.
Q6: We cannot talk about the role of HR leaders without directly mentioning the pandemic, the changes it is bringing to work and how we transition to life beyond Covid. How can HR prepare for the post-pandemic world?
A: The pandemic has forced many companies to re-evaluate how they do business and how their employees work. Through any period of change, especially one as profound as this, communication is essential. You need to invest in it to do it well.
Early in my role I hired a communications and engagement leader, within my team, to focus on supporting and informing our employees. When the pandemic hit, we already had open communication across the business with our employees. This kept us all informed and our workforce felt cared for, supported and that they had a voice.
Employees want to play their part in your company being a huge success. We owe it to them to free them up so they can put their talents and passion to the best use at work and to help them feel inspired, supported, appreciated and cared for. Communication is key in doing this.
