Rising behind my neighborhood in Snohomish, Washington’s Cascade Mountains beckon with miles of hiking trails.
Every morning, seeing these mountains inspires reflection on how throughout our lives, we embark down hundreds of trails — some literal, others figurative. One of the most impactful journeys is the one we embark on with work. Where we work affects multiple aspects of our life, from the people we spend time with to how we feel during our non-working hours. It’s one of the most critical trails we choose, a journey that not only impacts where we go, but who we become.
As a Chief People Officer (CPO), my work is centered around enhancing this journey for every person, driving business outcomes that start with employee experience. For almost two decades, I’ve been part of the evolution of the people function as it has changed in scope and purpose. And now, recent events have triggered an incredible transformation.
We have entered a new era of Human Resources. The world today requires a different mindset and approach to the systems, processes, and programs that move away from seeing the employee as an asset and toward thinking about the human being holistically. People aren’t just employees — they are parents, spouses, friends, leaders, allies, activists, and more. Companies are recognizing this reality and restructuring the workplace to prioritize the whole person.
Whether your company has a workforce of 10 or 10,000, the employee experience is now about more than great benefits. Chief People Officers have a heightened responsibility to collaborate with leaders across the business to influence and shape the way we work today and tomorrow. This means finding the balance between work and home, leveraging technology to scale culture, advancing equality, weaving a sense of belonging through everything we do, and unlocking the potential of our people to drive real business outcomes.
Over the last year, organizations have shown an amazing ability to pivot and rapidly adapt. We’ve also learned that “back to normal” is not a future-state scenario. As we forge the future, it’s critical that we not only listen to and learn from our people but also seek to understand the global, socio-economic forces at play — and how to anticipate them so that we can proactively create an environment that supports our employees in navigating inevitable change.
Watching the fall colors change in the mountains, I couldn’t be more ready to begin my own journey with Highspot. As I was considering my next opportunity, it was imperative for me to find a company that had strong leadership with a solid vision, a relentless focus on customer, and, ultimately, a people-first culture. Highspot is that place. Looking at the road ahead, I’m excited to build upon the strong foundation of our 11 Guiding Principles and the amazing work by the people who I now get to collaborate with every day.
As we continue on our company mission to transform the way millions of people work, we’re looking for more to join us – explore our open roles and start your journey with Highspot today.
