The pace of change has been coming fast at HR, and it may be prompting people leaders to move on from their posts more quickly than in years past. Recent data from Russell Reynolds, for instance, found that global CHRO turnover jumped 15% between the last quarter of 2024 and the first quarter of this year. That movement could mean an influx of new HR executives, tasked with navigating a rapidly evolving profession in a brand-new organization.
HR Executive recently spoke with three HR leaders who joined their respective companies earlier this year about the conditions facing new HR execs today and what is helping them thrive through the transition.
Anjada Berde, Pathward, Chief People and Culture Officer
When Berde joined the banking and financial services company in February, she immediately undertook what she says is the most important strategy new HR executives need to embrace: “a listening tour.”
Berde has spent significant amounts of time in the last few months “meeting as many people as I can, both within the people and culture team and outside,” she says. The effort has helped her learn as much as she can about the workforce’s views on the company’s progress and any potential pain points.
“You can’t make change—well, you can but it won’t turn out well—in an organization unless you truly understand where it’s been, that history, as well as how people are feeling about what’s happened, even in the relatively recent past,” she says.
Berde got to hear these stories directly from employees at a companywide, in-person gathering that brought together nearly 700 of the remote-first organization’s employees for an inaugural summit just weeks into her role.
Connecting directly with employees, managers and leaders has armed her with significant amounts of data that will inform her early work at Pathward, Berde says.
“I’m a big data-driven decision-maker, and now I can start to think about what’s next for our organization and how our people and culture team will be part of making that happen.”
Gaëlle Le Meur, Driscoll’s
Chief People Officer
To begin her new role at leading berry producer Driscoll’s earlier this year, Gaëlle Le Meur relocated from New York City to California. After a career that has taken her from The Esteé Lauder Companies to SEPHORA and Paris to Dubai, Le Meur knew that there would be an adjustment period—both in and outside the office.
“It’s a fine balance between the personal elements—settling in a new area, finding a house, learning how to drive in the region, finding a car, as basic as it sounds—and establishing yourself in your new role with your team, getting to know people,” she says.
Change has been “at the center” of her career and while Le Meur says she has a “decent appetite” for such change, she thrives in a more settled environment.
“So, my strategy is simple: I go as fast as I can through change so that this is behind me and I’m more in a steady environment.”
As that process unfolds, new HR executives must acclimate to a new organizational culture, which Le Meur acknowledges involves “a lot of effort, a lot of energy.”
“What works well is having some sense of knowing yourself—making sure you’re in the environment to make it work, whether it’s your personal support environment or making sure you set the expectations right with the people you work with,” Le Meur says.
Robert Kaskel, ezCater, Vice President of HR
Kaskel joined the online food platform for workplaces at the start of this year—and says the breadth of the people priorities at the late-stage start-up helped him dive right into strategy.
“My job is largely a building role,” Kaskel says, noting the opportunities to strengthen the candidate and employee experience have kept him speeding forward as he acclimates.
“We are building infrastructure that the company hasn’t had in the past, taking a fresh look at programs and processes that meet the needs of our employees, that are in service of our culture and of driving higher productivity and retention,” he says.
This includes doubling down on DEI at a time when many companies are retreating, reimagining the talent pools ezCater attracts, and rethinking how the company evaluates performance and encourages equity and transparency in internal mobility and promotions.
“It’s an exciting time,” Kaskel says, “where we are encouraged to innovate—not only in the customer-facing business—but in the HR space as well.”
Credit: Source link
