the evolution of traditional hr into employee experience

The Evolution of Traditional HR into Employee ExperienceGina O’Reilly – COO, Nitro

• San Francisco

• Dublin •

Nitra

• St. Petersburg

• Melbourne

Who is Nitro?

200 employees Across 5 locations

Founded in Australia in 2005Global HQ now San Francisco

500,000 customers in almost 200 countries

What do we do?

The first and now leading replacement for Adobe Acrobat

Nitro ProThe easiest and most powerful way to

share documents for eSigning, approvals, collaboration and workflow

Nitro Cloud

What’s on Tap

1. A Brief History of HR

2. Evolution from HR 1.0 to 2.0

3. Why it Matters

4. What this Means at Nitro

A Brief History of HR

Ancient Greece China Industrial Revolution Modern Day

Ancient Greece• Leading ancient military state and one of the most successful cities in Greece

• Highly sophisticated training and education (L&D), each male was trained by a soldier (mentor) and shared a common vision

• Highly efficient HR management at its best, enabling one small city to command most of Greece and defeat the Persians.

Ancient China• First to require public officials to administer the country based on centralized government rules and processes

• Designed the first recruitment process in human history with defined requirements for key roles

• Recruited the best talent and then invested in education and development, recognizing the value of human capital

Industrial Revolution• Modern-day notion of managing human resources born during this period in the 18th century

• New factories led to 1000s of new workers as quick and cheap production was the priority

• In 1914, the 8-hour work day was first introduced by Henry Ford; maternity benefit in 1928

• Purpose of “HR” back then was very different and HR management in reality was not yet a concept

Modern Day • Today HR management is a wildly varied, multifaceted and dynamic entity, often misunderstood and frequently evolving

• Employee Experience is a relatively new concept, but one that switches the emphasis of HR from company protection to employee support

• Move away from HR as a problem dumping ground, mired in paperwork and processes, to a proactive strategic function delivering real business results

Vive la Revolution!

The Value ofEmployee Experience

Culture is not…• The beer and unlimited snacks

• The ping pong or foosball

• The dog walking or dry cleaning service

• The ridiculous amount of “free stuff”

• Contrived, easy to replicate, or manufacture

Instead, real Culture is…• The sum of all your employees’ behaviors

• Driven from the top and built on clear values

• Focused on a commitment to success and a high performance environment w/ clear expectations and accountability

• Centred around employee growth and development

• Authentic, forward thinking, creative, and innovative

• Guided, supported, and championed by EX

Everything AffectsCulture

Why does it matter?

Gallup estimates that active employee disengagement costs the U.S. economy

$450-550 billion per year

Disengaged employees aren’t just unhappy at work, they’re busy acting out

that unhappiness, undermining what their engaged co-workers accomplish

Disengaged employees are essentially ‘checked out’, sleepwalking through their

workday, putting time – but not energy or passion – into their work

Engaged employees are the lifeblood of their companies, with

significantly higher productivity, profitability, and customer ratings, and less turnover and absenteeism

Engaged employees drive execution and innovation, and

proactively help move your company forward — even during

difficult times.

EX is the main ambassador for

Culture & Employee Engagement

EX at Nitro

We attract and hire the best talent.

We have an amazing global team.

We have the best L&D function. Period.

We nail the First 90 for each role.

Employee engagement is high and improving.

We nurture a high performance, fun culture.

Best Bennies & Perks in each market.

We have the best People team in the biz.

We are recognized as a Best Place to Work.

Be flexible, be proactive, be positive, be committed to learning, have fun,

and focus on results.Be Switzerland.

Nitro is a great place to work

Thanks to an AWESOME team

Who share a set of strongCore Company Values

High Performance

Be GoodNo Bullshit

The Nitro Way

1. Performance and results always come first.

2. We don’t tolerate bullshit.

3. We won’t lose our Aussie roots.

4. We take our work seriously, but not ourselves (Work Smart, Play Hard).

5. We won’t work in solos. Every team is critical to success.

The Nitro Way

6. We don’t feel entitled. We appreciate everything we have.

7. Nitronauts are mates! We trust each other and have each other’s back.

8. We treat people with respect. Always.

9. We work extremely hard, but we do not allow burnout.

10. We leave egos and baggage at the door.

The Nitro Way

11. We take initiative and focus on the solution, not the problem. We

communicate and collaborate effectively to get the right outcome.

12. No f*ckwits!

13. We recruit and develop talent to the highest standards.

14. Our Nitronauts want to be here.

15. We will not do anything that damages our team or our company.

Our Vision:

Nitro is the best place to work.

Period.

Hard Work,Good Times.

Centered Around…Core Values and Key

EX Themes

Teamwork

Engagement

Always Learning,Always Evolving

The 3 Fsof Employee Experience

The Fundamentals• Competitive market comp including employee stock options, 401(k), life

assurance, etc.

• Generous paid time off to support a healthy work/life balance: vacation, sick leave, maternity & paternity, birthday day off, VTO

• Excellent healthcare benefits

• Comfortable, safe, friendly, and fun work environments

• Strong company values and a clear vision

• Clear goals and expectations with companywide accountability

The Fringe• Career path development and growth

• Continuous learning (Nitro U, Be Bold series, external training, etc.)

• Doing good and giving back (Nitro Gives)

• Meaningful perks (catered lunches, fully stocked kitchens, Body & Mind program, gym, commuter, and car hire discounts, “You Rock!” Awards, intra-company travel and transfers, and so on)

• Commitment to driving diversity (recruitment strategies, Nitronauties, Women in Leadership and Tech, etc.)

The Fun• Fun sits right at the top, no shortage of it at Nitro

• Not something you can prescribe (awkward) but important when you’re asking people to work hard

• Regular events and opportunities to socialize with other Nitronauts (monthly wine club, trivia and movie nights, meet-ups), team outings, Friends & Family get-togethers, fully stocked office bars, etc.

• Striking the right balance is important

• Ultimately, we try to foster an environment where people want to be, whether they’re working or taking some time out to play

Our Key Learnings1. Codify your company values – make them visible, repeat often, and live by them2. Hire employees who align with and embrace those values and help raise the bar3. Don’t underestimate the power of diversity within your business4. Lead by example and ensure ownership lies with all leaders (Nitro’s 5Bs)5. Hold everyone accountable to being a culture fit (recruitment, performance

management, the Nitro Way)6. Culture is a work in progress: it will change and evolve over time, you just need to

protect and guide it7. Drive transparency and open comms, and be consistent8. Lean in to uncertainty, take risks, move quickly when you make mistakes, and

recognize failure happens along the way to success9. Building a culture of engagement makes good business sense – you’ll see the

results10. Measure EX progress and share results

Closing ThoughtsGreat products and services create competitive advantage but happy, high-performing, in-it-for-the-long-haul people are the advantage that stands the test of time.

Create the right work environment, and you’ll not only consistently attract the best talent, but you’ll retain it too.

So, think about ditching traditional HR as you know it and double down on EX!

Thanks!Q & At: gina_oreilly