Cruising Altitude

This episode of Cruising Altitude features a conversation with Jess Harrah, Chief People Officer at KinderCare, a leading provider in early childhood and school-age education and care. Jess and host Nicole Alvino discuss KinderCare's commitment to supporting its 35,000 employees and nearly 200,000 working families nationwide. They explore the importance of employee engagement, the impact of offering childcare benefits, and the strategies KinderCare implements to maintain a positive work culture.Quotes“ We really depend on our center directors and our district leaders who are the local leadership to really be there. And again, we're a relationship business. So that doesn't mean be there and come into a center for an hour. It means literally sitting alongside teachers and center directors talking to them about what they need, when they need it, how they need it.  Those little moments where our leaders are supporting their team and that kind of is really so critical to our culture of engagement.”"One of the things that we do and started almost 13 years ago now at KinderCare is we measure employee engagement. We have a close partnership with Gallup, so it is really important for us to hear from our team, and that is our teachers, our center directors. We do that annually through a survey and then we action on it.""Now what we're seeing is a lot more of our teachers who maybe wanna work 20 hours, maybe 15 hours, they may be going back to school. This may be a job for them that works well with their family responsibilities. And so really thinking about how we meet our team and our workforce where they are."Time Stamps[03:10] Meet Jess Harrah[04:17] Overview of KinderCare[07:40] Employee experience strategies in childhood education[12:05] Adapting to employee needs[13:42] Supporting working families[20:40] Leadership and personal insightsLinksConnect with Jess on LinkedInThank you to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the world's first intelligent communication platform. More than 40 percent of Fortune 100 companies use our platform to connect with their people, design and deliver personalized communications, and gain engagement insights throughout the employee journey. That's how they give their employees better experiences from hire to retire. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode of Cruising Altitude features a conversation with Sally Massey, Chief Human Resources Officer at Colgate-Palmolive. Sally and host Nicole Alvino discuss key strategies for building a stronger and more innovative workforce through upskilling, creating personalized employee experiences, and leveraging diverse perspectives. Sally shares her experiences and insights from her nearly 25-year tenure at Colgate, including the importance of communication, inclusion, employee trust, and adapting to changing employee expectations. The conversation also highlights how AI and continuous learning initiatives contribute to employee development and organizational growth.Quotes“ We upskilled everyone so that everybody understood the positives to using AI and also what they needed to watch out for in terms of AI. And then we gave them access to a hub where they could start practicing and using it for their daily work. We're finding that there is a community within Colgate that people are sharing ideas. They're learning from one another. They're sharing best practices. They're getting efficiency in their work.”“ We try to really use lots of different ways to communicate, whether that's through digital, whether that's through workshops, whether that's through written communication, whether that's through webcasts because people absorb it in different ways. And so it is personalizing the message, but also personalizing the vehicle so that they can get the information.”“ For myself leading in times of change, I like to get my team together so that we can talk through, brainstorm, challenge each other. And I really think that you get to a better place when you bring in a lot of different perspectives. Perspectives from different backgrounds, different geographies. I think you get to a better answer. And so for me it's about bringing people together with different perspectives so that we can get to a better outcome.”Time Stamps[03:15] Meet Sally Massey[07:23] Strategies for personalizing experiences across generations[09:10] How employee expectations have shifted[13:24] Colgate's AI journey[19:26] The importance of diversity of thought[21:29] Sally's place of clarity and perspectiveLinksConnect with Sally on LinkedInThank you to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the world's first intelligent communication platform. More than 40 percent of Fortune 100 companies use our platform to connect with their people, design and deliver personalized communications, and gain engagement insights throughout the employee journey. That's how they give their employees better experiences from hire to retire. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode of Cruising Altitude features a conversation with Ginnie Carlier, Vice Chair of Talent for the Americas at EY. Together, Ginnie and host Nicole Alvino discuss strategies for creating extraordinary employee experiences. They discuss the importance of wellbeing, career agility, and cutting-edge technology in shaping these experiences. Ginny shares innovative approaches such as the Vitality Index and customizable wellbeing funds, which cater to individual employee needs. The conversation delves into the impact of AI in the workplace, emphasizing AI training and development for both new and existing employees. Ginnie highlights the significance of empathetic leadership and human connection amidst technological advancements. Lastly, the conversation touches on Ginnie's personal insights on achieving clarity and maintaining an adventurous mindset in leadership.Quote“ Yes, it's important to continue to climb that ladder, but sometimes people just wanna jump off and go and master skills somewhere else within the organization. So being able to provide that career agility to your employees is really important. And then also giving them the space to thrive and creating that time and space for them to develop and continue to feel like they're investing in themselves. Whether that's the wellbeing of themselves and their teams. Whether that's learning, you know, a new skill, investing personal time to learn a new skill, getting involved in the community. But, creating that time and space for them, I think is incredibly important.” – Ginnie CarlierTime Stamps[03:19] Meet Ginnie Carlier[06:46] Creating an exceptional employee experience[09:32] Wellbeing initiatives at EY[13:25] The Vitality Index[17:12] Career Agility and AI[29:11] Empathy in leadershipLinksConnect with Ginnie on LinkedInLearn more about EYThank you to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the world's first intelligent communication platform. More than 40 percent of Fortune 100 companies use our platform to connect with their people, design and deliver personalized communications, and gain engagement insights throughout the employee journey. That's how they give their employees better experiences from hire to retire. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode of Cruising Altitude features a conversation with Alexander Senn, Head of People & Organization at Siemens Smart Infrastructure. Together, Alex and host Nicole Alvino discuss employee engagement and organizational culture. Alex shares insights about his role overseeing people and organizational development within Siemens' smart infrastructure division. Key topics include employee segmentation for improved experience, the role of leadership in transformation journeys, and the use of AI for productivity and innovation. Alex also shares the concept of the 'Rhino View' to highlight different perspectives in decision-making, and stresses the importance of open communication and continuous leadership development. Lastly, the conversation touches on balancing technological tools with human interaction to foster a high-performing and engaged workforce at Siemens.Quotes*" We're in the midst of a transformation journey to become one tech company.  And we want to work with the people together to create the best Siemens for the future. And that's why we decided to communicate quite early what is our ambition. But we don't have all the answers. And now we're working with the people close to the topics.  We take them on board, we listen, and they can also co-create with us together the new Siemens.  This is also a new way of empowering, taking people on board early. But it also creates at the same time a little bit of uncertainty, because people know something is happening. But they don't know the result.  But I believe people need to learn to live with uncertainty and it's much better to be transparent with the people and to invite them to contribute. At the same time, they also need to learn to live with the fact that we don't have all the answers. But I'm a strong believer that the outcome is much better when we involve more people, when we listen to the concerns and then on the journey you adapt some of the ideas you had at the beginning after listening to more than only the top management.”*”[During transformations,] communicating is really important, but also then keep your ears and eyes open and create platforms where people can then give feedback. Share what they have read, what they've heard, raising concerns, because yes, we need people who are positive and looking into the change and helping, etcetera. But we also need to listen to people who are really concerned.”Time Stamps[00:45] Meet Alexander Senn, Head of People & Organization at Siemens Smart Infrastructure[04:28] Role and Responsibilities at Siemens[06:18] Employee Segmentation and Experience[10:00] Transformation Journey at Siemens[15:42] Utilizing AI for Productivity[20:25] The Rhino View Perspective[25:11] Final Thoughts and Reflections[30:55] Conclusion and Contact InformationLinksConnect with Alex on LinkedInLearn more about Siemens Smart InfrastructureThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the world's first intelligent communication platform. More than 40 percent of Fortune 100 companies use our platform to connect with their people, design and deliver personalized communications, and gain engagement insights throughout the employee journey. That's how they give their employees better experiences from hire to retire. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode of Cruising Altitude features a conversation with CIO Alice Fournier, CMO Marjorie McCarthy, and Head of People & Culture, CHRO Lisa Mitchell-Kastner of ISS Americas, hosted by Nicole Alvino, CEO and co-founder of Firstup. Together, they talk about how their collaborative efforts enhance the employee experience through technology and AI. The discussion covers the importance of personalized communication, data-driven decisions, and AI in recruitment and onboarding processes. The episode also explores the nuances of managing a diverse and extensive workforce and the role of continuous communication and change management in successful transformations.Quotes*” If we can bring an applicant in and start to connect with them in their own native language on their own technical level of comfort, and in a way that serves them best, we found very early in that there was an opportunity to win in the marketplace or win in the talent war, and really connect with our employee base throughout their journey from applicant through retire, because we hope they stay with us for their entire career.” - Lisa Mitchell-Kastner*” My favorite phraseology is this collective genius construct, where collaboration comes together with all of our unique and collective experiences and the genius that comes with each of those. And I think in this world and day and age, but definitely with the eclectic nature, not only of the products and services we provide, but with the people that serve to provide those, high collaboration is so important.  That high collaboration towards a common goal. We all want the same thing. We all want high engagement for our customers. We all want exceptional best in class customer experiences, and we all want exceptional best in class people, human experiences. None of us can do that in a vacuum, and it is when all of that collective genius comes together that we really get the best impact.” - Lisa Mitchell-Kastner*” Probably the most exciting and most challenging approach to, or reality around, transformation is to keep up the pace of technology while not going after the shiny object.  How much or how little do you bring AI into your organization? How much or how little do you bring in all kinds of new technologies? There is so much out there that can accelerate the organization, but the reality in the CIO role and employee technology is no different. You have a subset of really legacy types of applications on which the foundation of a lot of organizations sit. And so when you're talking about transforming these core systems, these are exciting, exciting times in technology, but they are also true challenges given how quickly the world's evolving.” - Alice FournierTime Stamps[00:57] Meet the ISS Americas Leadership Team[1:45] Enhancing Employee Experience with Technology[7:03] Understanding ISS Americas[10:20] Challenges in IT and Digital Employee Experience[12:48] Collaboration for Exceptional Employee Experience[17:56] Transforming Pre-Hire Experience with AI[23:00] Creating Personalized Employee Journeys[26:17] Leveraging Data for Better Decisions[34:04] Supporting Transformation Through CommunicationLinksConnect on LinkedIn with:Alice FournierMarjorie McCarthyLisa Mitchell-KastnerLearn more about ISS AmericasThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the world's first intelligent communication platform. More than 40 percent of Fortune 100 companies use our platform to connect with their people, design and deliver personalized communications, and gain engagement insights throughout the employee journey. That's how they give their employees better experiences from hire to retire. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode of Cruising Altitude features a conversation with Meredith Williams, CHRO at VillageMD, hosted by Nicole Alvino, CEO and co-founder of Firstup. Together, Nicole and Meredith discuss the integration of AI to improve the digital employee experience in healthcare. They talk about how AI can take over mundane tasks, allowing healthcare providers to spend more time with patients, which increases both patient and physician satisfaction. Meredith outlines her role overseeing HR at VillageMD, the challenges of managing a diverse workforce, and the importance of personalized employee experiences using data collected from various feedback tools. The conversation also touches on fostering a high-performance culture, encouraging leadership development, and handling organizational transitions. Meredith shares personal stories and highlights the values that drive their company culture. The episode concludes with Meredith's insights on maintaining a growth mindset and the importance of gratitude and avoiding bedtime anger in personal and professional life.Quotes* ” When we think about AI, what I would want to point to is how are we helping physicians utilize AI to give them more time to be with the patients. So one of the tools that we're utilizing in some of our businesses is a dictation tool AI. So that helps to kind of eliminate hours worth of charting and note taking and being able to simplify that. And that gives more time for the physicians to be with those patients as well as the pieces in addition to the physicians giving those doctors more time to be with the patients. That's what they love. That's what their passion is. And giving them more time to do that certainly increases their satisfaction and balance in terms of well being.”*”  We recently rolled out in 2024 our mission vision values and our values specifically around being kind, building trust, innovation and going the extra mile. If you take the first letter of each one of those values, it's be big. And so how do you be big? And so we pull that thread through on everything that we do and ways in which we celebrate employees, ways in which we recognize and put the spotlight on different initiatives that are going on. How are you being big? And that's really a way that we're fostering that culture and creating that experience on a daily basis that people can live by.“*”Bringing groups together that are coming in in this acquisition world that we have been in over the course of many years, bringing people together and building that connection is paramount for people to stack hands, work together and eliminate an us versus them [mindset]. And that to me has really been paramount in how we think about our HR team, but how we set the stage and set the example for the rest of the organization. It's that tone at the top. And I feel like HR is really that at that center stage and how do we foster that? How are we driving the great connection and collaboration efforts that we see across the organization?”Time Stamps[00:27] AI Enhancing Healthcare Efficiency[00:38] Meet Meredith Williams, CHRO at VillageMD[05:10] Meredith's Role and Responsibilities at VillageMD[06:58] Creating Tailored Employee Experiences[08:03] Leveraging Data for Employee Engagement[15:45] Harnessing AI for Employee and Patient Benefits[18:03] Lessons Learned in Employee Experience[22:27] Smooth Landing: Personal Insights and WisdomLinksConnect with Meredith on LinkedInLearn more about VillageMDThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the world's first intelligent communication platform. More than 40 percent of Fortune 100 companies use our platform to connect with their people, design and deliver personalized communications, and gain engagement insights throughout the employee journey. That's how they give their employees better experiences from hire to retire. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode of Cruising Altitude features a conversation with Joey Wilkerson, Sr. Manager, M&A Employee Experience and Change Management at Cisco, hosted by Nicole Alvino, CEO and co-founder of Firstup. Together, Nicole and Joey discuss strategies for fostering an engaging and purposeful workplace, focusing on internal talent movement, onboarding, and integrating new employees post-acquisition. Joey shares insights on creating a connected employee experience through personalization, leveraging AI, and aligning with Cisco's culture. The conversation highlights successful practices in employee engagement, cultural integration, and future trends in employee experience.Quotes* ”We have to always think about ourselves and internal talent movement as competing for talent across the company. We want to encourage internal talent movement. To be successful at that, it's important for leaders to understand the experience for the employee, while unique, must be consistent to some degree.”*” When I think about what's coming next [in Cisco's] continued evolution, where employees are really expecting this kind of consumer based experience across the organization. And we're going to have to keep that in mind moving forward.“*” One of the things that we have seen at Cisco in the last two years is a more critical eye on privacy. What does the organization as my employer have access to in terms of what I'm doing, what I'm clicking on? And those two things will push against each other, I am afraid. In order for us to create that consumer-like experience, it requires understanding the behavior of the employee, which may not be as private as some may expect.”Time Stamps[00:38] Meet Joey Wilkerson, Sr. Manager, M&A Employee Experience and Change Management at Cisco[4:09] Joey's Role at Cisco[5:12] Understanding Cisco's Culture and Subcultures[6:31] Personalized Employee Experiences at Cisco[14:54] Leveraging AI for Employee Experience[18:34] The Splunk Acquisition: Challenges and Successes[23:04] Proudest Moments and Future Trends[31:13] Final Thoughts and Contact InformationLinksConnect with Joey on LinkedInLearn more about CiscoThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the world's first intelligent communication platform. More than 40 percent of Fortune 100 companies use our platform to connect with their people, design and deliver personalized communications, and gain engagement insights throughout the employee journey. That's how they give their employees better experiences from hire to retire. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode of Cruising Altitude features a conversation with Elizabeth Bryant, Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer at Southwest Airlines, hosted by Nicole Alvino, CEO and co-founder of FirstUp. Elizabeth and Nicole discuss the importance of employee engagement and its impact on organizational success. The conversation explores Southwest's employee-centered approach, leadership development strategies, and the link between employee treatment and customer experience. Bryant shares insights on creating a culture of learning, valuing employee contributions, and fostering an environment that supports growth and innovation across Southwest's 75,000-strong workforce. Listeners gain valuable lessons on personalized employee journeys and the significance of leadership in enhancing employee satisfaction and company profitability.Quotes*”If you treat your employee well, they in turn will treat your customers well. And by doing that, they'll come back and that will make your shareholders happy. By that, what I mean is genuinely care about your employees, put them at the center of our decision making model, involve them  in problems and opportunities and challenges, trust them that they know what to do, and then they can make the right decisions. When you empower people to do that, they will do well. They make good decisions.”*”How are we ensuring that the employees of Southwest Airlines are feeling seen and valued for the skills that they bring? So much of that actually is about leadership development. It's about equipping our leaders with the tools and the skill set to bring out the best in our employees.“*”Leadership is something that, there may be some innate qualities, but I fully believe that leadership can be taught. And there's an investment that needs to be made on behalf of the organization in order to do that well.”*”I think there's a difference between a healthy and a smart organization. In a smart organization, you hire in the right people that have the background and the skillset. But the healthy is all about the EQ and that ability to connect with what's important in employees' lives.”*”An environment that allows failure to happen and to have a growth mindset, it doesn't always mean you're moving forward. And sometimes we will make mistakes as we're growing. So to have an environment that recognizes that mistakes are part of it, they're part of the growth, and as a leader, to be equipped with the tools and the skills to help employees as they are working through that, and it's a supportive environment versus a punitive one, I think is important as well.”Time Stamps[0:41] Introducing Elizabeth Bryant, SVP & Chief People Officer at Southwest Airlines[1:30] Southwest Airlines: A People-First Culture[3:28] Learn more about Elizabeth Bryant's Background[5:36] Southwest Airlines' History and Culture[8:15] How to Support Employee Development and Career Growth[11:38] Leadership Development at Southwest Airlines[18:37] Using Data to Enhance Employee Experience[22:25] Translating Employee Experience to Customer Experience[24:38] Adapting to Workforce Changes[28:43] Personal Stories and Reflections from a Career at Southwest AirlinesLinksConnect with Elizabeth on LinkedInLearn more about Southwest AirlinesThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the world's first intelligent communication platform. More than 40 percent of Fortune 100 companies use our platform to connect with their people, design and deliver personalized communications, and gain engagement insights throughout the employee journey. That's how they give their employees better experiences from hire to retire. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode of Cruising Altitude features a conversation with Brittany Polanco, Director of HR Innovation at Diageo, hosted by Nicole Alvino, CEO and co-founder of FirstUp. They discuss the critical role of leadership in shaping the energy and attitude of work, whether in-person or remote. Brittany shares insights on the importance of empowering leaders, co-creating employee experiences, and driving organizational innovation. They also explore the integration of AI in HR and the future of the HR function. Brittany, who has over 10 years of HR experience including roles at Hilton Worldwide and PepsiCo, emphasizes the need for leaders to have a clear vision and create environments that encourage creativity and collaboration. The episode touches on the importance of psychological safety, the nuances of employee experience, and the significance of continuous learning.Quotes*”Leaders who haven't been shown or given that empowerment creates a cycle of them not having that space to take ownership, to really drive results, to lead. And I think that ends up coming down to the team below them or the colleagues around them. So I really think that there's so much importance on the folks that you bring into your team and particularly the leaders that you bring in to be able to start this behavior. It has to start somewhere.”*”[On] the topic of employee experience, I am a neurodiverse leader. It's something that has played a big role in my career. I think it's been a tremendous strength for me and it also, I think, broadens my perspective when I think about the employee experience. And just as we as a society get more and more in tune with all the different facets of what that can mean and how we can support employees best, is definitely a passion point of mine.”*”Honestly, I think that at this point, employee experience is just a must-do for everyone at the company. I think that It's clear how competitive it is and what standards we need to have as an employer to attract and develop and retain the best talent.”*”In a world of what does ‘great' look like in employee experience, there is so much nuance. But I do believe that the more that you can allow each individual to bring their strengths and their creativity, and the more you make a structure where you appreciate and pull in the strengths and skills of those and other functions and other teams, that's what I've really appreciated.”*”There's something beautiful when you give yourself permission to be human. You know, we show up every day in these jobs and with these people who we spend so much time with. And the more we can embrace our full selves the more that we can really connect at a human level, I think the better the work, the better the experience.”Time Stamps[0:52] Meet Brittany Polanco, Director of HR Innovation at Diageo[4:26] Brittany's Role at Diageo[5:37] Understanding Diageo and Employee Personas[7:42] Challenges and Innovations in HR[11:14] The Importance of Employee Insights[17:03] Balancing Leadership and Employee Experience[23:23] Future of HR and AI IntegrationLinksConnect with Brittany on LinkedInLearn more about DiageoThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the world's first intelligent communication platform. More than 40 percent of Fortune 100 companies use our platform to connect with their people, design and deliver personalized communications, and gain engagement insights throughout the employee journey. That's how they give their employees better experiences from hire to retire. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode of Cruising Altitude features an insightful conversation with Tim Gerend, President at Northwestern Mutual. He previously served as Northwestern Mutual's Executive Vice President and Chief Distribution Officer. The discussion with host Nicole Alvino highlights the critical role of data in understanding and improving the employee experience, drawing a direct correlation to business success. Gerend shares his journey and the various leadership roles he's taken on at Northwestern Mutual, emphasizing the company's mission-driven culture and the focus on providing exceptional employee and client experiences. The conversation also explores the importance of technology, including AI, in creating efficiency and personalization for both employees and clients, aiming towards a future where personal growth and business growth go hand in hand. Sponsored by FirstUp, this episode provides valuable insights into leveraging data and technology to foster a culture of excellence and teamwork.Quotes*”The power of data not only is going to help our clients, but in addition to knowing more about our clients than anyone else, we also know more about our advisors' businesses. So as we get more data, we're going to have more insight and understanding of how do you build a great business.”*”We have a culture that's highly abundant, so people do a lot of sharing. So while they're independent contractors and they all want to grow and be great and maybe that's be on stage or meet whatever their business goals are, they also are really excellent at helping each other and so we're bringing them in to this culture where we have an expectation that they're going to be really good at what they do, they're going to serve their clients and their community at the highest level. And they're going to give back, and they're going to help others. And I think it's one of the great characteristics of our culture that our very best give back the most. And we want that to be the experience from when people start day one.”*”This is really a people business. It's certainly true in the field where it's relationship building and all of it that you would expect, but I think what really makes this place is the caliber of the people, very mission driven. Really smart, focused on doing the right thing. And there's a lot of teamwork. For a really big company, we're a Fortune 90 company, so we really have one P&L statement. What that means is we're all kind of in everybody's business because everything we do is connected. We've got one field force, we've got one client experience. And I love that part of it because I've always liked being part of a winning team. I think when you can have people working on something big together and you can do more together than you could alone, that's hard, but it also for me has been really rewarding.”Time Stamps[0:27] Meet Tim Gerend, President at Northwestern Mutual[0:30] The Power of Data in Shaping Business and Advisor Success[0:43] Tim Gerend's Journey and Insights on Employee Experience[1:16] Creating a Culture of Excellence and Giving Back[11:33] The Role of Technology in Enhancing Employee and Client Experience[16:59] Looking Ahead: The Future of Northwestern Mutual and the Role of Data[21:33] Tim's Personal Leadership Philosophy[22:50] Closing Remarks and How to Connect with Tim GerendLinksConnect with Tim on LinkedInLearn more about Northwestern MutualThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the world's first intelligent communication platform. More than 40 percent of Fortune 100 companies use our platform to connect with their people, design and deliver personalized communications, and gain engagement insights throughout the employee journey. That's how they give their employees better experiences from hire to retire. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Shaelyn Otikor, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Digital Workplace Strategy at Northern Trust in the Asset Servicing business unit. Shaelyn has been with Northern Trust for over 28 years. And in her current role, she's heading 15,000 of Northern Trust's over 25,000 employees across 20 countries. And today, our host Nicole Alvino is talking with Shaelyn about re-engineering digital employee processes for greater efficiency, empowering employees to drive their own career at Northern Trust. and not being afraid to get in the weeds.Quotes*”As we think about digital employee experience, we have to build out various personas based on the regions, the roles, and the groups, and then try to address digital employee experience based on those personas and what the group of individual employees are working on.”*”As a financial services firm, we're not exactly sexy out there. It's not something everyone's really trying to get into in this day and era. So, we definitely want to show employees that we are on the cusp of FinTech - we are both financial and technology - and that there are places at our company, capabilities and tools where they can hone that skill set, and they don't need to leave to go to a technology company. So when we onboard new employees, we want to introduce them to the freshest, the coolest, the savviest tools we have out there.”*”My goal is always to match the internal employee experience to their external experience. They have all the cool apps, social media, they know how to fly. But then they come into the office and we're still kind of highly regulated. We're on old archaic systems, legacy and infrastructure, and it can be a bit frustrating to new employees. So it's nice to have this space that we can expand it to anyone interested, anyone who wants to learn the skill or develop it and give them these opportunities to grow their career at Northern Trust.”Time Stamps[1:02] Meet Shaelyn Otikor, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Digital Workplace Strategy at Northern Trust in the Asset Servicing business unit[2:59] The Power of Personalized Digital Employee Experiences[9:18] Leveraging Data for Enhanced Client and Employee Interactions[13:53] The Impact of Digital Transformation on Employee Onboarding and Engagement[18:33] Shaelyn's Personal Journey and Leadership Philosophy[27:37] Finding Clarity and Inspiration: Shaelyn's Personal Space[29:36] Shaelyn's Life MantrasLinksConnect with Shaelyn on LinkedInLearn more about Northern TrustThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the world's first intelligent communication platform. More than 40 percent of Fortune 100 companies use our platform to connect with their people, design and deliver personalized communications, and gain engagement insights throughout the employee journey. That's how they give their employees better experiences from hire to retire. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Andrea Ferrara, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for PepsiCo Beverages North America. PBNA is PepsiCo's $21 billion beverage business and Global Foodservice with a portfolio that includes Pepsi, Gatorade, Rockstar Energy Drink, and more. Andrea is a 30-year veteran of PepsiCo and currently leads the HR function for their 60,000 employees across 400 locations in the U.S. and Canada. In this episode, host Nicole Alvino and Andrea discuss forming a psychological contract with employees early on, balancing standardization and customization of the employee experience, and building a change practice to agilely meet employee needs.Quotes*”One of the things that I noticed post pandemic was that people's needs and wants pivoted quickly. Their tolerance for you not making corrections has gone down dramatically. People want more of an immediate correction. We can never take our eye off the ball. You can't get comfortable.”*”You've got to build a change practice. You need to build an organizational effectiveness and a team effectiveness practice. You've got to have survey expertise, the ability to really have, I would say, high caliber change was probably one of the biggest points of differentiation for us.”Time Stamps[0:48] Meet Andrea Ferrara, SVP & CHRO North American Beverages and Nutrition at PepsiCo[4:28] What's the scope of Andrea's role at PepsiCo?[6:55] How does Andrea meet the needs of employees across locations, departments, generations, etc.?[10:42] How does PepsiCo balance human interaction with automation in the employee experience?[12:49] How does PepsiCo use digital tools to train its leaders?[13:39] What data does PepsiCo tune into when it comes to supporting a great employee experience?[17:00] Who else is critical to talent management at PepsiCo?[18:47] What is PepsiCo doing right that has kept Andrea there for over 30 years?[21:25] Does PepsiCo have a framework for its employee experience?[24:48] What advice would Andrea give someone entering a role like hers for the first time?[26:10] Where does Andrea find a sense of mental clarity and do her best thinking?LinksConnect with Andrea on LinkedInLearn more about PepsiCoThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the world's first intelligent communication platform. More than 40 percent of Fortune 100 companies use our platform to connect with their people, design and deliver personalized communications, and gain engagement insights throughout the employee journey. That's how they give their employees better experiences from hire to retire. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Nicole Alvino. Nicole is a visionary entrepreneur and CEO with a passion for transforming the employee experience. As the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Firstup, a leading enterprise SaaS company, Nicole is responsible for driving innovation and growth in employee experience, engagement and communications. She believes that investing in employees is key to building high performance cultures that improve the top and bottom lines of any business, and is proud to call 40 of the Fortune 100 customers. In this episode, Nicole talks about how the employee experience starts with the pre-hire motion all the way through retirement, how to hyper-personalize it for each employee, and working cross-functionally to deliver a truly exceptional employee experience.Quotes*”The employee experience is something that every single leader needs to get better at, full stop. It is all about our people and understanding how we can connect them to the purpose of the company, their job, and how they feel a sense of belonging. This is the only way that we move business forward.”*”With any time of difficulty, crisis, or change, there are two things that I always do: Lead with transparency and empathy. I think you have to be incredibly transparent, with clear communication so people know what is going on, what you expect of them as a leader, and then how you will continue to support them throughout this difficult change. So that piece with communication at the core is so important, and the empathy goes hand in hand.”Time Stamps[0:33] Meet Nicole Alvino, Founder & CEO of Firstup[3:25] Where did the idea for the Cruising Altitude podcast come from?[4:41] What are the challenges Nicole faces as CEO of Firstup?[5:59] How does Nicole create a world class employee experience at Firstup?[9:00] What metrics is Nicole tuning into to know employees are having a successful experience?[11:14] What are the best experiences Nicole has had in her own career?[12:36] What lessons has she learned about fostering a positive employee experience?[14:07] How does Nicole lead during times of difficulty or change?[16:08] Where does Nicole do her best thinking?[17:47] What's one thing Nicole always does, and one thing she never does?[18:35] Where can listeners connect with Nicole?LinksConnect with Nicole on LinkedInLearn more about FirstupThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

 Welcome to Season 3 of Cruising Altitude, the podcast to help you deliver exceptional employee experiences at scale. This season, we're introducing our new host, Nicole Alvino, founder and CEO of Firstup.The mission of our podcast is to help you deliver irresistible employee experiences so you are empowered to retain and grow your top people, deliver a high performance organizational culture, and ultimately move your business forward.This is hard at any size organization, but for those organizations with 30,000 employees or above, this brings additional challenges and opportunities to really elevate that employee experience. We have an incredible lineup of guests who have managed employee experience with organizations over 30,000 people. They will share their best practices on how to engage from the back office to the frontline, how to leverage generative AI for good, and how to continue to use data to deliver on personalized experiences at scale. Let's get ready to take off for Season 3 of Cruising Altitude brought to you by Firstup.

This episode features an interview with Richard McColl, Vice President of People Technology at Walmart. Richard applies Human Centric Design, Design Thinking, AI, and Technology to the associate experience at Walmart. Prior to joining Walmart, Richard served IBM for over 18 years, having held several leadership roles including Vice President and Senior Partner, Talent Technology Practice Leader. And on this episode, Richard is discussing the ins and outs of Walmart's Superapp, applying design thinking to the employee journey, and crafting one seamless digital experience that can do everything from inform employees about their credit score to support their mental wellbeing.Quotes*”Our associates shouldn't need to know all of the different business platforms that we use to support them. What they should do is enjoy an end-to-end experience that stays with them and is frictionless.”*“As we think about superapps at Walmart, we don't just think about people experiences as a standalone container. We also think about people experiences and how they're embedded with all of the capabilities that that persona will need to be effective.”*“We've had many different benefits programs available to associates. And we pride ourselves on that. But if you have those across a number of different systems, you're putting a friction point of discoverability, navigation and different experiences and logins. All of those things create the potential of lower adoption.”*“When we haven't used design thinking from an end to end approach to implement a tool that's part of a process and not an experience, we've missed the mark.”Time Stamps[2:41] Flight Plan: Get to know Walmart and the intricacies of leading People Technology there[5:54] First Class: What are Richard's best practices for fostering a great digital employee experience at Walmart?[8:38] What's a superapp?[13:45] How is Walmart incorporating educational experiences into the digital employee experience?[17:25] Turbulence: What can we learn from the bumpy employee experiences?[25:56] Smooth Landing: What advice would Richard give other employee experience leaders?LinksConnect with Richard on LinkedInLearn more about WalmartThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Jami Schultz, Senior Director of Employee Relations and Development at Canon USA. Canon is a leading provider of consumer, B2B, and industrial digital imaging solutions. In her role, Jami makes sure employees love their jobs, and she solves people problems every day. In this episode, she'll share what tools, ideas, and programs set her, the company, and employees up for success.Quotes*“Employee Relations is really the employee's first go-to person for any issues, questions relating to their employment experience. Whether it's about their career, their performance, if they're having issues with their manager or a coworker. That all comes to their HR business partner first.”*“One of our strongest assets in our culture is the people. So many people at Canon, if you ask them what's one of the things they love most about their job, it's the people. It's the relationships that we have with our colleagues, with our management team. And that's definitely what I have found, too. It is just such a collaborative, collegial environment.”*“I've always said, ‘If you are gonna spend so much of your day to day in a job, you better like the people that you're spending all that time with.'”*“Now we've really settled into what we call a hybrid work style for the majority of our employees, where we are all in the office together two days a week on the same two days, and then we're able to work remotely three days a week. So I love to say I think it's the perfect balance in terms of time together in the office to be collaborative, to have that experience of connecting with each other, but also having the flexibility to work from home.”*“One thing that has been very important to us for a couple of years and became even more so coming out of the pandemic, was doing our employee engagement surveys… That's really important because that gives us direct feedback from the employee population as to things that they think are working, things that may not be working as well. It's listening to that feedback and actually making meaningful changes as a result of that feedback.”*“Sometimes it's those cross-divisional recognitions that mean so much because it's wonderful to know that your manager or someone in your management chain is recognizing your work. But to hear that someone else in a completely different division is recognizing your contribution and thanking you for that work is very, very meaningful. So I think that was a big strategy for us, was finding a way to give employees on the spot recognition that they were looking for.”*“A lot of times HR will help almost serve a mediator function. We will help the employee and the manager find a better way to communicate, make sure that the manager is properly communicating the expectations to the employee, and making sure the employee fully understands the expectations.”*“The big lessons learned for the future are definitely communicating. Giving as much advance notice of important things as possible, and just being able to react and respond quickly to changing outside circumstances.”*“Always listen. Listening is so, so, so important. If you really listen, first of all, it lets the person that is coming to you with an issue feel like they're being heard. And that's often what an employee needs, just as much as anything, is to be heard.”Time Stamps[00:00:00] Jami's start in HR[00:02:30] How HR can problem-solve[00:04:56] Maintaining positive relationships with employees[00:10:16] How Canon uses engagement surveys[00:17:36] Celebrating employees for a positive company culture[00:24:27] Navigating the hybrid workspace[00:30:34] HR as a mediator[00:37:47] Listening as the end-all, be-allLinksConnect with Jami on LinkedInCheck out Canon USAThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Tope Sadiku, former Global Head of Digital Employee Experience at the Kraft Heinz Company, one of the largest food and beverage companies in the world with $25 billion in global sales. Tope has recently moved into her new role as the Strategic Planning Lead, Transformation, Agile and Digital Revolution at Kraft Heinz where her focus is to increase employee productivity and creativity through the use of technology. And on this episode, Tope is describing her work and research on how we move, achieve objectives, connect, and collaborate between physical and virtual spaces.Quotes*”Technology is like a part of the medical toolkit. I used to call technology my medicine. I had access to a number of different tools and solutions [to] address the symptoms and even the root cause.”*”When it comes to transformation, there's a difference between disruption and destruction. There is some level of disruption and sometimes we can get very excited to the point of destruction. Knowing where that line is very, very important.”Time Stamps*[9:40] The Flight Plan: Get to know the Kraft Heinz Company*[16:43] First Class: Best EX practices at the Kraft Heinz Company*[23:44] Turbulence: EX lessons learned*[25:13] How does Tope lead in stressful situations?LinksConnect with Tope on LinkedInLearn more about the Kraft Heinz CompanyThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Marlon Sullivan, EVP and CHRO of Johnson Controls International. Johnson Controls is a world leader in smart buildings and creating safe, healthy, and sustainable spaces. Here, Marlon works in every part of human resources. He focuses on talent acquisition, retention, and leadership development while defining a high performance culture that includes diversity and inclusion. In this episode, Marlon defines a high performance culture, and what HR elements businesses should focus on. He also emphasizes the importance of diversity and inclusion for true positive transformation.Quotes“What is critically important for how we define a high performance culture is leveraging that of diversity, equity, and inclusion. That includes all of those elements with a focus on three core components, talent, people, and culture.”“Having not formally been in human resources before, it was exciting, a little bit challenging in the beginning. Because I was bringing more of a business perspective. But what I also found is that was part of what helped to differentiate the offering. That  I could bring to the role that I was playing, but also how HR could play a differentiated role.”“Transformation is not only a change in culture. It requires a change in the skill sets, the competencies, and the pace of business. And as we continue to drive this differentiated offering in the marketplace, it's allowing us to be a leader in the industry, and hopefully not only transform ourselves, but also transform the industry itself.”“Now clearly we're not big tech, but we've been through a big technology transformation and that will continue. It's allowing us to welcome a different type of talent and team to the organization. And in particular, it allows us to make a difference. A part of what we talk about in terms of our employee value proposition is that of purpose. And so to be able to join a company where you can make a difference, not only for customers, but also for our communities, for the, for the climate, for the planet. And it inspires a lot of folks, and it's part of why I am here at Johnson Controls.”“Here at Johnson Controls, it's not an exaggeration to say that we're saving the planet. And when you consider that 40% of the world's emissions come from buildings, then obviously smart building technologies are a differentiator. And it's been a big win for us because job seekers want to work for a company that provides meaningful work beyond just traditional competitive compensation and benefits.So when we talk about the power of purpose here at Johnson Controls it, it means a lot. And we go out of our way to make sure that we're able to measure it.”“In order to be a highly effective HR leader that helps to really leverage human capital to drive outcomes, you have to understand the business, right? You have to understand the mission, the strategy, the operating model, the go to market channels, the value proposition. But you also have to understand the market within which we're competing.”“There's nothing better than the taste of success. And being able to see that success and however it's measured, whether it's customer satisfaction or positive impact on the planet with CO2 carbon reduction, whether it's financial metrics, operational metrics, or just thinking about the excitement of our people and the fact that they love to work here. I mean, all of them are successes and we go out of our way to celebrate that.”Time Stamps*[00:16] Marlon's current role*[01:15] The war for talent*[02:59] Johnson Controls' transformation*[06:21] Empowering meaningful work*[08:32] Understanding HR and business*[10:28] How to build an employee value proposition*[17:57] Defining goals and success*[21:32] Overcoming roadblocks*[24:23] Combining HR and AI*[26:43] What matters most to employees?LinksConnect with Marlon on LinkedInCheck out Johnson ControlsThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Alice Fournier, CIO of ISS Americas, a workplace experience and facility management company that improves business performance and enjoyment. In her role as CIO, Alice drives technology-led transformation. She's an experienced leader, and she's dedicated to empowering her teams to grow and thrive. And on this episode, Alice is sharing how to foster belonging, equity, and opportunity in the workplace.Quotes*”Great leadership in a hybrid world has those elements of understanding, ‘When do I need to nudge my team? When do I need them here?' And there's tools that help you, right? Some software has tools that help you understand how people are connected or not. But there's also the human component. As a leader, you need to be really attuned to when people hit that point where you need to get them together. And that's part of solid hybrid leadership.”*”In a company where you can be you, you can be yourself, you can feel that you belong… I mean, these things are profoundly important in the employee experience. We've all had times in our careers where we didn't feel that way, and that really impacts the way we perform, the way we engage with each other and the way we serve customers. And so that place of belonging is an important component for us.”*”What does that look like in an office? To be able to engage, to have the real experience, to be with people and get to know them on a human level. We need that. We absolutely need that. No technology will ever compensate or be the same thing as this one-on-one human experience. There's just nothing like it.”Time Stamps*[2:45] The Flight Plan: Get to know ISS Americas*[11:30] First Class: Best EX practices at ISS Americas*[35:02] Turbulence: EX lessons learned*[44:35] What advice does Alice have for other tech leaders?LinksConnect with Alice on LinkedInLearn more about ISS AmericasThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Francesca Luthi, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Assurant, a global business services company that supports, protects, and connects major consumer purchases. It's a Fortune 500 company that spans 21 countries, and partners with leading brands to create an enhanced customer experience. At Assurant, Francesca oversees business functions to help execute the company's overall strategy. This includes global human resources, brand and marketing, communications, corporate social responsibility, and more. She focuses on building up the company's global brand and reputation among customers, employees and shareholders. And in this episode, she'll share how to effectively manage employee feedback, deliver a consumer-grade digital employee experience, and market your EX to top talent.Quotes*”Our employees make a decision to come to work at Assurant. It's a lot about what they do and the role that they're in, but also the connection to the company and vision, mission and values. So it requires us to not just assume a cookie cutter approach. But to be willing to change and adapt to our growing and diverse workforce.”*”I think about our employees as our single most important customer. Because they are the key to delivering for our customers each and every day. I think about the basic marketing principles around attracting a customer and sharing that value proposition. And really explaining what does the company do, what does it stand for?”*”Very similar to the principles that apply to customer experience, you want human-centered design. And in this case, it's employee-centered. It starts with the employee and what do they need to achieve? And really thinking about that journey. How can we eliminate friction and continue to make it a generally positive, ideally delightful experience along the way?”*”Empathetic leadership is critical. Transparency and humility in terms of what we're all feeling, what we know, what we don't know. I think that's one of the golden rules in terms of leadership. Because the reality is for as much as we may be in leadership positions, it doesn't mean that we are somehow all-knowing. We are taking feedback and input and trying to make the best decisions we can.”Time Stamps*[5:04] The Flight Plan: Get to know Assurant*[6:45] First Class: Best EX practices at Assurant*[30:11] Turbulence: EX lessons learned*[34:50] How does Francesca lead in stressful situations?LinksConnect with Francesca on LinkedinLearn more about AssurantThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Michael Trout, VP and CHRO at State Farm, leaders in mutual insurance and the largest property, casualty, and auto insurance provider in the U.S., with over 60,000 employees. Michael has been with State Farm for more than 30 years, having served in different leadership positions including VP of Operations in Human Resources. And on this episode, Michael is discussing how to improve employee value proposition, why you should accept a lateral position change, and using AI to customize the digital employee experience.Quotes*”My director wanted somebody who understood the business but could also communicate with the employees, create followership, connect with employees and build relationships. That's the skill that's probably helped me throughout my whole career is you have to be able to speak business. If you can't speak business, you lose credibility in the boardroom.”*”I wouldn't give up the lateral moves for anything, because they gave me the foundation across multiple areas, but gave me the flexibility, the agility, and the foundation so that when I did move up, I didn't have to learn as much because I had that foundation across multiple channels.”*”It's always about promotion, promotion, promotion. My argument is, ‘Learn as much as you can so that when you're promoted, you have a leg up and you have an advantage over the people who don't have all of those experiences across the organization.'”*”Once someone feels like they belong in the organization, that's when the magic starts happening. They then understand the mission and the purpose. The job becomes a lot more fun because they feel like they fit there. They have great relationships.They have a mission that they can get behind. That's when they start their career and can build out a career in the organization.”Time Stamps*[8:01] The Flight Plan: Get to know State Farm*[10:49] First Class: Best EX practices at State Farm*[30:17] Turbulence: EX lessons learned*[33:33] Smooth Landing: Michael's advice for other EX leadersLinksConnect with Michael on LinkedInCheck out State FarmThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Bill Taylor, Managing Director at MSCI, a global leader in investment services and solutions. Bill has over 20 years of experience dedicated to managing the digital infrastructure at companies like JPMorgan Chase. He brings with him an “engineering mindset” of solving problems instead of just fixing them. And on this episode, Bill is discussing the benefits of shifting employee communications to video, why it's important to offer accessibility options by default, and how MSCI leverages data to be proactive instead of reactive.Quotes*”We've changed the mindset of the team to be proactive instead of reactive. When we think about traditional workplace technology or IT types of support, it's often responding to problems that people are having, fixing it and moving on to the next problem. My team has evolved and invested in tools to be proactive. We use the tools to help us get in front of certain issues and at a minimum inform people about what those might be. But ideally actually fix them before they impact a large portion of our organization.”*”We built a customer success team that is interacting more with our employees so we can understand better about what their needs are and get ahead of them. It has created an environment where our employees feel comfortable, they know who to go to in order to help them get what they need.*”We have all these potential [accessibility] solutions that we can offer to people to help them. Just because I'm not hearing about them or physically seeing someone who may have a specific disability doesn't mean that they don't need them. So that's when it struck me. I needed to get the information out there, let people know that these solutions or features or functions within applications exist.”Time Stamps*[3:07] The Flight Plan: Get to know MSCI*[6:02] First Class: Best EX practices at MSCI*[6:31] How can you be proactive to predict and prevent issues with the digital employee experience? *[27:05] Turbulence: EX lessons learned*[30:11] How does Bill lead in stressful situations?LinksConnect with Bill on LinkedInLearn more about MSCIThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

2022 was a year of exploring new heights on Cruising Altitude. So we wanted to share some highlights with you. In this episode, we're looking back on our conversations with leaders at companies like Sony, Lockheed Martin, Sam's Club, and more. And celebrating what we've learned from them about supporting a world class employee experience. Quotes*“I don't think experience is something that can be worked on. I think it's a fluid living, breathing entity. And I like to ask a question from our core team in HR and marketing, ‘What will bring more life to the employee experience?'” - Marija Zivanovic-Smith, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at NCR*”When you are implementing improvement in your employee experience, the process never ends. So employees keep on raising the bar, and you are always working to do better.  So you are doing something, you are doing better, but then you need to keep on doing better is something that never finishes.” - Quique Huerta, Global Employee Experience Officer at Liberty Mutual Insurance*”When we operate in so many countries, there are multiple language barriers, which you need to go through. So how do you ensure that what you communicate lands appropriately so that everyone can act on the communication that is being said? One of the big challenges we have as an organization is thinking as one global organization. The headquarters is all about coming up with a framework on how you approach things in a way in which every country in which we operate can take the framework and apply the framework that suits the needs of the respective country's operations.” - Bala Sathyanarayanan, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Greif, IncorporatedLinksConnect with:Marija Zivanovic-SmithQuique HuertaBala SathyanarayananPaulo PisanoAlan WintersChristopher ShryockAlexander SennTheresa AlessoAngie GrossmanJohn JordanMelissa MarshallJoe LaMarcaThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Christopher Shryock, SVP and Chief People Officer at Sam's Club, a chain of membership-only retail warehouses. They have 600 clubs nationwide and another 200 internationally. Christopher heads all things HR-related for the over 100,000 Sam's Club Employees. Before Sam's Club, he spent about 14 years at PepsiCo serving in global HR leadership roles. And on this episode, Christopher talks about why you should rethink hiring based on interviews, how to simplify employee processes, and the real reason why it pays to have a diverse workforce.Quotes*”Having one system is not sufficient to create a great employee experience, but it is a necessity. Because if you don't even know where your associates are, if you can't even have and track basic detail and information about them, how are you ever going to provide them with something that's going to be personalized and relevant?”*”I want to make sure that my team is interacting with the business on areas that matter. And that's about identifying and developing talent, building organizational capability, and holistically solving associate problems. So it's not about automating away communication between HR and the business. But we want to make that much simpler, more relevant, and that we are communicating on things that really matter.”*”We're trying to understand who's likely to stay with us and who's likely to perform better. So understanding and assessing simple, basic cognitive ability, what preferences and experiences people have, and a little bit of situational judgment… And part of why we do that is because we hire people that perform better and stay longer. But the other reason we really do that is trying to remove as much bias from the system as early as we possibly can.”*”When you have a diverse associate population that feels included, they collaborate more, they come up with better ideas, and they have more ownership, not only for their work, but for the outcomes of the company.”Time Stamps*[4:54] The Flight Plan: Get to know Sam's Club*[7:58] First Class: Best EX practices at Sam's Club*[24:19] Turbulence: EX lessons learned*[33:17] The keys to a first class employee experience LinksConnect with Christopher on LinkedInLearn more about Sam's ClubCheck out Live Better UThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Nadine Huggins, Chief Human Resources Officer for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada's national police service. Nadine spent 20 years in public service before joining the RCMP in March of 2020 as Executive Director of Policies, Strategies and Programs. On this episode, Nadine shares with us how she enables employees even in the most remote regions of Canada, how she addresses the mental health risks of policing, and she even dispels myths about the iconic mountie.Quotes*”The very nature of policing as an occupation impacts an individual's overall health and wellbeing. So we can buy the proper shoes, we can ensure that the members have access to physical activity, and we can encourage them to eat well. They're still going out every day and having these interactions that, while 90% of them are not necessarily violent altercations, the other 10% can get more cantankerous. There are experiences, even when they're not aggressive, that wear on an individual.”*”How do you lead from behind? In a time of crisis, sometimes that's exactly what you need to do. The folks who work with me saw right from the beginning [of the pandemic] that I validated what they knew, that I relied on them, that I asked questions, and I had the humility to know that they were the trusted source of information for their employees.”*"If you want a positive employee experience, you really want to make sure that there's good leadership, good communication, and good feedback.“Time Stamps*[6:19] The Flight Plan: Get to know the RCMP*[11:56] Dispelling myths about the RCMP*[14:29] First Class: Best EX practices at the RCMP*[22:23] About the RCMP's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy*[33:49] Turbulence: EX lessons learnedLinksConnect with Nadine on LinkedInLearn more about the RCMPThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Kristin Chapman, Managing Director of People and Culture at AAA, the leader and advocate for safe mobility. Kristin brings to her role a background in cultural anthropology, which she is using to bring a unique perspective on how AAA has developed an internal brand as strong as its external legacy. On this episode, Kristin talks about developing new traditions, supporting employees through important transitions in their careers, and staying relevant over more than a century of business.Quotes*”Business partners are connectors, thought partners, advisors and solution finders. And really in today's world of an organization and the important role that employees play in the organization's success and the business' success, I think all HR folks should consider themselves business partners.”*”To start traditions, you just have to try things out and see what sticks. And then you'll find that you iterate [and] people will gravitate to things that they like to do. People will start to ask about, ‘Oh, remember how fun that was? Let's do that again.' And really, nothing has to be perfect the first time. Traditions and rituals, they really evolve over time. But even stories, stories that you have a part of the folklore of an organization, these are things that really connect people to the past and make them proud to be part of the future.”*”When you can take those moments of time to reflect… and you give that moment of reflection and honor and recognition to someone's service, for example, that really has an important role to play in helping people feel proud, feel connected to the mission of AAA. And those moments of reflection play a very important role.”*”Culture has to evolve. There are good elements of every culture and there are important elements of every culture. There's also elements that if you don't evolve them and they stay status quo, that they can actually be your downfall. And so an organization like AAA who is 120 years in the making obviously has so many good elements that have created that success. At the same time, you don't know that you need to change if your view is always standing inside your own building and looking out the window at others. And I think legacy organizations fall into that challenge.“Time Stamps*[7:20] The Flight Plan: Get to know AAA*[10:04] First Class: Best EX practices at AAA*[25:23] How to start your own traditions at your company*[40:03] Turbulence: EX lessons learnedLinksConnect with Kristin on LinkedInCheck out AAAThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Dan Weber, CHRO at Marsh McLennan Agency, Southwest. Marsh McLennan Agency is a global professional services firm that provides business insurance, employee health & benefits, retirement, and private client insurance solutions to organizations and individual clients. There, Dan leads the HR team and oversees compensation, benefits, onboarding, and more. On this episode, Dan talks with us about becoming a pied piper for talent, finding the sweet spot between responsibilities and compensation, and balancing professionalism and authenticity.Quotes*”We spend so much time in the business world focusing on our development areas, our weaknesses. But we sometimes forget that we bring natural talents and strengths and we can gain a lot by capitalizing on those while also looking at our blind spots. But if all we do is spend time on our blind spots, then we forget about some of the natural gifts and strengths that we have.”*”One of the things we always emphasize with our supervisors - and that's [an] old term, but it's the best one I can use. I often like to say people managers that we're managers of people - and letting those people managers realize that they are often the most important conversation at their employees' dinner tables every night.”*”Employees don't stay or leave an organization. They leave a boss. They leave that people manager. Or they stay because of that relationship.”*”We do try to show folks that you can be a part of something that is bigger than yourself. That you are there during small business owners' worst day, their absolute worst day. And you're there to let them know that they're covered. And that they are gonna be okay. That they're going to be able to recover because MMA was there for them. But it didn't start on that worst day. It started in the very beginning when our very technical professionals are able to look at that risk management spend and determine what is the right mix for them… And so when we sell the vision that you can be a part of something, a cause, you could be a part of giving organizations a peace of mind, that's one step. The next step is that your whole job is to make sure that important decision makers in the C-suite, from the CFO, the COO, the CEO, you're knee to knee with them, making sure that they are taking care of their most important line items, the most important spend, insuring their physical assets, but also insuring their employees. You can't get more important than that.”*"I'm convinced 90% of employee relations situations are where an employee just needs to feel permission to take control of the situation, whether it's providing difficult feedback to someone who's In the interaction with them or to take themselves out of the equation and even leave the organization if they need to. But allowing them to regain a sense of control."*"Communicate what you can control and communicate what you don't know. It is absolutely okay to say, ‘Here are the things that we know. Here are the things that we don't know.' And the type of trust you get from that honesty and transparency is amazing. I can't tell you how many times through the pandemic I had to say, ‘I don't know, but as soon as I do, I'll let you know.' And then giving folks something to count on.”Time Stamps*[4:56] The Flight Plan: Get to know Marsh McLennan Agency*[12:50] First Class: Best EX practices at Marsh McLennan Agency*[36:03] Turbulence: EX lessons learned*[39:55] Smooth Landing: Advice for other EX leadersLinksConnect with Dan on LinkedInCheck out Marsh McLennan AgencyThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with John Jordan, Head of The Academy at Bank of America. He has been with Bank of America for nearly 20 years. Under his leadership, The Academy has received over 100 awards including becoming the first JD Power Certified Career Development organization. In his current role, John is responsible for serving Bank of America's over 200,000 employees. He oversees employee onboarding, global learning and skill development for the company. And in this episode, he's sharing with us how journey mapping the employee experience sets candidates up for success, how to identify candidates who may have otherwise fallen through the cracks, and how they create a lifelong learning experience.Quotes*”A best practice is thinking about every process that you have as a company with real granularity, spending time journey mapping experiences that you want to have. That means onboarding through your training experience. If you're not spending the time journey mapping everything from the email that they get when they get there day one, to that coaching session, then it's probably not happening the way that you expect it to happen.”*”We really show that we prioritize people's skills and that we are invested in a lifelong learning experience. We really want people to be here to feel like it's not just about where I got my degree or where I graduated from high school. That can be decades ago for some. We want them to feel like they're currently being invested in and learning new skills… So as an academy, we try to make sure that we're building world class programs, not just to check a box, but things that really are tangible and that matter, and that are making an impact… They feel like the company is actually making it possible and investing real, tangible assets to make their jobs better and to make their careers more successful.”*”We've continued to invest more and more into our people because we see the return on that investment. And the long term impact that it makes on the flexibility of our company and on the careers that our people have.”*”When people just aren't able to do this function and we've tried training them, we've tried a bunch of different things and it's just not working, sometimes taking a step back and looking at a different way of training that skill, using a different technology or using a different approach is how we solve that.”*”The thing that's helped me to be successful in this job and in a lot of jobs is [to] create a vision. To really understand that if you want something to happen, it's not going to start with just little incremental steps… without a vision, you're going to stay the same. So I think that you have to challenge yourself and have the courage to not let your fears get in the way of that vision. Not let doubts get in the way of that vision, but really take aggressive steps to accomplish it.”*”You think about great leaders, great coaches, or great teachers. Sometimes they're the ones who you really don't like at all in the moment, but they're the most honest with you. And so, as a leader, I've found it tremendously important to be very honest with people. And whether or not they like what I'm saying, I tell them the truth with dignity to make sure that they understand exactly what the expectation is, what it is that they're missing, so that they can get better. And I think that if you take the approach where you're going to treat people with dignity and you're going to invest in them with truth, but also to push them to be better at what they do.”*”In today's world, it'd be easy for us to just look in the traditional sources for talent. And those are still great sources. But I would say that if you really build programs like The academy has that creates a skills-based learning plan and onboarding for anybody, then it opens doors to a lot of people who might have fallen through the cracks… And that gives us the ability to hire so much more broadly, and opens talent doors that we may never [have] found before.”Time Stamps*[4:04] The Flight Plan: Get to know The Academy at Bank of America*[12:57] First Class: Best EX practices at The Academy at Bank of America*[26:47] Turbulence: EX lessons learned*[37:16] Advice for other EX leadersLinksConnect with John on LinkedInCheck out The Academy at Bank of AmericaThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Bala Sathyanarayanan, EVP & CHRO at Greif, Inc., a world-class global industrial packaging products and services provider. Grief is a legacy company, having been founded in 1877. It is also the 7th oldest publicly traded company in the United States with the same stock symbol. Prior to Greif, Bala served as EVP of Business Transformation and Human Resources at Xerox, and VP of Human Resources at Hewlett Packard. On this episode, Bala discusses how to develop an employee experience framework based on your business' core values, how HR leaders are strategic partners to the business, and how to build a lasting legacy through servant leadership.Quotes*”When we operate in so many countries, there are multiple language barriers, which you need to go through. So how do you ensure that what you communicate lands appropriately so that everyone can act on the communication that is being said? One of the big challenges we have as an organization is thinking as one global organization. The headquarters is all about coming up with a framework on how you approach things in a way in which every country in which we operate can take the framework and apply the framework that suits the needs of the respective country operations.” *”Every colleague in the company can be a leader, should be a leader, must be a leader, has the opportunity to be a leader. We believe as leaders, our job is to empower our colleagues to do the right thing for our customers. And we do not believe in a hierarchical organization. In fact, the style of leadership we practice at Greif, we call it servant leadership, which is I'm here to serve my colleagues in a way in which my colleagues could do the right thing to serve our customers.”*”If a colleague feels safe, welcomed, celebrated, and cherished in the organization, they feel that they belong here. When they belong here, they could bring their whole selves to work. If you are supported by your manager in the organization, if you're provided a platform to learn, grow, and succeed, and if you could bring your whole self to work where you could feel safe, welcome, celebrated, and cherished, it can help drive organizations engagement up, and that could lead to better customer outcomes.” *”It feeds both ways. Just as they are helping the organization grow, the organization has an obligation to help our colleagues grow. So we meet them where they are and help them grow for colleagues who have demonstrated the desire and the ambition and have the attitude to grow.”*”The purpose of the organization needs to be absolutely clear so that every colleague who makes a choice to come and work in the organization can see their personal purpose connected to the larger purpose.”*”Perfection can be a big stumbling block in terms of getting stuff done for our colleagues. Our colleagues are absolutely fine with getting something 85, 90%, right. And then they'll help us get the bridge to the last 5% or 10%. And they also feel proud that they were part of the design process rather than shoving something down their throats saying, ‘I know what you need. Take this.' That never works and that's been a big learning.”*”Our job as leaders is to enable an ecosystem where our managers can have these conversations and build these IDPs, the individual development plans, on an individual basis. Personalize it to suit the needs of every colleague so that every colleague feels connected to their organization through the manager, because the manager is helping enable their career growth inside the organization.”Time Stamps*[4:08] The Flight Plan: Get to know Greif, Inc.*[11:01] First Class: Best EX practices at Greif, Inc.*[30:02] Turbulence: EX lessons learned*[35:24] Advice for other EX leadersLinksConnect with Bala on LinkedInCheck out Greif, Inc.Thanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Paulo Pisano, Chief People Officer at Booking Holdings, the world's leader in online travel that includes several brands including Booking.com, Priceline, and RentalCars.com. At Booking Holdings, he heads the people agenda for their 20,000 employees. In this episode, Paulo discusses how to present a strong value proposition to hook great talent, how he tunes in to each of their markets, and how to provide a consistent employee experience globally.Quotes*”By staying close to the realities and the dynamics of each of the markets we do business in, we ensure we are relevant. We are effective in engaging our people and ensuring that whatever we do or however we do our work, it's going to be aligned with the general expectations people might have in a given market.”*”I remember one meeting in particular at that stage [in the pandemic] where we had a pretty busy agenda ahead of us. And I had an instinct to just wipe out the agenda and to have a meeting, to talk about how are we doing, just to do a long check in with the team and to go around the room and hear from each other what's going on for us. How are we experiencing this moment, this situation, where we are taking care of everybody else sometimes at the detriment of taking care of ourselves? And it was a very powerful session…A lot of very important insights on a personal level, certainly, but [on] a professional level as well can come from being able to listen to yourself more effectively, to what's going on for you.” *”That was a really powerful moment, when it's no longer just the company that is so to speak hierarchically taking care of employees, but when people start taking care of each other. When you start developing a sense of engagement that is not top down. It's not structured or corporate, but an engagement that really shows the care that I was talking about, whether people really care for each other are trying to help each other… a lot of it was around enabling employees to help each other, to support each other, to support themselves…facilitating communication and connection in all directions around the organization.”*”The effectiveness of your role in a leadership role in the HR space is much more around your ability to ask great questions, to put the mirror back to the person, to be a good coach, to build new perspectives than to just have the answer.” Time Stamps*[3:41] The Flight Plan: Get to know Booking Holdings*[12:02] First Class: Best EX practices at Booking Holdings*[19:28] Turbulence: EX lessons learned*[27:27] Advice for other EX leadersLinksConnect with Paulo on LinkedInCheck out Booking HoldingsThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Melissa Marshall, Vice President of People and Organization at Banfield Pet Hospital, the largest veterinary practice in the U.S. Mel is responsible for leading the people strategy at Banfield, where she serves 20,000 associates including veterinarians and their staff. In this episode, Mel discusses how to use layers of technology to support communication among employees, how to increase diversity in a predominantly white profession, and the many ways Banfield is making the veterinary profession more accessible.Quotes*”It's so important to have that human connection. One of the things that we know is that word of mouth is how connection happens [and] how community is really fostered. And so whether it's through our diversity resource groups, whether it's through our mental health and wellbeing offerings, we've really balanced low tech, medium tech, high tech to be able to create community and draw community around some of these major topics.”*”At the end of the day, what we do is for our people. It's not for the business. It's to make a better world for our people.”*”We have a mission to truly understand people for who they are, their whole selves, everything about them. Truly understand their capabilities, truly understand what's possible, versus that proverbial ‘judging a book by its cover'. I count it my mission personally to ensure that [in] any organization that I work with, people will come first. We will listen. We will listen at scale, and we will act on what our people say.” *”Relationships, relationships, relationships…the ability to partner well and successfully is going to come from having great relationships with your team, to partner well and collaborate. As they say, teamwork makes the dream work. And so the more that you can start your career with relationships at the foundation, I think will be critical.”*”The people strategy is the business strategy.”Time Stamps*[4:23] The Flight Plan: Get to know Banfield Pet Hospital*[7:38] First Class: Best EX practices at Banfield Pet Hospital*[25:21] Turbulence: EX lessons learned*[37:55] Advice for other EX leadersLinksConnect with Melissa on LinkedInCheck out Banfield Pet HospitalThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Alan Winters, Chief People Officer and Chief Diversity Officer at Teleperformance Group, the worldwide leader in outsourced omnichannel customer experience management. Alan is responsible for HR, learning and development, and talent acquisition at Teleperformance Group, which has over 420,000 employees across 88 countries around the world. Alan was born to lead a truly global and diverse company, having lived and traveled around the world with his family growing up. In this episode, Alan talks about trying out new technologies like the Metaverse, what it takes to be a certified Great Place to Work, and how hiring a diverse workforce benefits your bottom line.Quotes*”In our world today, you have to have a broad view. And you have to have diversity with an open mind to understand where people are coming from. Or if you put it in today's vernacular, the ‘emotional intelligence' to understand how people interact with you, how they hear what you say, understand or take or do, et cetera. So I think my background has enabled me to have that broad thought process to think that way naturally. And it's helped me in my career.”*”Our people know we're interested in what they're thinking and feeling. And more importantly, we take action on what they say.”*”If you have a vast, diverse workforce with different perspectives and mindsets, that allows all of those creative ideas to bubble up and to people to feel comfortable to say, ‘Hey, let's do this, or this, or this.' And that drives right down to, we firmly believe that if our people are satisfied and happy at work, they'll provide good service to our clients and therefore our clients will be happy. And that is a direct reflection on the bottom line.”*”We have this gamification, or we're testing all sorts of new training methodologies to get people through training faster and make it more exciting. Because from a work-from-home environment, you just don't want to be in your home office in front of the computer for eight or nine hours a day. We have to make it really engaging. So we're using those types of technologies to really revolutionize how we deliver that work to our people.”*”[When handling employee feedback], the key is you listen, you react, and you communicate with what you find openly. If you do that, people will have confidence in an escalation process. They'll have confidence that you value their opinion and people will be more apt to express their opinion because they know it'll be listened to.”*”It's important for people to know that you're human. And because we're human, we all make mistakes. I think in order for anyone to be a good leader, the people you work with need to understand that you make mistakes and it's perfectly fine to make a mistake… And why that's important from a business perspective is the faster you understand there's a mistake made the easier it is to fix it. If it festers and continues on and on, it may end up being a much bigger problem a few weeks or months down the road. So you wanna create that environment from a leadership perspective so you know what's going on and you can go fix the problem, and you do that together.”Time Stamps*[5:47] The Flight Plan: Get to know Teleperformance Group*[10:18] First Class: Best EX practices at Teleperformance Group*[25:16] Turbulence: EX lessons learned*[35:10] Advice for other EX leadersLinksConnect with Alan on LinkedInCheck out Teleperformance GroupThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Greg Sexton, Chief Operating Officer at Century 21 Real Estate LLC. Greg has been with Anywhere Real Estate, Century 21's parent company, for over a decade and has received numerous awards for his leadership. As COO, Greg leads both domestic and international operations including tech tools and apps, learning, and he oversees the field servicing staff. In this episode, Greg talks about the best-in-class tech tools Century 21 offers to employees, how to maintain the integrity of your brand, and having a game plan ready so your team knows exactly what to do in any challenging situation.Quotes*”You're always going to have an experience potentially where it's not great with an employee. And other employees watch to see how you react to a bad situation - let's call it a bad apple that might be in your organization. And I think that's just as important as how you treat those employees that are doing great. How do you also react to those employees that aren't doing the right thing?” *”There is one thing that we all have to have and maintain at all times, and that's integrity. Because the moment you lose integrity with an employee, with an outside customer, you'll never get it back.”*”Mistakes are going to happen. And when they happen, how do we learn from that mistake? We take the mistake and dissect it and figure out what's the lesson that we learned here, so we make sure it doesn't happen again.”*”The pandemic showed us we're all normal people and normal things happen in a household. And so it's amazing now that we can come on a call and there'll be 10 of us on a call, and you'll hear somebody's dog barking in the background and that's okay. In fact, that's a great thing, because we're all human and human things happen. And I actually think that it creates a lighter load from an environment perspective, that it's okay to be real, to be you.”*”Your employees are looking for you to step up and lead. And I think you do that by being very decisive. When times are tough for your employees, they want to see you stepping up and taking control and being decisive in the decisions that you make, because they want to see that everything's under control. And if you act as a leader like things are spiraling or things are crazy, guess what? They're not going to have confidence that everything's under control.”Time Stamps*[4:01] The Flight Plan: Get to know Century 21 Real Estate*[10:12] First Class: Best EX practices at Century 21 Real Estate*[21:21] Turbulence: EX lessons learned*[38:13] Advice for other EX leadersLinksConnect with Greg on LinkedInCheck out Century 21 Real EstateThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Theresa Alesso, President of Sony Electronics' Imaging Products and Solutions Americas Division. She has been with Sony for over 30 years in various roles. In her current position as President, she's responsible for sales and marketing operations for the company's professional products and imaging solutions. In this episode, Theresa talks about supporting women in business, mentoring employees in their career journey, and leading them to professional fulfillment.Quotes*”Although our employees are all unique, we try to address all of them in a way that bridges those gaps and brings their uniqueness to the table. We focus on our employees, we focus on our business, and we focus on our culture. Because the uniqueness is what makes everyone special and then how we can elevate and ignite that, we do within this global behaviors framework.”*”Your leadership can help provide mentor capabilities for you, can help give you an honest assessment of where your opportunities are and where your development areas need to be. Because no one's perfect. We all need to develop. But we own our own journey. So I think that's most critical.” *”If you own your journey–your life journey and your work journey–they're kind of integrated, you have to figure out what's going to make you happy and where you see yourself 10 years from now. As hard as that is to do, and then take the opportunities that are in front of you that help round you out, even if it's not your end-state and even if it's not a promotion. That's sometimes hard for people to hear, but it's so critically important, because some of the laterals that I personally took are what enabled me to sit in the chair that I'm in now. Maybe I didn't realize it at the time. So it's super important that people are open to moving laterally, gaining as much in their toolkit as they can so that when that next position to get that promotion comes, you can say, ‘But look, I've done each area of this business. I deserve the shot at this.' Lateral is critical.”*”Anyone, man or woman, can accomplish anything. But there are certain hurdles, women in business have to plow through or jump over. And I love to be able to tell the story, inspire other women, that they need to speak up for themselves. You may never a hundred percent be qualified for any job, but you've got to believe in yourself and put your name out there. Otherwise you'll watch everybody pass you by if you don't take some risk.”Time Stamps*[3:44] The Flight Plan: Get to know Sony Electronics*[10:20] First Class: Best EX practices at Sony Electronics*[31:27] Turbulence: EX lessons learned*[38:34] Advice for other EX leadersLinksConnect with Theresa on LinkedinCheck out Sony Electronics' IPSA DivisionThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

A brand new season of Cruising Altitude is coming. Firstup is excited to bring you insights from employee experience experts at companies with over 30,000 employees. We'll hear from leaders at companies like Sony and Century 21 discuss their best practices, lessons learned, and advice for other EX professionals. Join us as we look deep into what makes an excellent digital employee experience. Welcome to Cruising Altitude.

This episode features highlights from our first season.  We hear from 7-time CIO Mark Settle, Brady Pyle, Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer at NASA, Tony Saldanha, former VP of Global Business Services at Procter & Gamble, and more. Together, they bring you the most relevant insights to help you attract and retain world-class talent, implement effective tech tools, and improve leadership skills.Quotes*“There is this trap we fall into of assuming we know what employees want and what they need. And we don't. We can make some generalizations, but we need to ask. We need to be asking the questions to understand truly what employees need inside an organization. And we need to understand that will evolve and change.” - Joey Wilkerson, Employee Experience Lead and Acquisition Integration Manager at Cisco*“I began to challenge some of those notions around leadership. And I have seen, I have observed and experienced that you can be yourself and be an effective leader.” - Brady Pyle, Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer at NASA*“How do we get engagement of 38,000 people so they feel connected? And engagement that doesn't stop. Engagement that is ongoing and engagement that makes them an active participant in our brand, in our vision, in our story in our strategy, and connected? That, for me, this is about being human. Yes, tools and technology. And we'll talk about tools and technology. And I know very likely to ask me about that as well. They play a role. But this is about connection, communication, empathy. Truly, it's about understanding each other.” - Marija Zivanovic-Smith, EVP of Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs at NCR CorporationTime Stamps*[1:27] 7-time CIO Mark Settle*[1:51] Joey Wilkerson, Employee Experience Lead and Acquisition Integration Manager at Cisco*[2:27] Nicole Alvino, CEO and Founder of Firstup*[3:32] Jâlie Cohen, Group SVP of HR Americas at The Adecco Group*[4:21] Aaron Gerlitz, Program Manager of Information Security at Lowe's*[4:53] Erica Cary, VP of Product and Services at Hilton*[5:36] Weston Morris, Director of Global Strategy for Digital Workplace Services at Unisys*[6:09] Brady Pyle, Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer at NASA*[6:35] Marija Zivanovic-Smith, EVP of Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs at NCR Corporation*[7:24] Alexander Senn, Head of People and Organization at Siemens Smart Infrastructure*[8:04] Lisa Cummings Penn, Executive Director of Employee Engagement in the Office of the CIO at Estée Lauder Companies*[9:01] Angie Grossman, Senior Employee Experience Specialist at WarnerMedia*[9:21] Tony Saldanha, former VP of Global Business Services at Procter & Gamble*[10:10] Quique Huerta, Global Employee Experience Officer at Liberty Mutual InsuranceLinksConnect with:7-time CIO Mark SettleJoey Wilkerson, Employee Experience Lead and Acquisition Integration Manager at CiscoNicole Alvino, CEO and Founder of FirstupJâlie Cohen, Group SVP of HR Americas at The Adecco GroupAaron Gerlitz, Program Manager of Information Security at Lowe'sErica Cary, VP of Product and Services at HiltonWeston Morris, Director of Global Strategy for Digital Workplace Services at UnisysBrady Pyle, Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer at NASAMarija Zivanovic-Smith, EVP of Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs at NCR CorporationAlexander Senn, Head of People and Organization at Siemens Smart InfrastructureLisa Cummings Penn, Executive Director of Employee Engagement in the Office of the CIO at Estée Lauder CompaniesAngie Grossman, Senior Employee Experience Specialist at WarnerMediaTony Saldanha, former VP of Global Business Services at Procter & GambleQuique Huerta, Global Employee Experience Officer at Liberty Mutual InsuranceThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Joseph LaMarca, Vice President of Communications at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. Lockheed Martin is a massive company with over 114,000 employees.  And Joe leads a world-class communications team that's responsible for employee executive communications, media relations, marketing, philanthropy and more. In this episode, Joe talks about how to build a supportive culture at work, communicate across silos, and be your employees' wingman.Quotes*”There's a saying in the aerospace or aviation world, it's called ‘check six.' And check six means that when you're flying and you're in the lead, you know that your wingman has your back. Nobody's going to come up from behind and knock you out of the sky. We do the same thing here. We have each other's back.”*”Do people feel valued when they come to work? Do they feel like what they do matters? That's really important to us. We focus a lot at Lockheed Martin on culture and creating an experience for employees where they can bring their whole self to work.”*”Best practice: engage. I know something about everybody on my team. I have over 200 people and I get to know them. I'm engaged with them on a regular basis.”*”Embracing new tools and technologies is important for any good leader or strong leader. Whether it's Box, Slack or Airtable, these are tools I have to learn because my team uses them and it helps us do our job better.”*”Empathy is really about understanding that everybody has unique experiences, unique beliefs, unique opportunities and challenges. And so trying to understand what those are for each individual and what makes them tick is highly important. I think about what do they need? How do I understand what those challenges are and how do I embrace them?”*”One of the things I always end a conversation with is, ‘What feedback do you have for me? What can I do better or different that will make this experience better for you?'”*”When I hang up my spurs at some point, I think if I can look back and say, ‘I know that I had an impact on people and I helped them grow and develop and succeed in life,' then to me, that's the greatest experience I could ever have.”Time Stamps*[3:50] The Flight Plan: Get to know Lockheed Martin Aeronautics*[9:08] First Class: Best EX practices at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics*[23:44] Turbulence: EX lessons learned*[30:28] How to lead in times of difficulty or changeLinksConnect with Joe on LinkedInFollow Joe on TwitterCheck out Lockheed MartinThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Alexander Senn, Head of People and Organization at Siemens Smart Infrastructure. He leads the 70,000 employees that are part of the Smart Infrastructure family. In this episode, Alex talks about the benefits of replacing performance reviews with growth talks, how to handle being challenged by an employee, and the importance of a trusting culture at work.Quotes*”What happens with people when you really trust them and you empower them… you need to give them guidance about what do we want to achieve as a team, as a company, they need to have a clear view on the strategy, but then let them go. And then magic happens because when you give someone the trust, And then the feeling of, ‘You can do that, I believe in you,' It's just amazing what happens.”*”I strongly believe everyone can be a star in something. We just need to find out what area someone can bring in his or her skills in the best way.”*”We implemented growth talks. It's all about really taking the time to reflect on what someone needs. Where are the areas of development and what can I do as a leader to support my employees? Everyday can be growth talks. After every meal, after every meeting, can be a moment of growth talks. And then we talk with our people about what happened. What can we learn out of it? And what kind of support someone needs. We started that journey one and a half years ago. We're in the middle of it, but I can already see a difference. It's a different culture of how people feel, also how they behave within the team, the interactions with leaders, and it's much more positive, future-oriented. And really, the spirit of growing, learning, achieving something together. I strongly believe it's because we got rid of performance management ratings and established growth talks.”*“The best ideas are out of a discussion of a diverse group. This is the change that happened, and wonderful to see. Yes, it may be difficult for me sometimes, because it's not always my idea. And to be really honest with you, I love when my idea is perceived as the best and we were going that direction. I love that. Everyone loves that. But you need to learn as a leader, it's not always the best idea. The best ideas always come out of a team discussion.”*“Sometimes we don't have enough opportunities for young talented people. Because when someone is at the top of the game, top of their career, they don't want to move. Because it's great up there and they have a big responsibility. But I think we need to learn to step back and make room for talent. For example, myself. I love my job. I've had the job for three years. I could imagine doing that job for the next 15 years, but that would not be good for the company or for the organization. So that's why I promise you I'll step back in four to five years. Because it's good to have someone taking over, bringing in some new ideas and creating a different dynamic. So we need to establish a culture of movement within the company.”*“To be challenged as a leader is not always easy. Because maybe you're proud of something because you developed something with your team and it's successful. And then you have someone joining the team from outside who is challenging your process. The natural reaction right away is to defend. And this is not good. First, you need to listen, to understand what is being challenged, the reason why, and really listen, listen, listen, listen, listen. And then step out of your role of being in charge of that process. We need to look at it as a consultant. Maybe she or he is right. And then try to be open for change. But then track, is it improving? Do we achieve better results? And I think this is the key.”*“No one will leave a company because of a tool or because of a process. They will leave the company because of the culture.”*“To care means also to be very tough sometimes. In a situation when someone is not fulfilling the requirements or they don't do the job, then we need to tell them. Or when we think, ‘We tried, it's not the right job.' And we try to invest in training, et cetera, and someone's really not fulfilling the requirements. Then we need to act. And this is also caring. So also to end the contract with someone, or to say, ‘I think we should go different ways.' This is also caring.”*“I love the people. I have a strong bond with them and with my employer, Siemens. But I also see risk here. We should have, all of us, a healthy distance to the company, because it's not all about the job and the company. I think family, yourself, you're much more important. Your health, what you love, what you like, who you are. You're not the company, you're not the role. The role is the role, and maybe you will leave the role one day.”Time Stamps*[2:52] The Flight Plan: Get to know Siemens Smart Infrastructure*[4:59] First Class: Best EX practices at Siemens Smart Infrastructure*[26:13] Turbulence: EX lessons learned*[36:45] Advice for other EX leadersLinksConnect with Alexander on LinkedInCheck out Siemens Smart InfrastructureThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Jâlie Cohen. She is the Group SVP of HR Americas at The Adecco Group. She leads EX for the 9,000 employees across the U.S., Canada and Latin America. In this episode, Jâlie talks about launching a new recruiting system, running a successful onboarding experience, and how the employee experience starts way before hire, with brand perception.Quotes*”Everyone owns the employee experience. Oftentimes I'll read periodicals that really focus on what we, as HR, can do. And I think that we miss the opportunity to say how employees are also equally responsible for ensuring that they have a great employee experience as well by leveraging the tools that they are provided, by having a self-developing focus on, ‘how can I go out and self-serve myself,' versus waiting for people to come to me to offer an experience.”*”By the time a person has decided to apply for your role, they're applying to the brand. How you brand yourself in the market is critical. Employees are not only being extremely selective, but they are deciding whether you're aligned from a value perspective.”*”When someone joins an organization, don't forget the importance of human connectedness. It can be a small item, something as simple as a branded coffee mug and a note from you to let them know that you're expecting them… Make sure you're taking the time to personalize the onboarding experience. That first impression is key.”Time Stamps*[4:28] The Flight Plan: Get to know The Adecco Group*[8:19] First Class: Best EX practices at The Adecco Group*[29:34] Turbulence: EX lessons learned*[36:33] Advice for other EX leadersLinksConnect with Jâlie on LinkedInCheck out ChiefCheck out OneTenThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Weston Morris. He is the Director of Global Strategy for Digital Workplace Services at Unisys. He is responsible for leading the global strategy for emerging technologies that impact digital worker productivity – including Natural Language Processing, Artificial Intelligence, Automation, Merged Reality, Virtualization and IoT. In this episode, he talks about experience level agreements or XLAs, micro personalization as the future of employee experience, and getting an accurate picture of what employees are really experiencing at your company.Quotes*”About 45% of employees that are working from home are installing software that they know is not approved by corporate IT in their home environment. They just needed it. [They think,] ‘You're not meeting my experience needs, and guess what? I'm going to bypass security and hopefully nothing bad happens as a result.' And yet the corporation thinks that everything's fine. That is a jarring disconnect. It's something that every IT department really needs to be looking at closely.”*”You really have to be careful about what you're measuring and what you're inferring from that. During the early days of the pandemic, productivity was up. But the reality was, we weren't able to do anything else. [Employees had] already binge watched Seinfeld or The Office, and they couldn't go to restaurants or sports events. So they just stayed home and worked, and worked some more. And so that's what showed that productivity was up, but that is not sustainable. You really need to make sure you're measuring the right stuff and have a holistic picture. And you need to have two way communication to understand what the real experience is of your employees.”*“I go back to this organizational change management. You need to explain, what's changing, why it's changing, what [your] role is in that change. And then if it doesn't work right, where do [they] go to get help? If you can answer those questions, I'm going to feel good about it. And I'm going to mostly support, or maybe even be an ambassador for the change.”*“Anytime that there's a failure, it's kind of easy to get into the trap of finger-pointing. But the reality is not all changes work. Where I've seen it really work well is when you try to fail fast and move on, not to allow the failure to linger and take forever to be discovered. And it's hard to do if you, as a leader, are discouraged. So one of the things I do is try to focus on my own attitude first.”*”Don't be quick to judge somebody or put them in the box. A lot of times, that first impression is not quite right. And realize that everyone you meet is going to be smarter or better than you at something. So if you can find out what that is, and extract that gem from that other person, it's just going to help you. And then the flip side is be ready to collaborate and share. “Time Stamps*[4:00] The Flight Plan: Get to know Unisys*[12:49] First Class: Best EX practices at Unisys*[27:44] Turbulence: EX lessons learned*[33:37] Advice for other EX leadersLinksConnect with Weston on LinkedInCheck out XLA.TVCheck out the Digital Workplace Deep Dive podcastThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Quique Huerta. He is the Global Employee Experience Officer at Liberty Mutual Insurance. Quique has led the Global Employee Experience group since its inception in early 2020. He is responsible for keeping the pulse on how employees are feeling and leading the creation of amazing employee experiences. In this episode, Quique discusses identifying the moments that matter to employees, the importance of challenging the status quo, and aligning employee purpose with the company vision.Quotes*”The reason why I'm still at Liberty after so many years is because I have always received the support to grow and develop personally and professionally. And I have also felt the support to make things better, to challenge the status quo, and to work with purpose. So it's really important that we can match our individual purpose with the company purpose. It's actually what I'm doing now [at Liberty]. It's a perfect match between my individualized purpose and what the company is pursuing.”*”At the end of the day, we spend so many hours in our companies that we need to build the best environment possible for all of our people. People come to work happier when they feel that they have special meaning in what they do.”*”We have been working to identify what the moments are that matter the most to our employees. And we have confirmed something that we thought before starting the process, that those moments are quite universal.”*”Cultural change takes time. So you need to be resilient and persistent. We were able to keep on pushing for what we believed in, and I think it really paid off. Our people were feeling very proud of being part of our company.”*”When you are implementing improvement in your employee experience, the process never ends. So employees keep on raising the bar, and you are always working to do better. That is something that never finishes.” *“When there are so many connection activities, it could go against the other things that employees want to do. Not everyone has the same level of connectivity desire. So it is very important to understand everyone on your team and to customize activities.”Time Stamps*[3:27] The Flight Plan: Get to know Liberty Mutual Insurance*[14:17] First Class: Best EX practices at Liberty Mutual Insurance*[18:50] Turbulence: EX lessons learned*[23:24] Advice for other EX leadersLinksConnect with Quique on LinkedInThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Angie Grossman, a Senior Specialist of Employee Experience and Lead Communications Liaison for the Talent Strategy & Employee Experience Team at WarnerMedia. Angie is responsible for employee onboarding and engagement as well as promoting a positive work culture. In this episode, she talks about alternatives to Zoom meetings, bringing enjoyment to digital engagement, and putting the human back into human resources.Quotes*”We implemented No Meeting Fridays, which I think have been really nice for people to be able to say, ‘Okay, Friday I can catch up on my email. I can get things in a good place before Monday.' And optional team happy hours or open office hours, hangouts, and leaving those types of community events open-ended. If you want to join, there is no pressure. Because we want to make sure we're balancing keeping people engaged, but not adding to their workload.”*”It's really important to make the time to make those connections. Have those coffee chats, get to know people, learn about them and really keep in touch. Because creating connection is how you can create engagement.”“As a leader within the company, we don't know what's going on with employees and their personal lives. We don't know what's happening. So I think it's having that mindset of being open and having that human connection with your employees. A quote I live by is ‘Putting the human back in human resources,' because we are all just people at the end of the day.”Time Stamps*[4:03] The Flight Plan: About WarnerMedia and the entertainment industry*[7:24] First Class: Best practices in EX at WarnerMedia*[16:28] The glamourous side of employee experience at WarnerMedia*[20:17] Turbulence: Lessons learned in EX*[24:40] Advice for other EX leadersLinksConnect with Angie on LinkedInThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Marija Zivanovic-Smith, Executive Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs at NCR Corporation. Among Marija's many responsibilities are the global brand strategy and execution, sales enablement, digital marketing, public affairs and communicating with NCR's 38,000 employees. In this episode, she talks about celebrating employee stories, engaging them with the NCR intranet, “Bridge,” and understanding employees' emotional responses through machine learning and neuroscience.Quotes*“The beauty of our employee experience is in our global nature. We operate in over 100 countries, so that global nature creates cultural richness. But at the same time, we're constantly trying to figure out how to create a customized experience that is locally relevant. And that might be different from someone in a smaller town in Asia versus someone who's operating in one of our larger campuses in Belgrade or in Atlanta. It is a real challenge because you have to think about how to preserve brand consistency and brand experience that is fair and engaging for all.”*“I don't think experience is something that can be worked on. I think it's a fluid living, breathing entity. And I like to ask a question from our core team in HR and marketing, ‘What will bring more life to the employee experience?'”*“How do we get the engagement of 38,000 people so they feel connected? Engagement that is ongoing? Engagement that makes them an active participant in our brand, in our vision, in our story, in our strategy? This is about being human. Yes, tools and technology. They play a role. But this is about connection, communication, empathy. It's about understanding each other.”*“Communication starts with listening. It doesn't start with talking.”*“​​We as females, especially in corporate, have really worked hard to be in the positions where we are. And because of that, I think we lose sight of the fact that we can't take ourselves too seriously. We actually are allowed to have fun. Our employees also need to see us making these mistakes and even see us fail. Sometimes there's nothing wrong with that because if they see how we lead through that, they will lead through their mistakes. And that's where growth happens.”Time Stamps*[4:15] The Flight Plan: Get to know NCR Corporation*[15:29] First Class: Best Practices in EX*[27:14] Personalizing the EX on NCR's Bridge*[33:47] Turbulence: Lessons learned in EX*[37:21] The fight against perfectionism among women leaders*[44:42] Advice for other EX leadersLinksConnect with Marija on LinkedInFollow Marija on TwitterThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Jennifer Russo, Senior Director of Corporate Communications and HR Strategy. Jennifer communicates on behalf of the Banner Health system to the 55,000 employees across six states. She also champions the strategy that makes Banner Health a great place to work. In this episode, she talks about communicating effectively during times of crisis, exploring different mediums like videos and podcasts, and offering mental health resources to employees.Quotes*“We've made order out of utter chaos. We've not frozen in the face of crisis. The team has instituted incredible programs and used energy in the face of disruption, and genuinely brought reason to a season of madness. So I think how have we gone above and beyond is, we've not only kept going, but then we've broken new barriers.”*“You have to show up. My team showed up every day, oftentimes seven days a week. You have to be brave. You have to lean in. People are under stress and duress. Give counsel and be brave in the counsel that you give. Because you're ultimately looking to make sure the audiences you are reaching have the right information and, and also to make sure the people providing it are credible. You also have to acknowledge when things stink. There were times where I said to my team, ‘This stinks. We're working seven days a week, for a long, long time, months and months and months.' But you also have to celebrate the wins.”Time Stamps*[3:19] The Flight Plan*[5:53] First Class*[7:56] Personalizing the employee experience*[10:11] Banner Health's Work Your Way flexible scheduling*[13:45] Turbulence*[14:43] Effectively communicating during the pandemic*[16:43] Leading in times of crisis*[19:10] Advice for communications leadersLinksConnect with Jennifer on LinkedInThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Brady Pyle, Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer at NASA.  Brady oversees the Executive HR Directors for NASA's 10 field centers nationwide in the development, execution, and integration of HR services, programs, processes and policies.  In this episode, he talks about expanding their workforce with contractors, the unique experience of working for a federal agency, and what goes into picking the next NASA astronauts.Quotes*“Inclusion is a big value at NASA, because we believe inclusion then drives innovation.”*“Our attrition rate is extremely low. We run 5% attrition and on average our scientists and engineers at NASA stay about seven years after they become retirement eligible. And so, people come to NASA, stick around and want to continue to contribute. And so we offer them that opportunity even after they leave the agency.”*“I began to challenge notions about leadership.  I've experienced that you can be yourself and be an effective leader. You need diversity in leadership styles.”Time Stamps*2:46 NASA introduces the Chief Human Capital Officer role*5:15 Taking an enterprise approach to human capital*5:55 The Flight Plan*7:43 How NASA finds talent*9:36 Offering emeritus programs*12:22 How Brady helps choose the next astronauts*17:55 Hiring contractors through SpaceX and Blue Origin*22:36 First Class*26:08 Communicating across silos*27:29 The elements of an excellent employee experience*28:18 Turbulence*30:12 Creating a cohesive culture across locations*31:41 Embracing diversity in leadership styles*33:06 Collaborating across the agency*37:12 Listen and learn from othersLinksConnect with Brady on LinkedInFollow Brady on TwitterThanks to our friendsThis episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io

This episode features an interview with Lisa Cummings Penn, Executive Director of Employee Engagement in the office of the CIO at Estée Lauder Companies.  Lisa leads employee engagement for IT at ELC.  In this episode, she talks about how one size does not fit all when it comes to employee engagement.Quotes*“Mr. Leonard Lauder has always said listen first and lead second. Really listen to your people.  It's important to have intimate conversations with people and really understand what people want.  Listen to them and take that at face value. Some people prefer to talk one-on-one, others would rather take a survey.  But however it needs to happen, ask people what they want and listen.”*"So one of the things that really came to light during this pandemic time is that one size does not fit all. And I think that that's really one of our biggest lessons learned.  And people just want to engage in a number of different ways.  Some people want one-on-ones.  Some people want to be on a team.  Some people want to learn and engage through newsletters or ask me anything sessions or big town hall events.  And so we really have learned that when doing anything across our teams that we always have to remember that one size does not fit all and we really need to be having these high touch moments to reach everybody and really create meaningful moments for everybody.”Time Stamps*[5:08] The Flight Plan: Get to know Estée Lauder's employee personas*[7:18] All hands on EX*[9:25] First Class: Best EX practices, à la Estée Lauder*[12:06] Gauging success of a new initiative*[16:54] Estée Lauder's hackathons*[20:28] ELC Careers & Internships*[21:30] Creating moments for connection*[23:13] Turbulence: Lessons learned in EX*[26:58] An EX lesson from Mr. Leonard LauderLinksConnect with Lisa on LinkedInCheck out the Estée Lauder HackathonThanks to our friendsThis episode of Cruising Altitude is brought to you by SocialChorus. SocialChorus is the creator of FirstUp, the platform that makes the digital employee experience work for every worker. FirstUp brings personalized information and systems access to every employee, everywhere.No matter whether they're wired, distributed, or on the front line. That's how we help Amazon, AB InBev, GSK, and many others stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at socialchorus.com

This episode features an interview with Joey Wilkerson, Acquisition Integration Manager and Employee Experience Lead at Cisco.  Joey engages new employees with company culture after an acquisition.  On this episode, he talks about starting off on the right foot, the importance of building relationships, and creating a community that supports the whole person.Quotes“There is this trap we fall into of assuming we know what employees want and what they need. And we don't. We can make some generalizations, but we need to ask. And we need to understand that it will evolve and change.”Time Stamps*[4:53] Providing opportunities to engage the whole person*[6:43] The Flight Plan*[9:02] Building a community culture around smaller groups*[12:11] Who own's EX?*[13:14] Differentiating the onboarding experience based on employee persona*[15:18] First Class*[15:39] Onboarding during the pandemic*[18:02] Teach employees how to be self-sufficient*[24:00] Turbulence*[31:33] Don't assume what employees need - ask*[19:23] Personalizing the employee experience*[21:36] Measuring success as an EX leaderLinksConnect with Joey on LinkedInFollow Joey on TwitterThanks to our friendsThis episode of Cruising Altitude is brought to you by SocialChorus. SocialChorus is the creator of FirstUp, the platform that makes the digital employee experience work for every worker. FirstUp brings personalized information and systems access to every employee, everywhere.No matter whether they're wired, distributed, or on the front line. That's how we help Amazon, AB InBev, GSK, and many others stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at socialchorus.com

This episode features an interview with Nicole Alvino, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of SocialChorus.  Nicole sets goals for company growth and defines the industry standard for an innovative digital employee experience.  On this episode, she talks about getting buy-in from C-suite executives on an EX overhaul, serving highly personalized company information to employees and how to kick off an exceptional employee experience from day one.Quotes“The best marketers find us where we are and deliver us information that's personalized to us, that then entices us to take action. It's really no different when we think about the opportunity for a digital employee experience.”Time Stamps[0:06] Intro[2:21] Nicole puts the Strategy in CSO[3:51] The Flight Plan:  Birds' eye view of the EX space[5:02] Helping big companies transform their EX[6:30] And getting buy-in from the C-suite[9:14] First Class:  Creating a great digital EX from the expert[13:35] Reaching the full variety of personas within an organization[15:02] Start the digital EX as early as possible[20:41] Turbulence:  Learning from the worst EX *ahem* Enron[25:47] Leading EX through the pandemic[28:24] Lessons from proven leaders[32:03] The SocialChorus message[32:43] ConclusionLinksConnect with Nicole on LinkedInFollow Nicole on TwitterThanks to our friendsThis episode of Cruising Altitude is brought to you by SocialChorus. SocialChorus is the creator of FirstUp, the platform that makes the digital employee experience work for every worker. FirstUp brings personalized information and systems access to every employee, everywhere.No matter whether they're wired, distributed, or on the front line. That's how we help Amazon, AB InBev, GSK, and many others stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at socialchorus.com

This episode features an interview with Erica Cary, Vice President of Product and Services at Hilton.  Erica has more than 18 years of experience in technology, client relationship management, and business development.  At Hilton, she's responsible for creating digital experiences for both employees and guests.  In this episode, she talks about creating a relevant experience for a diverse workforce, making inclusive ads, and personalizing the experience by providing choice.3 TakeawaysConsolidate platforms to minimize digital clutter.Drive mobile-first technology to team members.Streamline and automate employee operations as much as possible.Key Quotes“Hospitality is about being of service. I believe that Hilton receives all the accolades and recognition because first and foremost, we are providing our team members a great digital employee experience. I'm a true believer that a happy employee surely equals a happy guest.”“We had to manage expectations when we made a change to the technology. People are going to kick and scream for at least a good 90 days. But then it usually calms down and people accept the change and they move on. And then if you still have some fussing after that, there's probably an enhancement that needs to be made to the technology itself or the process of how it's rolled out. It's not actually the platform that's causing the angst.”“If I'm watching a Hilton ad showing scenarios of people on vacation, if I can't see myself in that dreaming experience, it does not feel personalized. But if it includes different people of different colors, different ages, different genders, I'm inherently creating this more personalized experience in an inclusive manner."Thanks to our friendsThis episode of Cruising Altitude is brought to you by SocialChorus. SocialChorus is the creator of FirstUp, the platform that makes the digital employee experience work for every worker. FirstUp brings personalized information and systems access to every employee, everywhere.No matter whether they're wired, distributed, or on the front line. That's how we help Amazon, AB InBev, GSK, and many others stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at socialchorus.comFind Erica on LinkedIn

This episode features an interview with Tony Saldanha, an industry leader in information technology with more than 30 years of experience in Global Business Services design, operations and governance.  He's the former VP of GBS at Procter & Gamble, and was previously named one of the world's Premier 100 IT Professionals.  In this episode, Tony talks about user-journey mapping, setting expectations for continuous improvement, and striving for employee delight.3 TakeawaysEvery issue that arises can turn into a positive opportunity for interaction with the user.During hard times, increase communication, look for places to pivot, and paint a vision of the future.Pretend you're an external company competing for users' business so you're forced to study your user experience and see where there's room for improvement.Key Quotes“[There's a] human touch that I think you need to build on top of systems–the personal experience that no amount of systems design alone can handle.”“The good thing about the digital employee experience is that it is changing and becoming better and better.  It's really important from a user experience standpoint to build that into your plans. Just because you've come up with an idea of a user-journey map that is dramatically better than what you have, it doesn't really mean anything because there's going to be a startup somewhere out there that's going to make that look really old fashioned next week. You have to build that iteration and learning as part of your journey. Otherwise it's really easy to get outdated.”“I think that there is more to be learned from the world of design, advertising, marketing and communications that needs to be applied to technology. Organizations that do that clearly do much better than those that don't.”This episode of Cruising Altitude is brought to you by SocialChorus. SocialChorus is the creator of FirstUp, the platform that makes the digital employee experience work for every worker. FirstUp brings personalized information and systems access to every employee, everywhere.No matter whether they're wired, distributed, or on the front line. That's how we help Amazon, AB InBev, GSK, and many others stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at socialchorus.comFind Tony on LinkedIn

This episode features an interview with Aaron Gerlitz, Program Manager of Information Security at Lowe's.  Aaron's job is to keep the digital tools and applications running smoothly and securely for over 300,000 employees and 2,200 stores across North America.  He orchestrates complex, multi-year projects implementing software, building new capabilities, and running data analytics.  Aaron talks about how the hard work behind the scenes makes for a seamless digital employee experience.3 TakeawaysDesign with input from the end-user.Acknowledge when something isn't working as soon as possible and switch directions.Look to the data to find out what is or isn't working.Key Quotes“The most important thing is the end user partnership.  Finding ways to make sure that you're getting their input and feedback I think is the most critical.  Because the quicker that feedback loop is, the more transparent it is, the more valuable whatever you're building or implementing is going to be for that end user.”“You want to make sure when you're getting employees some communication, it's concise.  If there's an action they need to take, that's also concise and very easy to follow along.  And that you're not giving it to them too early or too late in the process.  It's a tough balance to make when you're dealing with those frontline workers, but it's important.”“It's a very thankless job and you don't always get noticed, especially for stuff that's supposed to be seamless.  You're not going to get a high five or a congratulations on those big moves, but you're certainly going to get recognized when you screw it up, especially when it makes the end user's life more painful.  It takes time to build that back up by providing business value.”This episode of Cruising Altitude is brought to you by SocialChorus. SocialChorus is the creator of FirstUp, the platform that makes the digital employee experience work for every worker. FirstUp brings personalized information and systems access to every employee, everywhere.No matter whether they're wired, distributed, or on the front line. That's how we help Amazon, AB InBev, GSK, and many others stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at socialchorus.comAaron Gerlitz's LinkedIn