In this episode of Transform Your Workplace, host Brandon Laws and guest Hareta McMullin, founder of Third Space People, dive into a discussion on the misconceptions and challenges facing HR. The two talk about rejecting outdated HR practices and taking real steps toward innovating the employee experience.
GUEST AT A GLANCE
Hareta McMullin is an employee experience strategist, leadership mentor, and the founder of Third Space People. Hareta is passionate about reshaping the employee experience while challenging traditional perspectives on HR, culture, and leadership.
A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST
🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR
🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws
📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”
THE HR NIGHTMARE
According to guest Hareta McMullin, HR is “faced with a PR nightmare.” Oftentimes, employees see HR professionals as rule-loving and unapproachable people who are disconnected from the workforce. There’s a misconception that HR is aligned solely with the interests of the company — like “hiring, firing, and boring compliance training” — rather than prioritizing the needs of the employees. And this elicits not only eye rolls but a breach of trust between HR and employees.
But Hareta McMullin says that trust is crucial for achieving HR’s goals. So, how can HR foster trust among a skeptical workforce? By managing the perception gap and addressing employee needs, HR professionals can create an environment where people willingly share thoughts and concerns, enabling them to address challenges and retain valuable talent.
PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Evolving or Lagging Behind
“What we expect from our people has of course changed and evolved over the decades, and there are many that have kept pace with that and are doing incredible things. I know some amazing workplaces, HR professionals, and business leaders who really do have incredible workplaces. And then you have the others that have maybe lagged behind, and I don’t believe that’s because they don’t care. I believe that, like many functions, we’re often under-resourced, and we lack the time to really sit and think and innovate how we do what we do.”
Building or Breaking Down Trust
“The policies and the procedures that we have in place are important, but if we’re leading the experience with that, in effect, I believe we’re telling our people that we don’t trust you as soon as you walk through the door. Here are 10+ policies that I’m going to force you to read because we want you to behave the way that we believe is right. Now, don’t get me wrong, most, if not all, of these policies are actually very important, but I believe that if we can redesign how we communicate the policies, look at how they’re embedded in the culture and support the culture, then that is arguably a more profound and powerful way to achieve what we want to achieve.”
Looking at the Science
“People want to feel autonomous, and they want to feel like they are in somewhat control of their own work and their own destiny. And so part of looking at your employee experience and culture is looking at human-centered design, at neuroscience, at human behavior, and using that information to help you decide how to roll out some of these things.”
When Things Go South
“And when we have, for example, confidential or high-risk things that happen in a business, like an acquisition and a merger, I have found that businesses tend to shut down and go quiet, and we don’t want to share information or even bring our leaders into the conversation. We do things hush-hush, and that creates a culture of worry, anxiety, and distrust, whereas the situations where we share the relevant, appropriate information in a really timely matter — when we trust our leaders and involve them in the conversation to help us roll out the changes and we empower them with that knowledge — those are the examples of when we can get some of those really big meaty changes rolled out successfully.”
Enhancing the Employee Experience
“To understand your priorities, you need to speak with your people. […] I have found there is such power in having conversations with our people and really casual ones. We talk about the water cooler chit-chat being a waste of time. I think those are some of the most powerful places to have conversations where people perhaps cannot connect one challenge or experience they’re having with reward and recognition, but using our expertise, we can connect the dots and look at that point on the experience timeline and say, ‘Okay, I think we need to do some work here.’”
The Challenges Facing HR
“People are wanting and needing a different way of working and [to know] that it actually can work, that it is profitable, that people are more productive. Of course, there are some challenges, and so I believe one of the areas that we need and want to focus our attention on is the employee experience. How can we create environments for connection and collaboration? When people are working remotely, it can be done, I believe, but we need to talk with our people. We need to keep up with industry trends, share information among our companies, and work together on how we can rise as a collective.”
LEARN MORE
Interested in hearing more from Hareta McMullin? Follow her on Instagram at @third_space or reach out to her on LinkedIn.