What does Employee Experience Mean To U?
When you hear HR where does your mind go? What about when you hear Employee Experience, do your thoughts wander in a different direction?
The recruitment process with Nova was my first Employee Experience and it was fabulous. I had coffee in a cute local coffee shop to chat about the opportunity. No formal interview stress, no anticipation, just honest conversation. I heard the job title; Employee Experience Director and I was SOLD.
Is this truly a company that believes HR and Employee Experience co-exist? Sign Me UP.
Living the Whenever, Wherever, Whatever
A year later here I sit embracing the Whenever, Wherever, Whatever culture, embodying my favourite value, courage. I am writing this blog in the late hours of the evening with everyone in my home fast asleep. In a previous life I may have called this overtime but today it is my WHENEVER.
Empowering people to step outside of their comfort zone is something I practice in my work daily. Challenging our Team Members to have courageous conversations and to be part of the decision-making process is all in a day’s work. When the tables turn and I am asked to be on a podcast (my first), and attempt at blog writing (another first) I must say it comes with those nervously excited butterflies you feel deep in your gut. None the less, tonight, my favourite country artist is playing in the background, I’m sipping on a beautiful glass of red. “Hey, this isn’t so bad”, I tell myself, and just as I would say to any other Team Member, I say to myself: U got this!
Just Be U
Working in a culture that allows you to bring your authentic self to work every day can be an adjustment for some of us. In some of my first days here I remember telling our CVO, Gary Anderson, that my personal self is very different than my professional self. The question I received back after stating that was life changing. He simply asked “Why?”. Great question Gary, I don’t know WHY? I asked myself, is there a stipulation written somewhere that you must wear two different hats (do we not wear enough hats already?), that your personal self is not worthy of showing up at work? Or are we afraid of being judged for the people we actually are?
I still don’t know the answers to some of these questions but what I do know is, since that day I have showed up to work as my authentic self and let me tell you…it is freeing. A weight lifted off my shoulders knowing that I am respected for being the person that I am, and I am not afraid to speak up. That conversation changed my mindset, I carry that forward in my work and will continue to do so.
All Experience Matters
Everyone has a story of how they came to be in the places or positions we are in today; my story is no different. My work experience has led me here as the Employee Experience Director. Every day I get to wake up and get paid to ensure that every Team Member at Nova has the best experience. Pretty amazing. I would be fooling myself if I thought some had a different experience, does this happen? SURE! Is that ok? ABSOLUTELY! After all, if we show up as our authentic self, I hope we have ups and downs and make mistakes – otherwise we are not learning. The courageous part of this is that you own what is yours and you make mistakes only to learn from them and be a better version of ourselves.
Outside of working with an amazing group of people, recruitment has been one of my favourite focuses at Nova. Chatting with potential Team Members and allowing them the space to be honest and ask questions has proven to be one of the most effective recruitment strategies. Through this method, we have attracted and retained some amazing individuals… top talent, as we say.
Believe In Yourself
This role has called me to put everything that I have learned into practice. From my prior roles in HR to my time as a Swim Instructor and Lifeguard, this variety of knowledge has been such an asset. And the same goes for you…all your experiences are valuable and are what makes U stand out from the crowd. I encourage you to look at your own personal accomplishments and attributes and give yourself some credit! Perhaps you may be feeling like you may not be “totally” qualified for a role? Or you might be holding back from applying to that dream job because you’re not quite finished your schooling? Dig deep and believe in yourself. You are worthy, and the right employer will see that.
Written by Jodi Prouse, Employee Experience Director
