#16: Dina Alvarez, Head of Culture and Employee Experience at Everis UK
As a HR leader whose influence creates social change, what do you feel has been your most impactful action to date?
I work for the people at Everis and therefore it’s my role to listen to those people. With every new initiative we create, it is designed and implemented with their needs in mind to create a truly people centric approach. It is through constant conversations about their needs that I can diagnose what needs to be put into practice. As soon as my team launches a new idea, we survey the employees to be sure that the solution is responding to their needs. I’m very excited as we have just launched an app for our colleagues in response to feedback about the number of emails which were being received and to challenge our organisation to interact in a different way. My team were constantly challenged to think beyond what worked for them and shape the product according to the feedback we had received via employee focus groups.
At the moment, in your industry, what do you think is the most exciting opportunity for HR to change the world?
It is to have a growth mindset about opportunities created by change. We are dealing with mature adults in our workforce. Mature adults who know what it takes to be happy, motivate them and how they can be more productive. We need to ask them, listen and respond. Right now, we need to be aware of the insights and lessons learnt about happiness and productivity through the pandemic. After the initial adjustment period we experienced, Everis have found productivity levels through everyone working from home are similar to those prior to the pandemic. We know then that we need to embrace this as a more long term option for working. The opportunity exists in how we create a feeling of belonging when we are not together physically. We need to find new and creative ways to engage our people and the tools to provide our leaders with the skills to inspire their workforce in these new times.
Which particular areas of social and environmental injustice are you most passionate about, and see that your role gives you the chance to create change?
There is not one particular area of injustice. My approach is to respect every human being, rather than to think in groups. Someone with the same background profile as me, won’t think the same way as me. I aim to give everyone what they need and to value everyone for their uniqueness.
How have you best used your position to create a more equitable and inclusive environment in ways that deliver your business goals?
I have strived to create a cultural change mindset in Everis. I’ve achieved this through two steps: The first is to empower people to look at themselves and raise their hands to ask for what they need and to then provide them with the coaching or connections they are saying they need to develop. The second step is to develop the leadership within the organisation, so we have leaders who show empathy, emotion and intelligence.
What is the one specific action you would like to see all HR Leaders take to make a positive change for the world?
Have belief in your own actions. If we, as HR Leaders, act without fear, then we are more likely to achieve the change we want to see.
