1. Emily, throughout your career you have shifted from music to the food industry. Was it hard for the pro who strives for work perfection?
I think it is important to change direction often in your career. The more we are exposed to, the better our ideas, creativity and ability to innovate. Each role and different industry has shown me new ways of thinking about my work that I could and can take with me to apply to future problems.
2. As an HR expert, what personal qualities or skills have you found to be most valuable when it comes to motivating and inspiring teams, and how have you developed these qualities throughout your career?
I believe that the ability to listen and the ability to think creatively are the two most valuable skills I will continue to work on throughout my career. Teams are motivated when they feel heard and when they can be pushed to think and solve problems differently. Creativity energizes something basic in us that allows us to push forward and find solutions where otherwise only obstacles could be seen.
3. How do the mission and vision of HelloFresh contribute to fostering an inspiring work environment, and how have you integrated these values into your workplace projects and engagement programs?
HelloFresh has many great values. Two of my favorites are “An egoless environment” and “Relentless Prioritization”. As a leader, I continuously strive to ensure my team knows that any idea, regardless of where it comes from, might be the best idea. This inspires everyone to think outside the box knowing that their ideas might have a real impact. Relentless prioritization is important because as a value, it allows us to push back on the organization when the temptation for everything to be due “now” comes. This value allows us to point to our roadmap and our OKRs and to set reasonable and manageable SLAs within the organization. While anything is possible, not everything is possible.
4. In your role as Associate Director Workplace Projects at HelloFresh, can you discuss some of the unique challenges and opportunities in designing workspaces and engagement programs within the context of a quality food solutions company?
I think the challenges facing us as Workplace and Experience professionals have less to do with our industry and more that we are at a new crossroads with human behavior in the workplace. All professionals are now a year or so into a human work landscape that has never been adopted so uniformly. Many executive leadership teams are chafing against the new hybrid or remote standards that employees expect and are demanding. Our challenges are finding a bridge between Leadership and our employees, balancing costs with programs to attract employees to the office, and finding stability in an environment that has not stopped changing since March 2019.
5. What role does the company culture play in fostering an environment where inspiration can thrive?
Company Culture is the most important key to creativity, inspiration and innovation. Only open cultures that encourage big, wild ideas will ultimately succeed. Leadership needs to be actively listening and encouraging radical thinking at all levels of the organization and enabling experimentation in a safe, consequence-free environment.
6. Based on your experience, how has remote work and the increased emphasis on flexible working arrangements affected team inspiration and motivation, and how have you adapted your strategies to accommodate these changes?
This is a very interesting question because while I think hybrid and remote working increases the satisfaction and productivity of the individual, team connection, community, collaboration and inspiration are put at risk. There is magnetic energy produced by a group of people in a room brainstorming and getting excited about a topic and solutions that I’ve not experienced recreated in an online environment. With the advent of video conferencing, it was thought that business travel would go away. The reality has proven that in-person human connection is invaluable. All companies are working now to find the balance between the deep satisfaction employees find in flexibility with bringing our workforce together for the innovation and inspiration that is required for success.
7. The massive rise of AI – how will it change the workplace?
I think we are seeing a very exciting (and slightly unnerving) revolution in how we work with the speed of development in AI. On the plus side, for anyone who can adapt to its changes, there will be increased efficiency and productivity leaving more room for strategic thinking and tackling interesting problems. On the side for caution, I marvel at the speed and task load increase that humans have experienced with each technological innovation over the past hundred years. I expect that along with efficiencies, due to increased capacity expectations, we will continue to see mental and physical health issues arise from our populations as they try to keep up and compete.
8. As an HR expert with a focus on creating exceptional employee work experiences, what advice would you give to other professionals on how to inspire their teams, even when faced with obstacles or a lack of apparent sources of inspiration?
The key word here is inspiration. There cannot be a lack of inspiration because that is where stagnation comes in. As a leader, you must set yourself a regime of inspiration much like you would if you had fitness goals. You must carve out time for inspiration, practice it and then you will be able to lead your teams and others through those practices.
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