Name: How to be human-centric
Uploaded: 2023-06-12T12:48:25.948Z
Duration: 509.52
Description: It comes as no surprise that human-centric organisations have a 56% increase in employee-performance, in contrast to companies that don't follow this approach. Petra Edwards, Head of Learning, Performance & Inclusion at Informa, details what it means to be human-centric, and outlines methods on how to perfect this company-wide approach.

How to be human centric final .mp4

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English

{{00:00:00}}
I'm Petra.

{{00:00:00}}
My name is Petra Edwards and I am
the Head of Learning Performance

{{00:00:04}}
and Inclusion at Informa Connect.

{{00:00:17}}
What does it mean to be people-centric,
and how is it different from how

{{00:00:21}}
businesses are traditionally organised?

{{00:00:24}}
People-centric really means to understand
that your people are your greatest asset.

{{00:00:30}}
And that they are, should be
a big focus of your activity.

{{00:00:34}}
It's understanding the needs.

{{00:00:37}}
It's, you know, and the drivers.

{{00:00:39}}
What makes your people work best
when you have an engaged workforce.

{{00:00:43}}
That's when, when, when people really give
their best, when they can do the extra

{{00:00:46}}
mile, when they come up with the greatest
ideas, when they, when they feel invested

{{00:00:50}}
into their organisation and its future.

{{00:00:53}}
That's where, you know, where, where
the, the, the real good stuff comes out.

{{00:00:57}}
Mm.

{{00:00:57}}
And why are businesses changing
to think like this now?

{{00:01:00}}
I think it's a natural
evolution from the pandemic.

{{00:01:03}}
The pandemic allowed us to get
to know each other quite well.

{{00:01:08}}
You know, we all of a sudden we were at
Zoom calls and we got to know each other's

{{00:01:12}}
pets and kids and partners and you know,
we talked a lot about wellbeing and really

{{00:01:17}}
we're thrown into this situation together.

{{00:01:22}}
That, you know, and supported
each other no matter which

{{00:01:24}}
level of seniority you were.

{{00:01:26}}
And got to see the holistic person.

{{00:01:29}}
So it's kind of an evolution from that.

{{00:01:31}}
It allowed us to gain skill
sets on empathy, on, you know,

{{00:01:36}}
wellbeing conversations and build
an enormous amount of trust.

{{00:01:40}}
There is, I don't know if you know the
quote from Peter Drucker, to, that says,

{{00:01:46}}
culture eats business for, for breakfast.

{{00:01:48}}
And you know, and, and, and that's it.

{{00:01:50}}
So if the culture isn't right, then really
you don't get anywhere with the business.

{{00:01:55}}
So, you know, from a practical
point of view, what kind of steps

{{00:01:57}}
are you taking towards that?

{{00:01:59}}
Yeah, so obviously, following on from the
pandemic, we introduced hybrid working,

{{00:02:05}}
a greater focus on work life balance.

{{00:02:08}}
Recently, we, we launched, being able
to work from anywhere, you know, four

{{00:02:14}}
months of, of, four weeks of the year.

{{00:02:16}}
And that's all part of a broader
colleague value proposition.

{{00:02:20}}
So it, it was really important to
understand what keeps people here.

{{00:02:24}}
What draws people to, to the company
and and then making that, you know,

{{00:02:29}}
even more obvious and even more
attractive to to, to, to them.

{{00:02:33}}
So we developed this colleague value
proposition, which, which, which works

{{00:02:37}}
well and which we are very proud of.

{{00:02:39}}
I think also during the pandemic,
I, I mentioned trust and our senior

{{00:02:44}}
leaders were very, very good at,
communicating and trans, you know,

{{00:02:48}}
often and in a transparent way.

{{00:02:51}}
And our ceo, Andy Mullins kept that going.

{{00:02:54}}
So they weekly videos where he helps
everybody to understand what's going

{{00:02:59}}
on in the business, where he gives
shoutouts to colleagues who, who've

{{00:03:02}}
done incredibly well and also promotes
opportunities across the organisation.

{{00:03:07}}
So I think that helps as well.

{{00:03:09}}
We've had not only the pandemic,
but also a global DEI movement.

{{00:03:13}}
You know, we have climate change, so
the DEI, struck a, struck a chord with

{{00:03:19}}
people and an understanding around how
important belonging is, how important

{{00:03:26}}
psychological safety is, not only
for the wellbeing of the individual,

{{00:03:31}}
but also for the organisation.

{{00:03:33}}
You know, we know that, people who feel
they belong, that, they are 56 percent

{{00:03:40}}
more higher performing in their job.

{{00:03:44}}
We know that that red reduces,
the risk of turnover by 50%.

{{00:03:48}}
And equally, there are so many
stats out there, you know, that link

{{00:03:52}}
innovation to being an inclusive place.

{{00:03:55}}
So, you know, we are all about, we
need to be all about innovating and

{{00:03:59}}
pushing out products and and and such.

{{00:04:02}}
So, so we build an inclusive behaviors
framework that we, make everybody, we

{{00:04:08}}
want everybody to be accountable towards.

{{00:04:11}}
And that really kind of has helped
us to create a foundation around,

{{00:04:16}}
respectful, you know, not that we
weren't a, a respectful company

{{00:04:19}}
before, but,  defining for everybody
what does inclusive mean, and, you

{{00:04:24}}
know, what are the expectations there?

{{00:04:25}}
And then I, I guess also to
mention, employee-run networks.

{{00:04:31}}
So, you know, we have incredible
networks across the, informa that created

{{00:04:37}}
themselves, you know, through, through
the pandemic and the DEI movement.

{{00:04:42}}
And they have really, really
great, spaces in terms of creating

{{00:04:45}}
awareness, self-awareness, awareness
of others, and, safe spaces

{{00:04:49}}
for, for our colleagues as well.

{{00:04:50}}
So, I, you know, they've done an
incredible job, you know, and are

{{00:04:54}}
doing an incredible job there.

{{00:04:55}}
Amazing.

{{00:04:56}}
Well, it sounds like there's a
lot of incredible initiatives.

{{00:04:58}}
Yeah.

{{00:04:59}}
What does success look like and, and
how are you sort of measuring that?

{{00:05:02}}
That's a really good question, and
it's, it's not an easy one to answer.

{{00:05:05}}
So I think the, the monthly engagement
service, they give us a good understanding

{{00:05:09}}
about how engaged people are, how
much they, how they feel they belong.

{{00:05:13}}
So that gives, you know, insight there
and leave us to then kind of act on it.

{{00:05:22}}
The other thing is internal mobility.

{{00:05:25}}
So, with, you know, the skills gap
talent shortage, we, we want to make

{{00:05:30}}
sure that, that everybody has the
opportunities to grow, to develop,

{{00:05:35}}
into the roles of the future.

{{00:05:36}}
And so, to have those roles internally
accessible to them and also to prepare

{{00:05:44}}
them in a way that they actually can
then, you know, kind of fill those roles.

{{00:05:47}}
So, I've looked at the stats here and
year to date the new roles filled.

{{00:05:54}}
30% of them we were
able to fill internally.

{{00:05:58}}
If you compared with the same
period last year, it was 15%.

{{00:06:02}}
So, you know, so I think we are
moving into the right direction there.

{{00:06:05}}
A lot of senior people have been
around for a long time and often

{{00:06:08}}
tend to be kind of set in their way.

{{00:06:10}}
So, you know, how can you change
these mindsets that kind of have,

{{00:06:14}}
have spanned over a lot of different
changes and maybe feel like, ooh,

{{00:06:18}}
I don't feel comfortable with what,
you know, where we're trying to head.

{{00:06:21}}
Make sure you take, take people
along on the journey, right?

{{00:06:24}}
And so, for example, with the
leadership principles, make sure

{{00:06:28}}
that, that they are part of developing
those and, and, and really have

{{00:06:32}}
good input in into these as well.

{{00:06:34}}
So to create that buy-in, but
also obviously to, to gain

{{00:06:37}}
from the, their insights.

{{00:06:39}}
Another piece  is around, really
creating that understanding of how

{{00:06:45}}
important engagement is and, being able
to provide the, the, the data-driven,

{{00:06:51}}
figures that show, why this is
important and why are people focus

{{00:06:56}}
is important, and also in terms of
skills gap, talent shortage, et cetera.

{{00:07:00}}
And then the third piece is to drive
accountability, around all these

{{00:07:04}}
initiatives and people-centric,
and really make sure that there

{{00:07:08}}
are mechanisms in place that work.

{{00:07:10}}
So you, if you could see your
workplace in five years time,

{{00:07:13}}
what would that look like?

{{00:07:14}}
I think one, obviously is to achieve all
the targets and the outcomes here to make

{{00:07:20}}
sure that people are engaged, that they
feel they belong, and that, that, that,

{{00:07:24}}
that is really driving business results.

{{00:07:27}}
Another one is to, we've identified
the technology that can help us to, you

{{00:07:34}}
know, to put people in their careers
really at the forefront and center and

{{00:07:37}}
the AI capability that comes with it.

{{00:07:39}}
So, having embedded that in a really
good way, to, you know, to create those,

{{00:07:45}}
to, to create leverage that, capacity.

{{00:07:51}}
And then the third would be to be able to
expand, you know, all this, all this sense

{{00:08:00}}
of people focus as well as the skill sets
and the expertise that our people have.

{{00:08:07}}
Continue to expand it very successfully
out into the communities and hear the

{{00:08:11}}
customers, the audiences, but also,
you know, the, the communities that

{{00:08:15}}
we are working with on the ground.

{{00:08:16}}
And, and really making sure that everybody
kind of benefits from, from that as well.

My name is Petra Edwards and I am
the Head of Learning Performance

What does it mean to be people-centric,
and how is it different from how

People-centric really means to understand
that your people are your greatest asset.

And that they are, should be
a big focus of your activity.

What makes your people work best
when you have an engaged workforce.

That's when, when, when people really give
their best, when they can do the extra

mile, when they come up with the greatest
ideas, when they, when they feel invested

That's where, you know, where, where
the, the, the real good stuff comes out.

And why are businesses changing
to think like this now?

I think it's a natural
evolution from the pandemic.

The pandemic allowed us to get
to know each other quite well.

You know, we all of a sudden we were at
Zoom calls and we got to know each other's

pets and kids and partners and you know,
we talked a lot about wellbeing and really

we're thrown into this situation together.

That, you know, and supported
each other no matter which

It allowed us to gain skill
sets on empathy, on, you know,

wellbeing conversations and build
an enormous amount of trust.

There is, I don't know if you know the
quote from Peter Drucker, to, that says,

culture eats business for, for breakfast.

So if the culture isn't right, then really
you don't get anywhere with the business.

So, you know, from a practical
point of view, what kind of steps

Yeah, so obviously, following on from the
pandemic, we introduced hybrid working,

Recently, we, we launched, being able
to work from anywhere, you know, four

And that's all part of a broader
colleague value proposition.

So it, it was really important to
understand what keeps people here.

What draws people to, to the company
and and then making that, you know,

even more obvious and even more
attractive to to, to, to them.

So we developed this colleague value
proposition, which, which, which works

I think also during the pandemic,
I, I mentioned trust and our senior

leaders were very, very good at,
communicating and trans, you know,

And our ceo, Andy Mullins kept that going.

So they weekly videos where he helps
everybody to understand what's going

on in the business, where he gives
shoutouts to colleagues who, who've

done incredibly well and also promotes
opportunities across the organisation.

We've had not only the pandemic,
but also a global DEI movement.

You know, we have climate change, so
the DEI, struck a, struck a chord with

people and an understanding around how
important belonging is, how important

psychological safety is, not only
for the wellbeing of the individual,

You know, we know that, people who feel
they belong, that, they are 56 percent

We know that that red reduces,
the risk of turnover by 50%.

And equally, there are so many
stats out there, you know, that link

So, you know, we are all about, we
need to be all about innovating and

So, so we build an inclusive behaviors
framework that we, make everybody, we

want everybody to be accountable towards.

And that really kind of has helped
us to create a foundation around,

respectful, you know, not that we
weren't a, a respectful company

before, but,  defining for everybody
what does inclusive mean, and, you

And then I, I guess also to
mention, employee-run networks.

So, you know, we have incredible
networks across the, informa that created

themselves, you know, through, through
the pandemic and the DEI movement.

And they have really, really
great, spaces in terms of creating

awareness, self-awareness, awareness
of others, and, safe spaces

So, I, you know, they've done an
incredible job, you know, and are

Well, it sounds like there's a
lot of incredible initiatives.

What does success look like and, and
how are you sort of measuring that?

That's a really good question, and
it's, it's not an easy one to answer.

So I think the, the monthly engagement
service, they give us a good understanding

about how engaged people are, how
much they, how they feel they belong.

So that gives, you know, insight there
and leave us to then kind of act on it.

So, with, you know, the skills gap
talent shortage, we, we want to make

sure that, that everybody has the
opportunities to grow, to develop,

And so, to have those roles internally
accessible to them and also to prepare

them in a way that they actually can
then, you know, kind of fill those roles.

So, I've looked at the stats here and
year to date the new roles filled.

30% of them we were
able to fill internally.

If you compared with the same
period last year, it was 15%.

So, you know, so I think we are
moving into the right direction there.

A lot of senior people have been
around for a long time and often

So, you know, how can you change
these mindsets that kind of have,

have spanned over a lot of different
changes and maybe feel like, ooh,

I don't feel comfortable with what,
you know, where we're trying to head.

Expert Insight

It comes as no surprise that human-centric organisations have a 56% increase in employee-performance, in contrast to companies that don't follow this approach. Petra Edwards, Head of Learning, Performance & Inclusion at Informa, details what it means to be human-centric, and outlines methods on how to perfect this company-wide approach. 

Human resources

L&D, HR tech, design thinking 

Human centric workplace 

thumbnail_petra edwards.jpg

xsmall_petra edwards.jpg

petra edwards.jpg

Petra Edwards

Head of Learning, Performance & Inclusion

Initiatives like hybrid working are invaluable when developing an employee value proposition for the company. Edwards lists more ideas on how to boost employee-engagement through being human-centric.


Steps to become human-centric

Employees who feel like they belong in  company perform 56% higher than those that don't. Edwards talks about building a respectful culture in a business whilst highlighting the importance of psychological wellbeing for employees.


A sense of belonging within your organisation

Taking on a human-centric approach is fantastic for businesses, but how can you quantify success? Edwards lists ways on how to measure these achievements.
