Just a handful of weeks into her tenure as the chief people and culture officer of banking and financial services company Pathward, Anjana Berde got to meet nearly 700 of the company’s employees all at once, in person—despite the organization being remote-first.
The gathering was for Pathward’s inaugural Dare to Be Great Employee Summit in Atlanta. Here, employees across the country were able to hear directly from leaders and partners, connect with colleagues, learn about opportunities for internal mobility and offer feedback for the future of the organization.
The summit was part of an intentional effort from leadership, Berde says, to bring employees together at critical moments and build culture in a remote-first environment. It’s work that goes hand in hand with its Talent Anywhere recruiting strategy, which the organization rolled out just a year into COVID to enable the hiring and retention of top talent across the country.
Berde recently spoke with HR Executive about remote-first challenges and opportunities, plus the paramount role of organizational culture in modern workplaces.
HR Executive: What inspired the Talent Anywhere strategy?
Berde: Like most organizations, during the pandemic, we moved to remote work. We looked at it as an opportunity to help us recruit the talent we needed. In an ever-changing environment—especially as a banking-as-a-service provider—we needed to be able to get to that talent where they were. By providing that flexibility and that opportunity for people to have a little balance in their lives, we have been able to get the talent we need—in 45 states across the U.S. at this point. And it’s allowed our employees to deliver better results; our earnings trends speak for themselves.
HR Executive: How else can HR leaders fuel culture to make remote-first environments sustainable?
Berde: There has to be intentional connection. One of the things we saw early on [into the advent of remote work] was that people were just moving remote and adopting an anything-goes approach. Now, we know we need to look for ways to build connection between employees where they are. We do in-person gatherings, and every department is encouraged to have an off-site every year. Those close to Pathward locations have in-office days, and we have volunteer events centered around hubs or within the communities where people live. We also have a number of employee resource groups that encourage people to engage with each other.
See also: 3 principles for building a resilient remote workforce
HR Executive: What new supports do managers need in a remote-first environment?
Berde: I’m a big believer that nothing happens by accident. We have to prepare for it and train and develop people to get the outcomes we want. That means giving managers tools to work in a different way than they may have worked in the past. Lead with articles, tools, trainings; do check-ins, surveys and focus groups. It really is an ongoing effort for HR.
HR Executive: How important are events like the Dare to Be Great Summit to the remote-first strategy?
Berde: Dare to Be Great is yet another example of bringing together as many employees as we could in one setting to build on those connections forged through remote work. It was a fantastic event for me as a newer member—being able to meet almost 700 employees together. We did a panel on internal career paths that really stood out. It featured employees who shared stories of how they stood up, raised their hand and were able to take on new challenges and take chances and advance their career at Pathward.
HR Executive: How has Pathward’s mission of financial empowerment impacted the internal focus on holistic employee wellness?
Berde: What drew me to the organization was its purpose of financial inclusion for all. I found that very compelling. Pathward works with partners to help meet the needs of the evolving public, focusing on underserved individuals in small to medium-sized businesses through our product offerings. We take that idea of financial inclusion seriously internally, too. We want to build a workforce that is able to make better financial decisions, and we deliver that through financial inclusion.
HR Executive: What role can holistic wellness play in today’s recruiting and retention strategies?
Berde: It’s becoming increasingly more important. If we look back, HR’s focus has really been about physical and mental wellness. But, especially now with this age of uncertainty we’re in, we need to ensure our people have all the tools they need to make good financial decisions. As a financial services organization, we have to take the lead in that—not only for what we do in the community but for our own workforce as well.
HR Executive: What do you envision as the biggest HR challenge coming down the pike for Pathward?
Berde: This isn’t just for us, but to help our people operate in times of change. There has been non-stop change, especially in the banking and fintech world. Now, how do we ensure people understand where we’re going, how they can contribute, and how they can come along for the ride?
HR Executive: What do you see as Pathward’s greatest opportunity?
Berde: This is around the work we’re doing to look at AI. How can AI or tech help us do more than just be efficient? I don’t want to automate to just make things easier. I want to transform what we’re doing in support of the organization.
The post Why this remote-first company still prioritizes ‘intentional connection’ appeared first on HR Executive.