“I’ve seen more HR trends emerging, even in the last year, than for many years previously,” says Emma Yearwood, HR director at employee and consumer engagement business Sodexo Engage. “And the reality of the uncertainty in the macro environment is impacting [organisations] internally.”
There is no sign that the shifts in the working environment fostered by and since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit the world are receding. Change abounds both in and out of work and people professionals need to be highly conscious of the impact of their people, says Yearwood. “It is affecting how people are arriving at work, their mindsets while at work, their productivity, engagement – all the things it is within our interest to be proactively managing and monitoring,” she says.
In this video interview Yearwood outlines the big trends she is seeing which are affecting people at the moment and outlines the approaches Sodexo Engage is taking to meet the challenges head on. She also talks about the capabilities organisations need for the future. As she concludes: “As well as looking at the capabilities that need to be built for the future from the organisation perspective we need to look at what that appetite is within the workforce and provide a more flexible, wider infrastructure and holistic L&D in order to support those aims and ambitions – and ultimately to support with the retention and attraction of talent.”
About Emma Yearwood
Emma Yearwood is HR director at Sodexo Engage, leading the people agenda to deliver a best in class employee experience for those within the business and creating experiences that make a real difference to people’s lives, both inside and outside the workplace. She has post graduate qualifications in both Strategic HR Management and Employment Law and is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD. She is also currently training as an executive coach as part of her drive to continually upskill.
Emma has spent nearly two decades in HR, undertaking various people roles across different industries, ranging from manufacturing to retail and even within the fintech market. In October 2017 Emma joined Sodexo Engage as head of people and has been with the business ever since, now holding the role of HR director.
At Sodexo Engage, she specialises in employee and consumer engagement, creating and delivering initiatives on the wide range of HR and business interconnecting topics that drive the company's people agenda. Emma’s focus is on developing Sodexo Engage’s organisational capability, enhancing the employee experience and enriching the overall culture.
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