Paul Jones, 52, has been leading people strategy for over 20 years in high-growth, fast-paced companies. From fintech to health technology, he has built cultures that scale, without losing their soul. Paul Jones, interim Senior People Director, is a 52-year-old specialist marketing group which helps brands grow within retail. He uses his experience in a variety of ways, from performance management and flexible working to AI readiness and inclusion.
Paul splits his time between Folkestone, England and London with his wife Jessica and their two children Matias and Olivia. Diego is the family cat. He is a proponent of internal talent development, data driven decision making, and “real-world” HR that combines culture and commercial impact.
Paul explains in this edition of The HR Profile how employee feedback, which is always available, has led to major changes within SMG, including a new core-hours policy. He also explains why smart hybrid policies should be based on outcomes and trust, and not just location. Paul also talks about the company’s track record in internal mobility and how the Incubation Hub shapes tomorrow’s leaders. He also discusses why the People team must embrace AI and Analytics to remain strategically minded.
SMG’s implementation of Voice of Employee (VoE), a feedback mechanism that is always on, demonstrates its commitment to employee engagement. This approach has influenced how you enhance employee experience.
I’m happy to talk about how VoE has transformed our approach here at SMG. It’s been a game changer. We have invested heavily in creating an always-on feedback system. We believe that keeping the lines of communication open is crucial.
The pulse survey is not just a way to check boxes. It’s our early warning system. They allow us to make course corrections in real-time and throughout the year, as well as quickly identify any emerging or new themes that require our attention. This creates an environment where people feel empowered to express their opinions. These ideas are extremely valuable and help us to focus our efforts on making a real difference.
VoE’s direct enhancement of our employee experience can be seen in how we implemented our core hour policy, along with new guidelines for email and meetings. This was done using insights gained from a survey. The feedback was clear: excessive emails and meetings were negatively impacting the happiness and wellbeing of our team.
We did not just listen to the feedback; we analyzed it in order to determine where we could have a positive impact. We’ve now set core hours between 10am and 4:30pm. This gives everyone a more flexible schedule, a predictable schedule and, most importantly, a dedicated time to do deep, uninterrupted work.
Our email and meeting practices have also been streamlined to reduce these disruptions. What are the results? They’re really looking great. We’ve seen a drop of 25% in emails, and a 15% reduction in meetings. The feedback we have received from our team indicates a happier and more focused workforce. We are confident that this will foster a better balance between work and life and maintain morale. Of course, we will keep monitoring it and collecting feedback to make sure it remains so.
The Employment Rights Bill introduces changes to flexible work requests. How are you adapting to new regulations, while maintaining operational efficiency.
We haven’t really had to change our approach to flexible working much because of the Employment Rights Bill. Our flexible working request procedure has been fine-tuned to be in line with the new regulations. But the truth is that we already had an effective and progressive hybrid work policy. The majority of people at SMG are already very adept at integrating work and personal life. It’s worked really well.
Our hybrid work policy is built around a simple idea: We want to allow everyone to work wherever they are most productive. We’ve created clear, flexible guidelines to ensure that everything runs smoothly. These include meeting etiquette and calendar management, as well as communication protocols.
We are huge proponents of flexibility but we also stress the importance to be accountable. It’s all about finding the sweet spot between what is best for our business and clients and what individuals need. We’re also very keen to ensure that our hybrid setup promotes fairness and inclusion for all. We encourage teams to meet in person at least two days per week. Face-to-face communication is essential for collaboration and can boost efficiency.
We recently implemented core hours to further increase the flexibility of our team. It’s about creating an environment in which everyone can decide how, when and where to work.
It all comes down to mutual trust and strong communication. We want to empower each person to make their own decisions. We trust our teams to work efficiently, and in a manner that maximizes their effectiveness. They must always keep in mind their role requirements and the needs of their clients. Our employees and managers work together to find the best rhythm for their team or individual.
SMG integrates employee feedback and customer experience data. This integration influences your HR strategies, decision-making and processes ?’
We find it invaluable to compare the feedback of our employees with that of our customers. This dual-lens approach allows us to validate internal insights, and ensure that our people initiatives are aligned with not only our internal priorities, but also, crucially, the needs of customers.
We’ve discovered that customer feedback reinforces what’s happening internally. This often validates our strategic focus areas, like training and development of our teams. This is more than “another data-point”; it’s an affirmation of our progress with our people plans.
This integration will ensure that we invest in initiatives which have the most synergistic effect for SMG, as a company, and for our customers. We don’t just check boxes to meet internal company goals. We actively ensure that our people strategies contribute directly to what our customers want and need. This closes the crucial loop between employee happiness and external success.
Our hybrid work policy is built around a simple philosophy. We want to allow everyone to work wherever they are most productive.
What are the best ways to support managers as they develop their people skills, particularly in an environment that is data-driven and rapidly changing?
SMG is passionate about helping managers grow into amazing leaders, especially in the fast-paced and data-driven world of today. Our philosophy revolves around giving our managers the right tools, solid structures and a supportive system so they can grow.
Here are a few ways that we can help our managers develop their leadership skills. As part of the onboarding process, we offer structured training to all new managers. This is complemented by our Manager Academy which offers training in leadership and management skills twice a year.
We also offer Quarterly Manager Roadshows, interactive sessions that tackle hot topics and current challenges. This is a great opportunity for managers to share knowledge and refresh their skills. We also offer short and targeted training sessions that are industry-specific or more focused. These are perfect for meeting immediate needs or addressing new opportunities.
Our managers can also access less structured, self-paced training through our Learning HUB. This is a treasure chest of courses and training materials that includes a manager channel they can use whenever it is convenient for them. For those who wish to go beyond the internal offerings of our company, we offer a LearningFund that provides financial assistance for courses or qualifications outside our organization. These can be tailored to their career goals and development needs. These offers are designed to encourage self-directed learning.
We run a biannual Senior Leadership Program for our senior staff. This program is all about strategic management, advanced techniques, and organisational development in the big picture.
The People Experience team is also a key player in this. They provide managers with one-on-one guidance and mentoring, as well as support. We believe that a well-rounded strategy is the best way to provide our managers with everything they need to be successful and lead effectively.
What measures have you taken in the context of hybrid models to maintain team cohesion across dispersed groups and company culture?
SMG is committed to maintaining a strong team culture and cohesion, particularly in our hybrid model of work where teams are dispersed. SMG has put in a lot more effort to create initiatives that encourage connection and make everyone feel like a part of the SMG team.
Here’s an overview of our work:
Facilitating in-person connection. We allocate budgets for team building, which empowers teams to plan their own activities and strengthen relationships. We encourage teams to be flexible, but most come in a few days a weeks, as they recognise the value of face-toface interaction and collaboration. We also hold quarterly offsite team meetings to provide a space for teams to focus on strategic alignment and team building.
Celebrations for the Whole Company. We bring everyone together twice a year to celebrate in a large scale. Our summer Big Huddle and our holiday festive events provide great opportunities to mix with colleagues from different departments and strengthen our collective identity.
Nurturing shared values and community. Our Employee Resource Groups are actively supported in their celebrations and activities, which promote diversity and inclusion. We encourage our employees to participate in Corporate Social Responsibility programs, such as the Peak Challenge or SMGreen volunteer opportunities. These initiatives build a sense of community around a shared purpose.
Robust communication channels. Monthly AGMs, frequent newsletters and transparent communication are our top priorities. We keep everyone updated and in touch with the business through these regular communications.
Digital community hubs. Google Spaces is a new channel that serves as an informal, vibrant, and casual community channel. It’s an informal space where colleagues can chat, connect, and share their interests outside of work-related topics. This helps to keep the sense of community alive, regardless of location.
It is about creating a mix of structured and informal opportunities, both in-person, and virtually, to ensure that our employees feel a sense of belonging, wherever they work.
With some organisations rethinking their recruitment and promotion strategies in light of the changing perspectives on equity, diversity and inclusion, how do you ensure that diversity and inclusivity remain an integral part of your strategies while also addressing concerns regarding effectiveness and potential negative backlash?
Some organisations may be rethinking their approach to DEI. SMG’s DEI is a priority that will never change. We will not be swayed or backed down by external noise. In fact, we are doubling down our commitment to invest in our people and foster a truly inclusive workplace for our current and future staff.
DEI is deeply ingrained in our strategies for recruitment and promotions. We are committed to providing fairness and equal opportunities for all. Here are a few ways we do this. We focus on Mitigating Bias. The training aims to increase awareness of unconscious bias and provide tools for making better decisions. This will become mandatory later this year for all interviewers. We use anonymous CVs for the initial screening, which allows us to focus on skills and experiences, without bias from names or backgrounds. We have also standardised our evaluation process through the introduction of structured hiring scorecards. This ensures fairness, consistency and objectivity in the evaluation of candidates.
Our commitment goes beyond processes. We are deeply committed to ensuring SMG is an environment where everyone can thrive, feel a sense of belonging and be celebrated for their contributions. The EDI group is a long-standing team of passionate employees from all over the company. They are at the heart of driving these initiatives.
We believe that diverse teams don’t just perform better, but are also more innovative and resilient. This is not only the right thing ethically, but it’s also a strategic imperative for our business. We acknowledge that there is always room for improvement, but we are constantly striving to implement changes and improvements that are sustainable and impactful.
DEI is a priority that will never waver. We will not be swayed or backed down by external noise. In fact, we are doubling down our commitment.
The People Team at SMG places a strong emphasis on attracting, retaining, and developing talent. What specific initiatives have been most successful in achieving your goals?
Our People Team is focused on a constant cycle of attracting top talent, retaining it and developing them. Our focus on internal mobility has proven to be a very effective strategy, especially in terms of developing our employees.
We believe that it is important to give our employees the chance to grow and learn on the job, by moving between different departments, teams or roles. These opportunities aren’t only about career advancement. These opportunities accelerate personal growth, help employees develop a more diverse set of skills and deepen their understanding of the company’s broader operations.
We are a rapidly growing company in a dynamic sector, so there is always a new set of learning opportunities, changing roles, and opportunities for professional growth. We encourage and track internal mobility and the results are impressive: in the past year, 24% of employees have been promoted or transferred to new roles within the company. This number shows how this approach works in encouraging career growth and retaining valuable talent.
As AI and automation continue to grow, how does SMG prepare its workforce in terms of training and skills development?
SMG is not only observing trends, but we are also embracing them and the opportunities they present. Our strategy is to prepare our workforce so that they can leverage these powerful tools and not be replaced by them.
We are in the middle of a large-scale rollout and training of AI tools across our entire organization. Our core philosophy is cultivating a culture that encourages curiosity. We want every member of our team to explore the ways in which these tools can be incorporated into their roles, and reimagine how they could work.
We’re making sure that all members of the team receive a foundational AI training. Our dedicated Incubation hub has done an excellent job. They don’t just provide access. They curate and share best practices. They showcase compelling internal case studies. They clearly explain the risks and benefits associated with AI usage. This supportive, hands-on approach is crucial to building confidence and capability across our workforce in order to navigate this exciting new future.
AI has proven to be a valuable asset. We spend less time doing administrative and repetitive tasks.
How do you plan to maintain fairness and competitiveness in compensation and benefits, given the current economic climate?
We understand that it’s important to maintain our compensation and benefits at a competitive level and also fair. This is especially true in today’s volatile economic environment. This is crucial to both attracting the best talent and keeping our existing team motivated, happy and committed.
How do we go about it? Our process is transparent and rigorous. We review market data for all of our roles, and we also consider local and national trends. We closely monitor organisations with similar sizes and industries, and most importantly, the talent markets in which we compete. This allows us to create fair, competitive, and internal published salary ranges. It ensures full transparency throughout the business. We are completely transparent about our pay philosophy.
Base pay is just one part of the puzzle. We constantly review our pension and benefits plans to ensure they are not only current, but also truly impactful. We strive to provide a flexible and robust benefits package that meets the diverse needs of our employees. T
This includes essential components such as healthcare, pensions, opportunities for continuous learning and growth, wellness programs, and more. Our employees are empowered to select the benefits they want, according to their own personal needs and priorities. This ensures a holistic approach towards their well-being.
How do you leverage technology to improve the employee experience at SMG?
SMG’s People Operations are based on technology. It is not just an auxiliary tool. Humaans (our new Human Resources Information System, or HRIS) has revolutionized the work of our team. Our complex processes have been simplified to a level of efficiency that we had previously thought impossible.
The accuracy of our data has greatly improved, thanks to strong system controls. We can now have complete confidence in the records we keep. Our reporting capabilities have also seen a dramatic increase. Now, we can generate comprehensive and insightful reports easily. This allows us to make data-driven decisions at all levels.
AI is a valuable tool that has proven itself to be incredibly useful, especially for our People team. AI has helped us accelerate our research, by allowing us gather and analyze information with remarkable speed. It helps us create documents and saves us a lot of time.
What is the immediate benefit? We spend less time on repetitive or administrative tasks. This change allows us to focus on what really matters: engaging with the business directly, building stronger relationships and proactively meeting their needs.
What are your plans to meet the growing demand of employees for personalized career paths, and more autonomy in their development?
Employees are definitely demanding more personalized career paths, and greater control over their own growth. We’ve taken a number of steps to help our employees: we launched competency frameworks recently, and they have been very helpful. These frameworks give a clear idea of what is expected of all teams, but also provide managers and employees with a “blueprint” for their own development.
We also value internal mobility. This gives people the chance to try new things and take a more “zig-zag” path in their career, instead of following a straight line. We have always given people the chance to try out new things, whether in different offices or teams.
Our Incubation Hub is a unique initiative. This team was created to allow individuals to become temporarily part of a core group, working on large, innovative projects which often shape the future direction of our company.
How do you envision HR developing over the next five-year period?
Over the next few decades, we can expect to see some pretty interesting changes in people teams. They will look very different than what we are used to. Consider this: AI and technology will be the biggest game changers. AI will support and enhance the repetitive tasks that People teams do for hours on end, such as sifting resumes, creating policy and procedure documents, answering HR questions, or building learning materials.
It’s not about replacing people. Instead, it’s freeing our team up to do the important things, like digging through data to gain insights, such as predicting who will leave.
Now, companies are recognizing that employee satisfaction is of paramount importance. Compensation is not enough. For a positive experience, it is essential to prioritize mental health, financial stability, career advancement, and work-life harmony.
This will include a focus on talent development — thinking about the skills needed in the future and helping employees to learn them. Expect to see more emphasis placed on learning, and ensuring that people are given the chance to grow. They will also lead the charge in change management and help everyone navigate the new technology and changes to how we work.
People functions, despite recent changes to the narrative around DEI on the outside, will continue playing a key role in shaping an inclusive and positive company culture. They are responsible for ensuring that everyone feels valued and safe.
For businesses that are forward-looking, remote and hybrid work will be here to stay. People teams play a vital role in developing connections and engagement at all locations. Focus will shift away from the location of employees to how they can work most effectively in a progressive, flexible and hybrid environment.
Finaly, I see top-performing human resources functions evolving from administrative or tactical roles into strategic and transformational partners. People Leaders will play a key role in defining a company’s overall strategy, resolving the struggle for executive influence. It’s great to see other teams catch up.
