Retention + Employee Engagement Strategies Part 2

How do you retain employees in a job market where close to 40% of U.S. workers are looking to change jobs this year?

Jaime Klein recently welcomed Christina Westbrooks, People Partner at WW, Sherri Kottmann, Chief People Officer at Quickbase, and Gina Foshage, Inspire HR Expert and HRBP to share their experience with tactics that help boost retention and employee engagement.

Key takeaways from the session include:

• Engage with remote workers outside of the office. In-person engagement is a two-way street. Organize team-building events or meetings where executives go out and meet with groups of remote workers.
• In addition to providing professional development, reinforce permission for employees to take the time during their regular work hours to grow and enrich their skill set. Companies are increasingly designating work hours for this purpose.
• Be transparent as a company about your gaps and challenges and empower employees to offer innovative ideas in your 1:1 meetings with them, through stay interviews, and town halls—plus, organically as they arise.
• Listen to your team. The best retention solutions will vary based on many social, cultural, and environmental factors.

About the Panelists:

Christina Westbrooks, People Partner, WW

Christina Westbrooks is a People Partner at WW where she manages the implementation of the Global People strategy across WW’s markets outside North America. She has over 15 years of experience in HR management, international development and consulting. Before WW, Christina worked in HR for companies like Xandr/AppNexus and American Express. She’s also worked with the United Nations, and holds an MBA from Instituto de Empresa (IE) Business School with a focus on Entrepreneurship.

Sherri Kottmann, Chief People Officer, Quickbase

Sherri Kottmann is Quickbase’s Chief People Officer, where she is committed to unlocking the potential of every employee and fostering a culture of growth, support and inclusion. Sherri has championed the employee experience at fast-growing organizations (both private and public) for more than 20 years. Most recently, she served as Chief People Officer at Forrester Research where she evolved the employee experience practice into a modern, trusted partner to the business and established Forrester’s diversity & inclusion vision and strategy.

Gina Foshage, Inspire HR Expert, HRBP

Gina Foshage is an Inspire Human Resources expert in HRBP, where she specializes in HR operations, administration, and compliance. Prior to her role here at Inspire, she served as Human Resources Director for an Inc. 5000 publishing firm, where she oversaw all functions of HR and created a comprehensive employee performance review program. She has also held various HR roles in the publishing, marketing, and performance arts industries. Gina is a Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).