Karen Kirton is the founder of Amplify HR, which specialises in helping SMEs with their HR strategy and operations.
Karen has had a long term passion for how the People and Culture of an organisation can impact the performance and viability of the business.
The more that an organisation appreciates the value of people, the more there is a positive impact on the life of employees and their families: Health and wellbeing, relationships with the community and more successful and longer-lasting businesses.
Karen has had experience in sales, debt collection and website development; after this, Karen was offered a role in HR and completed a degree in HR and psychology.
How do we create a workplace where people can be their best selves so that this drives the individual success but also the profitability and success of the business.
Many people say companies say people are our best asset, but they can also be the biggest headache.
A great work environment comes down to consistency in the business practices around equity, Equity around pay and opportunities. A systematic approach produces consistency which employees prefer. It is not a matter of gen x or gen y.
In the last few years, the pandemic has caused a mindset shift for leaders. Without face to face to face, leaders need to think about what the outcomes are that they require.
There is more AI coming into HR practices. Of course, it is more prevalent in bigger businesses now but gradually moving down the smaller firms as the price point changes.
Depending on the type of business, the purpose of the office. This type of business refers to the customer engagement model.
Technology and social media provide a lot of transparency to organisations. Compensation levels are the last frontier on this and a bastion of inequality.
A business should be transparent about the actions taken to reduce gender bias and other types of bias and equity.
For young people wanting to get into an HR career, Karen advises them to get a broad range of business experience. If you're going to give advice to managers in an HR leadership role, then get a management role and experience what it is like to . Start in a large business before breaking out into a standalone HR role. Doing a standalone HR role without the broader business understanding and experience can be very tough.