As the Vice President of People and Places at ThomasArts, Kyle Head has unprecedented experience building a people-first culture. Beginning his career as a business manager, Kyle oversaw the responsibilities of the human resource department when it was simply called “personnel.” With a stroke of luck, he managed to dive into the HR department and continued to develop various techniques to help people find value in their work.
Head believes that the main aim of the Human Resource department is to serve the employees that come into work each day. This welcoming perspective creates a sense of purpose while working in the HR department, not only for himself but for ThomasArts’ employees as well.
As the VP of HR, Head makes integral decisions to boost the morale of the people working at ThomasArts. He is clearly in awe of the people-first culture enforced in the company through an employee-centric approach, building a diverse work environment, and going out of the way to help people feel comfortable in their position and career.
Shifting From A Client-Centric To Employee-Centric Approach
When a startup recruits employees, its main objective is typically to please the clients. As a startup, ThomasArts was bound to use this approach. Head accepted the premise that if you don’t prioritize your clients, you are likely to go out of business. However, the downside of a client-centric approach is that the employees work for long hours to meet the requirements of the clients. As a result, they are prone to burnout and eventually leave the company for better prospects.
To counter this, TA’s leadership team aims to shift the focus from the client to the employees. He believes it is far more efficient to retain the existing talent than to recruit new people every few months. The fundamental mindset behind an employee-centric approach is to take care of the employees. If the employees work at a comfortable pace, they will work more diligently.
Head tells us, “I was privileged to be part of a leadership group, where we came in and said, ‘That’s not the way it’s supposed to be. I think we’re big enough that as an organization, we need to put our employees first and know that that will attract and retain the best talent out there.’”
Building On ThomasArts’ People-First Culture
Caring for employees goes beyond the payment of a monthly salary. That is what Head has experienced as part of ThomasArts. The company strongly believes in retaining employees working on educational visas. They have been helping people get proper certifications and H-1-B visas to continue working and provide for their families in the United States.
“Some employees here have educational visas that are expiring, and we’re trying to find a way to keep them here. Why? Because we care about people, we want to give them means and ways to take care of them and their families,” said Head.
Prioritizing Meaningful Work Opportunities Over Profits
Many companies put profits over an employee’s needs. ThomasArts, on the other hand, uplifts the employees by providing them with meaningful work opportunities. There was a time when Head approached the CEO, Dave Thomas, to discuss profitability, he was surprised to know that Dave did not care so much about the money. All he wanted was to build a workplace where employees could nurture their careers and work with a positive mindset.
“Dave was, in his loving way, kind enough to remind me that the reason why this enterprise was set up was to provide meaningful career and work opportunities for people,” Head recalls.
Ripping Off the Red Tape
Another aspect of the people-first culture is to enable employees to make decisions and take risks. Many companies have set standards for their workers. For example, they may not be able to change their work schedules or pursue new opportunities. ThomasArts, on the other hand, tries to promote a workplace culture where people have the freedom to try new things. If there are any mistakes, they can make corrections and manage the changes later on. By ripping off the red tape, ThomasArts is creating a space to experience, learn and adapt to new work opportunities.
Head says, “In the business, you can see it, there’s no red tape, they’ll give you what you need to be successful in your jobs, and they’re willing to take a chance on it.”
A Welcoming Work Culture
Whenever new employees join a company, they should feel like they belong. That is what Head aims to achieve at ThomasArts. This welcoming experience is not only restricted to the Human Resource department. Everyone at the company, from the CEO to the individual employees, receives the same level of respect.
Proof Points
Proof points are a strategy developed by ThomasArts to show the employees that they will receive the benefits promised by the company. Kyle explains that the company had to take critical decisions in the management to balance the needs of the clients and the employees. They did not want to lose their clients, so they placed the responsibility on the team leaders rather than the employees. This shift in the burden of responsibility helped build trust with the employees and created a sense of ease at the workplace.
“We developed this cliche term that we use as leaders, we call it proof points. The idea is that employees had to see proof points that showed them we were placing our actions where our words were,” Head said.
Building A Women-Centric Workplace
Women also play an essential role in the workplace, and Head believes in offering them every opportunity to enjoy their time at ThomasArts. He gives the example of a female employee who had to fill up a disability form to extend her maternity leave. The company realized that she would not be able to spend quality time with her child if she was worried about paperwork. So the company offered them an extension in her maternity leave to allow her to bond with her child.
“So we pivoted away from that and went to 12 weeks of fully paid leave, period. You just stay on salary for the 12 weeks while you’re out on maternity leave. Mothers … you don’t have to worry about paperwork anymore,” stressed Head.
Creating An Interactive Work Culture
As a growing company, ThomasArts believes in developing a thriving work culture. That is why they hire people based on their character and work ethic rather than their ethnic background. They ensure that each employee has the right to enjoy quality time with their families by offering holidays and compensation for their cultural events. Moreover, they listen to the concerns of their employees and learn from past experiences. They keep their expectations reasonable to avoid putting extra pressure on a single employee.
As Kyle explains the work culture at ThomasArts, “TA and the culture we have here are really about helping employees to become their best selves through providing amazing benefits and perks.
Conclusion
ThomasArts is redefining the way we look at workplace culture. Prioritizing people rather than the clients is a breath of fresh air in a cut-throat corporate culture. The practice of hiring people belonging to various ethnicities increases inclusivity. It also sparks a new conversation among employees and promotes cross-cultural interaction. By bolstering women’s place in the workplace, things are changing for the better. They are setting a precedent for a people-first culture, and Kyle Head is spearheading the change with exponential success.
