Employee Loyalty Leaders
Interviews with HR Leaders Building Exceptional Employee Experiences
Interviews with HR Leaders Building Exceptional Employee Experiences
Get to know people for who they are, and manage to that. We are a company that sees talent for what people bring to the table, and not just their experience…
Employee loyalty is a growing challenge in a post-pandemic world and companies are rethinking their approach to the employee experience.
In this interview series, we’re talking to HR leaders to get their insights and stories about how companies can improve employee loyalty and thrive in this changing world.
For over 15 years David Klein has worked in Human Resources and currently serves as Sr. Director at Spirit Airlines in charge of all things talent for the rapidly growing company. David is a recognized thought leader in the HR world and currently serves as Board President of Recognition Professionals International
What did your eight-year-old self-love doing and how does it relate to what you do now?
I grew up as an only child and without a sibling as a playmate, so I was consistently put into situations that pushed me outside of my comfort zone. More often than not, I had to learn to connect or relate to people that I did not know very well. What I learned was how to really listen, put myself in other people’s shoes and make meaningful connections. This definitely helped in my career in HR as an important part of my role is understanding and relating to people to help them feel more connected and included.
If you could go back 10 years and share some advice with your younger self, what would it be? (This could be a specific mistake that you learned from)
By nature I like order and structure – what some people would refer to as a perfectionist. What I have learned over the years is that not only can I not control everything, but it is often counterproductive to do so.
Earlier in my career that desire for control created a great deal of stress – and was anything but healthy. At one point in my career, I was up for a promotion that I wanted and was stressed about it, as I had an idea of my career path and exactly how I thought it should progress. Even though I had worked hard for the promotion, after a lot of unnecessary worry, it was given to another person in the company. The loss hit me hard, and the feedback forced me to reflect and explore what I needed to do differently. I learned in that moment, that even though I could not control the situation, I could control my reaction. I realized that I did not need to stress about everything and to focus my energy on the things I could control. This allowed me to reduce my stress, reprioritize what was important in my life and allowed me to gain the perspectives that eventually helped me to achieve the things I wanted in my career… even earning that promotion in due time. That life lesson of focusing more on what you can control, has helped me throughout my career since that point. The cliché “things happen for a reason” is absolutely one that I have found to be true.
How do you see your job as an HR leader changing over the next five years?
I feel like the traditional role of HR is changing and changing fast. It’s exciting to have a front row seat to it all. In the past, when people find out you work in HR, they often responded with something like “oh”, when they are really thinking “great… the rule police or regulator is here”. That has always been a challenge for me, as it is not the experience I want to create.
The good news is that the role of HR is changing. We are doing a great deal more to meet people where they are and to be a true partner in their career journey. Instead of trying to simply enforce rules and policy, we are developing deeper relationships with people and creating a more personal experience.
There is no program that works well with a one-size-fits-all approach. We are too different, too unique, too diverse for any single model to work well. One option is no longer a good choice. We need to learn how to tailor the employee experience to the same degree we have developed the customer experience. Meeting people where they are creates a greater sense of connection, belonging and loyalty.
Do you have a podcast (or book) you have listened to in the last year you would suggest to other people leaders? Why?
SIMPLE, conquering the crisis of complexity. By exposing the overly complex things we encounter every day, this book reveals the reasons we allow confusion to persist, inspires us to seek clarity, and explores how today’s consumers demand simplicity.
In HR we often roll out programs that we make incredibly complex. The more we can focus on simplicity, the better we can all achieve success.
What is one thing people leaders should start doing that will have the biggest impact on employee loyalty?
Get to know people for who they are, and then manage to that. Many leaders use an approach or what they believe is a good technique. If you take the time to get to know people – you will find out what brings them to the table and why. Know what motivates them, know what de-motivates them and then manage them towards that – that way you are appreciating them for who they are as a person, not just a cog in a machine, but a human being. Every time leaders come to the table “human to human,” their teams end up gravitating towards them and connecting with them in a real way.
What is one thing people leaders (or other executives) should stop that would have a big impact on employee loyalty?
Sometimes leaders think they need all the answers. More leaders need get comfortable about being open and exposing that they do not know everything – and don’t need to know everything. It’s liberating to know that you don’t need to have all the answers – no one does. Leaders also don’t need to be 100% buttoned up and on their game all the time. When leaders show vulnerability and authenticity, it gives people a chance to get to know them and that makes a big difference. Why would someone want to follow a leader if they don’t really know or appreciate who they are?
How do you see your job as an HR leader changing over the next five years?
I feel like the traditional role of HR is changing and changing fast. It’s exciting to have a front row seat to it all. In the past, when people find out you work in HR, they often responded with something like “oh”, when they are really thinking “great… the rule police or regulator is here”. That has always been a challenge for me, as it is not the experience I want to create.
The good news is that the role of HR is changing. We are doing a great deal more to meet people where they are and to be a true partner in their career journey. Instead of trying to simply enforce rules and policy, we are developing deeper relationships with people and creating a more personal experience.
There is no program that works well with a one-size-fits-all approach. We are too different, too unique, too diverse for any single model to work well. One option is no longer a good choice. We need to learn how to tailor the employee experience to the same degree we have developed the customer experience. Meeting people where they are creates a greater sense of connection, belonging and employee loyalty.
What is one thing Spirit is doing well to build employee loyalty?
It’s a variety of things, but generally speaking we are providing a career path that gives people many opportunities to learn and grow. Our Team Members often tell me that it’s one of the things they love most about working at Spirit. I am not talking about paths where you complete a course or a few assignments, but paths that open you up to working in different departments, functions, or areas of the company. Spirit is a growing company that is constantly creating new opportunities for people. We are a company that sees talent for what people bring to the table, and not just their experience – so people are not pigeon-holed based on their past experiences. Valuing people this way leads to more engagement and opportunity.
“We need to learn how to tailor the employee experience to the same degree we have developed the customer experience.”
What are the biggest opportunities and/or pitfalls companies face when it comes to training and development?
It goes back to the one size fits all concept. We are often too theoretical in the design of training and development, without really creating effective solutions.
People learn through experiences and process information in different ways, so training and development needs to be more than a workshop. Leaders need to think about the learning experience in a holistic way and identify how people can really learn to advance themselves – as employees, as leaders and as people. From direct training to broader development assignments, to exposure to new areas of the company, to networking with people. The pitfall is thinking about training and development in a singular manner.
What tips or guidance would you share that have helped make employee onboarding more successful?
Many leaders approach onboarding only through the lens of “what knowledge does this person need to do their job”, and we forget to onboard them to the relationships, the company norms, the ways to navigate the organization and the company culture. So many times, it’s a review of the job responsibilities and the onboarding process is done. Exposing people to more, even other departments and teams, helps people feel connected and builds a true sense of belonging.
Companies are more and more integrated than ever before so if you just want someone to function in a silo, onboard them just to their job. If you want them to function in the ecosystem and have the ability to do more – expose them to more.
What are the most important people metrics that companies should be paying more attention to? And why?
Metrics should really be tied to the strategy of the organization. HR loves their big annual employee engagement surveys, but no one would ever manage a business that way. Can you imagine managing a business with financial reports being provided only once a year? If you want to know the pulse of your people, you need to be communicating with them on a regular and consistent basis.
Companies need much more people data to understand the hiring experience, the first 90 days, changes in role or job function – information to help make better day-to-day decisions faster. These can connect to employee retention and other key business drivers that eventually can inform predictive analytics. None of this is possible if we remain anchored to an annual survey.
All images courtesy of Spirit Airlines. All rights reserved 2022.
About Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines (NYSE: SAVE) is committed to delivering the best value in the sky and operates one of the youngest and most fuel-efficient fleets in the U.S. Headquartered in Miramar, Florida Spirit operates flights throughout the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean, and is dedicated to giving back and improving those communities.
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