Edith Crespin, CHRP is manager, HR at ClearlyContacts.ca. She gained her wide range of expertise in all areas of Human Resources with the ClearlyContacts.ca team since 2005. With a human resources management diploma and her CHRP designation, Edith has worked closely in employee relations, strategic engagement and retention programs, international human resources and team management. During her spare time, Edith volunteers at a wildlife rehabilitation centre.

What inspired you to pursue a career in HR?
I have always worked in areas where I get to help people and at ClearlyContacts.ca my position developed into HR from CS Team Leader as the company grew.  It was a natural transition and with the support of the company, I was able to pursue both my formal education in HR and have had incredible opportunities to grow within my role.

A strong culture has been tied to the success story of Clearly Contacts. How do you define and support that culture internally?
Our core values have always been at the centre of our culture.  As the company has grown, the manifestations of these values may change, but they are still the foundation to everything we do.  There are opportunities and events we could with a team of 50 that we can’t do anymore at 500, but it works the other way around as well. When there is a question about direction or the best way forward, we revert to our Core Values to ensure the decision matches them.

In a competitive market, what gives you the edge in recruiting and retaining top talent?
Culture, culture, culture.  When candidates come into our office they often tell us how they can feel the energy of ClearlyContacts.ca. It’s not unusual for someone to come in for a meeting or a first interview and find that one department is in their pajamas or they’re greeted by a unicorn because they happened to come in on a team building event or eek! Halloween (which is HUGE here).  We are disruptive, challenging and leaders in our industry which equates to a host of opportunities that may not be available elsewhere.

You have been an online success from the start and are now moving into brick and mortar retail. What new challenges and opportunities does this present from an HR perspective?
From an HR perspective, the challenge is how do we continue this culture and stay connected where there’s a very real physical disconnect.  We’re working on finding this balance with a lot of input from our new retail team members and our current team.  The opportunities are immense.  We are gaining knowledge and experience in a new area for ClearlyContacts.ca, have the chance to be more innovative in how we recruit and meet a whole new group of great, passionate people.

HR plays an integral role in the business of Clearly Contacts. What do you see as the key communicator of HR’s value for those still seeking to prove HR’s strategic value?
The employee satisfaction of our overall team is a key communicator of HR’s value. The HR department is responsible for seeking out individuals for the team who align with our corporate culture while continuing to maintain a positive atmosphere. Based on our Employee Satisfaction Surveys, and the task forces we have created from them, we have seen a continuous increase our satisfaction scores.  Due to the numerous projects that the HR team implements, we have been successful at maintaining our culture as our company grows. This translates to higher engagement, lower turnover and longer retention.

What do you see as the primary challenge facing HR at present? Over the course of the next five years?
HR is now being recognized as a strategic partner and having a place at the table.   I think, however, that the importance of quantitative data and analytics is still undervalued.  HR-accepted definitions of such things like turnover or cost-per-hire calculations still do not exist in with agreed upon industry uniformity.  In the end, the dollars and cents do matter at the table and I think would bring us to the next level in the conversation.

In the next five years, I think inter-generational issues will become more prominent.  Of course, we are seeing some this already but we are only a the beginning.  Laws will change.  Employee expectations will change. And we have to think ahead and be prepared for the changes this will bring to our industry and organizations we are a part of.

If I was not in HR, I would…
be sitting on a beach, drinking a mojito, thinking about HR.