HomeEmployee ExperienceHR StrategyVeolia UK on maintaining HR strategic effectiveness

Veolia UK on maintaining HR strategic effectiveness

  • 2 Min Read

Beth Whittaker, chief human resources officer at Veolia UK and Ireland, outlines how the firm has stayed on track under heightened pressure

Featured Image

Veolia UK is one of the nation’s leading environmental solutions firms. It employs over 14,000 professionals and is on a mission to create a circular economy, which aims to eliminate waste and pollution, recycle goods and materials, and revitalise the environment.

Undoubtedly it’s a lofty ambition, and will require immense effort by the organisation’s teams to achieve it – so what role is HR playing to support the company’s functions?

Enter Beth Whittaker, chief human resources officer at Veolia UK and Ireland; a member of the firm since late 2015, Beth rose to the most senior HR role in September 2019.

As CHRO, Beth has undertaken a range of initiatives, including: redesigning the HR function to better work alongside other initiatives, launching a four-year HR strategy in accordance with its Group Impact 2023 strategy, and becoming the firm’s deputy lead as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.

In the latest episode of the HRD Live Podcast, Beth reflects on a number of topics, including how her firm’s resilient HR strategy is set to play out over the next few years, how the company opened lines of communication and support to team members, and the principles that underpin its plans.

Please note that as this is remote recording, the audio quality may fluctuate slightly from time to time.

1.01 – Veolia UK’s corporate mission and why it matters

1.30 – New health and safety concerns for key workers

2.05 – Creating resources to offer clarity to teams under pressure

3.20 – Pivoting to producing new products that team members needed

4.25 – Addressing the needs of co-located staff transitioning to remote working

6.10 – Why collaboration came to the fore in the workplace

6.52 – Emphasising clarity and consistency when setting out long-term plans

8.30 – Defining purpose within HR strategy

10.35 – Attracting, developing and retaining team members from a variety of backgrounds

Listen via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitchr, HRD Connect, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe to HRD Connect. You’ll also receive daily updates on the future of work, including thought leadership, video interviews, the HRD Live Podcast and more.

Was this article helpful?

Related Articles

Bridging the HR-to-CEO Gap for a workplace of tomorrow

The Human Resources (HR) division is the beating heart of any business. The last few years have brought many challenges for HR professionals, no...

  • Helen Dugdale
  • Sep 19, 2023

The People Analytics Method: Why TikTok's Head of Global People Analytics prioritizes context not control

If you think people analytics is a buzzword for data science applied to HR, you might not be getting the most out of your HR data. The People...

  • Justin Purl
  • Sep 4, 2023

The energy sector skills shift: What we've learned about recruiting and reskilling

Across all kinds of sectors, a combination of technological advances and increased connectivity drive huge changes in organizational structures....

  • Erwin Hoogeveen
  • Jul 24, 2023

Implementing the people and culture model to guarantee HR's strategic value

The evolution of the predominant HR model of the past towards a modern-day people and culture model is well underway. Leaders increasingly...

  • David Liddle
  • Jul 10, 2023

How the world has adapted to hybrid working post-Covid

Whilst remote working has existed for centuries and has certainly been on the radar for many, there is no question that the Covid pandemic has...

  • Andrew Speer
  • Jun 30, 2023

How to prepare leadership development programs for the era of uncertainty

We are no longer operating in a relatively stable world, characterized by periods of change that are easy to anticipate and are often ‘short...

  • Judith Germain
  • Jun 27, 2023

Collaboration not conformity: Why DE&I programs must not be a set of rules

[powerpress] DE&I programs desperately need a refreshed approach, argues Simon Fanshawe, OBE. “It’s become a set of prohibitions and...

  • HRD Connect
  • Jun 14, 2023

Gamified onboarding: Corporate buzzword or crucial HR strategy?

As HR leaders, we're well-acquainted with the concepts of onboarding and gamification. But are we leveraging them as effectively as we could be?...

  • Craig Hamill
  • Jun 6, 2023

Events

HRD Roundtable: Combating 'Quiet Quitting'…

08 June 2023
  • E-Book
  • May 12, 2023

HRD Network Roundtable: The Retention…

15 June 2023
  • E-Book
  • May 12, 2023

Manage change and drive value…

01 June 2023
  • E-Book
  • May 12, 2023