Fairly or unfairly, ‘traditional’ Human Resources conjures images of problems, paperwork, and processes with an unhealthy amount of bureaucracy and red tape. Unlike traditional HR, which was focused on protecting the company, Employee Experience is first and foremost about protecting and supporting employees. It is geared toward enabling, supporting and growing employees to be happy and successful which ultimately boosts overall business success. To view this talk and learn more please visit http://www.culturesummit.co

1. The Evolution of Traditional HR into
Employee Experience
Gina O’Reilly – COO, Nitro

2. •
San Francisco
•
Dublin •
Nitra
• St. Petersburg
•
Melbourne
Who is Nitro?
200 employees
Across 5 locations
Founded in Australia in 2005
Global HQ now San Francisco
500,000 customers in almost
200 countries

3. What do we do?
The first and now leading
replacement for Adobe Acrobat
Nitro Pro
The easiest and most powerful way to
share documents for eSigning,
approvals, collaboration and workflow
Nitro Cloud

4. What’s on Tap
1. A Brief History of HR
2. Evolution from HR 1.0 to 2.0
3. Why it Matters
4. What this Means at Nitro

5. A Brief History of HR
Ancient Greece China Industrial Revolution Modern Day

6. Ancient Greece
• Leading ancient military state and one of the
most successful cities in Greece
• Highly sophisticated training and education
(L&D), each male was trained by a soldier
(mentor) and shared a common vision
• Highly efficient HR management at its best,
enabling one small city to command most of
Greece and defeat the Persians.

7. Ancient China
• First to require public officials to administer
the country based on centralized government
rules and processes
• Designed the first recruitment process in human
history with defined requirements for key roles
• Recruited the best talent and then invested in
education and development, recognizing the value
of human capital

8. Industrial Revolution
• Modern-day notion of managing human resources
born during this period in the 18th century
• New factories led to 1000s of new workers as quick
and cheap production was the priority
• In 1914, the 8-hour work day was first introduced
by Henry Ford; maternity benefit in 1928
• Purpose of “HR” back then was very different and
HR management in reality was not yet a concept

9. Modern Day
• Today HR management is a wildly varied,
multifaceted and dynamic entity, often
misunderstood and frequently evolving
• Employee Experience is a relatively new concept,
but one that switches the emphasis of HR from
company protection to employee support
• Move away from HR as a problem dumping ground,
mired in paperwork and processes, to a proactive
strategic function delivering real business results

10. Vive la Revolution!

11. The Value of
Employee Experience

12. Culture is not…
• The beer and unlimited snacks
• The ping pong or foosball
• The dog walking or dry cleaning service
• The ridiculous amount of “free stuff”
• Contrived, easy to replicate, or manufacture

13. Instead, real Culture is…
• The sum of all your employees’ behaviors
• Driven from the top and built on clear values
• Focused on a commitment to success and a high
performance environment w/ clear expectations and
accountability
• Centred around employee growth and development
• Authentic, forward thinking, creative, and innovative
• Guided, supported, and championed by EX

14. Everything
Affects
Culture

16. Why does it matter?

17. Gallup estimates that active employee
disengagement costs the U.S. economy
$450-550 billion per year

18. Disengaged employees aren’t just
unhappy at work, they’re busy acting out
that unhappiness, undermining what
their engaged co-workers accomplish

19. Disengaged employees are essentially
‘checked out’, sleepwalking through
their workday, putting time – but not
energy or passion – into their work

20. Engaged employees are the
lifeblood of their companies, with
significantly higher productivity,
profitability, and customer ratings,
and less turnover and absenteeism

21. Engaged employees drive
execution and innovation, and
proactively help move your
company forward — even during
difficult times.

22. EX is the main
ambassador for
Culture &
Employee Engagement

23. EX at Nitro

25. We attract and hire the
best talent.
We have an amazing
global team.
We have the best L&D
function. Period.
We nail the First 90 for
each role.
Employee engagement is
high and improving.
We nurture a high
performance, fun culture.
Best Bennies & Perks in
each market.
We have the best People
team in the biz.
We are recognized as a
Best Place to Work.

26. Be flexible, be proactive, be positive,
be committed to learning, have fun,
and focus on results.
Be Switzerland. 

27. Nitro is a great place to work

28. Thanks to an AWESOME team

29. Who share a set of strong
Core Company Values
High Performance Be GoodNo Bullshit

30. The Nitro Way
1. Performance and results always come first.
2. We don’t tolerate bullshit.
3. We won’t lose our Aussie roots.
4. We take our work seriously, but not ourselves (Work Smart, Play Hard).
5. We won’t work in solos. Every team is critical to success.

31. The Nitro Way
6. We don’t feel entitled. We appreciate everything we have.
7. Nitronauts are mates! We trust each other and have each other’s back.
8. We treat people with respect. Always.
9. We work extremely hard, but we do not allow burnout.
10. We leave egos and baggage at the door.

32. The Nitro Way
11. We take initiative and focus on the solution, not the problem. We
communicate and collaborate effectively to get the right outcome.
12. No f*ckwits!
13. We recruit and develop talent to the highest standards.
14. Our Nitronauts want to be here.
15. We will not do anything that damages our team or our company.

34. Our Vision:

35. Nitro is the
best place to work.
Period.

37. Hard Work,
Good Times.

38. Centered Around…
Core Values and Key
EX Themes

39. Teamwork

40. Engagement

41. Always Learning,
Always Evolving

42. The 3 Fs
of Employee Experience

44. The Fundamentals
• Competitive market comp including employee stock options, 401(k), life
assurance, etc.
• Generous paid time off to support a healthy work/life balance:
vacation, sick leave, maternity & paternity, birthday day off, VTO
• Excellent healthcare benefits
• Comfortable, safe, friendly, and fun work environments
• Strong company values and a clear vision
• Clear goals and expectations with companywide accountability

45. The Fringe
• Career path development and growth
• Continuous learning (Nitro U, Be Bold series, external training, etc.)
• Doing good and giving back (Nitro Gives)
• Meaningful perks (catered lunches, fully stocked kitchens, Body & Mind
program, gym, commuter, and car hire discounts, “You Rock!” Awards,
intra-company travel and transfers, and so on)
• Commitment to driving diversity (recruitment strategies, Nitronauties,
Women in Leadership and Tech, etc.)

46. The Fun
• Fun sits right at the top, no shortage of it at Nitro
• Not something you can prescribe (awkward) but important when you’re
asking people to work hard
• Regular events and opportunities to socialize with other Nitronauts
(monthly wine club, trivia and movie nights, meet-ups), team outings,
Friends & Family get-togethers, fully stocked office bars, etc.
• Striking the right balance is important
• Ultimately, we try to foster an environment where people want to be,
whether they’re working or taking some time out to play

47. Our Key Learnings
1. Codify your company values – make them visible, repeat often, and live by them
2. Hire employees who align with and embrace those values and help raise the bar
3. Don’t underestimate the power of diversity within your business
4. Lead by example and ensure ownership lies with all leaders (Nitro’s 5Bs)
5. Hold everyone accountable to being a culture fit (recruitment, performance
management, the Nitro Way)
6. Culture is a work in progress: it will change and evolve over time, you just need to
protect and guide it
7. Drive transparency and open comms, and be consistent
8. Lean in to uncertainty, take risks, move quickly when you make mistakes, and
recognize failure happens along the way to success
9. Building a culture of engagement makes good business sense – you’ll see the results
10. Measure EX progress and share results

48. Closing Thoughts
Great products and services create competitive advantage but happy, high-
performing, in-it-for-the-long-haul people are the advantage that stands the
test of time.
Create the right work environment, and you’ll not only consistently attract the
best talent, but you’ll retain it too.
So, think about ditching traditional HR as you know it and double down on EX!

49. Thanks!
Q & A
t: gina_oreilly