Exclusive Interview with Humphrey, Santa's Chief Elf

Following the ground-breaking exclusive 2-part interview series by Harrier’s Richard Wynn (click to read: PART ONE and PART TWO) with Christmas Inc’s founder and CEO Mr. Claus, we now take a look at the inner workings of the business – but from a different perspective.?From the employee's perspective.

Christmas Inc. is known as an employer of choice for Elves, attracting global elvish talent to the north pole for decades. We wanted to dive deeper into what Christmas Inc does well, how the elves define the culture, and what they believe makes good EX (Elf Experience).

We know that values alignment has been a core tenant for organisations wanting to build a strong culture, rich with diverse talent. Christmas Inc is the North Star when it comes to this. It is renowned for long tenure, outstanding benefits, and its legendary cheerful culture, but the concept of ‘spreading Christmas Cheer’ is not well understood outside the organisation.

In this second world-exclusive interview, Harrier's Nick Ferry talks to Chief Elf, Humphrey, to hear more about the culture, his experience working at Christmas Inc, and uncover a few secrets along the way.

NF: Thank you for your time, Humphrey. The first question I must ask – you’re quite tall I thought all elves were little?

Humphrey: Ah I get that a lot. I think stature was once important and I was brought on board initially for my special skills. Santa and the rest of the team don’t care about size or appearance, so long as you bring your most true Elf-self to work each day. ?

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NF: Interesting, let’s get back to that later. As one of the 6 founding Elf-ployees, you must have seen quite a bit of change over time. How many elves are there now within Christmas Inc?

Humphrey: That’s an understatement. We were in start-up mode for ages, wearing many pointy hats. And it was no start-up like you have today. There was no “angel” or “family and friends” round to raise the cash to build this business. We all had to just work Elf-hard. We started as a small team and did everything, this was all before the days of the connected world, pre-internet. We had to run lean.

NF: How different is it now?

Humphrey: Well, back when I started, our role throughout the year was more craft production, which meant less SKU’s and more time to create each toy. Now it’s a much bigger operation with close to 200,000 colleagues. The world hasn’t gotten much bigger since we started…. but humankind has. 8 billion people we must think about each year. I know not all of them BELIEVE in us, or that we exist, but we still try to bring some comfort and joy their way too.

NF: So how do you decide who sits up-front next to Santa on Christmas Eve?

Humphrey: ?Have you heard of a game called shotgun? We’ve been working with young Nicholas for some time, he’s the obvious choice for future Santa and has been acting in Chief of Christmas Cheer for the last few years during Covid - and has done a great job.

He’s faster than me these days, so I don’t imagine I’ll be in the hot seat this year. And to be honest, my Poleport (our equivalent of your passport) - is out of date! So, I couldn’t go this year anyway!

NF: I’m going to launch into some questions that around the office people most wanted to know. ?First question - why are your shoes so pointy?

Humphrey: This is something our newer colleagues are looking to have changed. Originally, they were designed to slide well in the snow, provide traction on ice, and still have grip in places like the Australian outback when we come to visit you lovely folk. ?

NF: What does the Elf shoe of the future look like?

Humphrey: We had a contract with Adidas who worked with this bloke called Kanye West to pen some concepts for us, but you might have heard how that worked out. I think we’re going to bring it back in-house for our emerging design talent.

NF: Second question: What do you think of the Elf on the Shelf game many families play? We hear it’s quite polarising, particularly when the elves make big giant messes in their family’s homes.

Humphrey: I think if those types of elvin situations create magic for a family at Christmas time, then I am all for it. As long as it’s not too much work for the mummies and daddies out there.

Some of the teams reckon it paints us in a bad light. I love it when they make a big mess!! Haha. We’d never get away with that in someone’s house on Christmas Eve!?

But we know that – because it’s all down to our training. We know what the expectations are of Santa; he teaches what the Santa Standard is from our very first onboarding session…and then there is continuous learning throughout the year.

NF: Earlier we touched on how manufacturing has needed to scale. Can you tell me about how things evolved during your time as head of manufacturing?

Humphrey: So many advances in rapid prototyping and production techniques allow us to keep it all in-house at the North Pole.

Our Elves are taught to innovate with Joy in mind. We don’t re-create what parents can already get for their kids from Amazon. It’s a different experience.

Some processes are automated, but this allows the elves to think much more about CX (Children’s Experience).

NF: In our interview with Santa, he named your operating system, Reindeer. Are you able to elaborate, on what is Reindeer all about?

Humphrey:?He’s so proud of it but doesn’t have a clue how it works. Pretty standard for a CEO, though. I don’t either to be honest you’d have to ask Pep (Pepper Minstix, Head of Strategy and Logistics). But I’ll tell you this – Reindeer isn’t a piece of software, it’s a mindset and way of working.

That’s something you don’t always get in abundance in your human workplaces. A positive mindset. We’re the longest-running business in the world, EVER – and we have the best mindsets for change and innovation.

NF: Why?

Humphrey: Because it’s the best thing for Christmas.

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NF: That brings me back to the start of the conversation. What did you do before you became an Elf?

Humphrey: Actually, I was in the Elf military. I was looking for a new career path and never even considered that I’d be able to be one of Santa’s elves. But after a chance meeting he said he saw something in me and offered me an opportunity.

NF: What did he see in you? Is that a common story?

Humphrey: You’ve met Santa. He loves to tip back a few eggnogs and loves a bit of healthy banter for sure, but he’s serious about Elf talent.

?We have a way of finding elves who believe in the magic of Christmas. We come from all walks of life and from all over the world, and all bring unique skills and experiences. ??If you have that “twinkle in your eye” – he will support you.

?You never know what skills you’ll need come the night of 24th December (*said with a wry smile, I can sense there are some stories for another time).

NF: What do you think the secret is to Christmas Inc’s famous culture?

Humphrey: Our job is pretty awesome. We change the lives of kids (and adults) around the world. It’s super challenging, but it’s obviously all worth it.

?The crew naturally work well as a team, but we still have to look after our elves, give them great benefits, development, growth opportunities not just to motivate them but to make sure they have as much fun on the job as possible.

?You’ve heard the word “grit”. We have it.

You’ve heard the word “hustle” – We do it.

If we didn’t – Christmas would never be Christmas!

?Santa tells us that we are an “Elf First” organisation which I really like. He looks after us – so we can look after you.?That is the type of culture that brings the crew together.

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NF: You mentioned that elves come from all walks of life. Does it make it hard to attract values-aligned elves from around the world with different cultures?

Humphrey: Our team at the Pole celebrates many winter holidays like Eid, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Diwali, Yule, Winter Solstice, Bodhi Day, and more.

We even have a few thousand random Aussies who celebrate ‘Cricket.’

No “like-me” hiring mentality up here.?

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NF: What’s it like having a team of Reindeer on the board? Does it make decision-making hard?

Humphrey: They’ve been with Mr Claus long enough that they don’t waste time. They like new ideas as much as they like their carrots. Mindset. Its all about mindset.

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NF: So what does the recruitment process look like?

Humphrey: We focus on understanding which elves are interested and determined enough for their next move and start planning from there. Santa has always been good at that, the first six elves all now in senior positions tells that story.

We keep our recruitment process simple. We look for key skills for specialist roles, we give aspiring elves a realistic job preview, and when we meet them, we tell them our stories.

We work hard to find values-aligned elves who will add to our culture. Our leaders are empowered to make calls on talent that need a lot of development.

Talent can be hard to find. So we look internally first. Who can we develop, invest in…promote. That's why elves stick around.

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NF: What would you say to an aspiring Elf who is interested in Christmas Inc?

Humphrey: Firstly, our emerging talent program isn’t just for young elves. Like me you might have had another career but want to spread the Christmas cheer and bring joy in everything you do, then give it a go.

Secondly, don’t think because you don’t look or sound like a stereotypical Elf from TV that you won’t fit in. Bring your true self to the recruitment process! We’ll spot you a mile (or continent - Ed) away!!?

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NF: Thank you, Humphrey, for your time. We’d better let you get back to it, it’s sure to be a magical few days ahead for you and the team.

Speaking with Humphrey truly gave me the sense of how a group of like-valued Elves come together in so many ways to deliver the wonderment, hope, and excitement that is Christmas, and the holiday season for so many. The Elvin community understands the importance of the act of giving, and the impression that can have

Their organisational purpose and the values by which they are guided in their daily work are inspirational, keeping the joy of Christmas at the centre of everything they do.

From the team at Harrier, we hope you’ve enjoyed this 3 part interview series on Christmas Inc. We wish you and your families a safe and relaxing holiday season.?