"HR is dead": Elise Müller on setting up an organisation for hyper growth | Leadership Bakery powered by HiBob

"HR is dead".?

Commerce platform Spryker most recently attracted attention in the startup scene with a valuation of over $500 million and an investment round of $130 million during the pandemic in 2020. VP of People & Culture Elise Müller has been with the company since 2017. In this podcast interview, she tells us why she refers to Spryker employees as "Sprykees" and thinks the term "human resources" is outdated...

You can listen to the full interview here. (German)

Founded in 2014, startup "Spryker" helps business customers find solutions leading B2C, B2B and their online marketplace with their "Platform-as-a-Service" model. Although Elise Müller officially became part of the Spryker team as "Head of Human Resources" in 2017, her official title is now "VP People & Culture."?

"We are no longer HR, because for us people are not human resources," the corporate culture expert clarifies.

After all, it's no longer enough to simply post a job opening on the Internet to get good people on the team: "We have a shortage of skilled workers. That means we have to apply to the skilled workers rather than the other way around," explains Elise Müller. But by no means is it just a matter of bringing new employees on board, but also of keeping them in the company for the long term and motivating them to perform at a high level:?

The role of the People team

"People and Culture is of course a huge field," reflects the VP for People & Culture:

"I think our main role is to create a working environment where people feel comfortable and can generate the best work of their lives."

Part of that is finding the right people. But it's also about doing a good job of onboarding new employees, bringing them in and giving them the culture. We want our employees to feel like they're part of a culture and not just someone who writes code every day."?

In addition, employee development and training opportunities are high on their agenda:?

"We want to take people on a journey. Because as our company evolves, we want to give the people who work for us the opportunity to evolve as well."

In fact, when she joined Spryker, so many things happened in the People & Culture area. For one, the term "The Herd" has become established for Spryker employees and even customers:?

"It just happened. It's not like we forced it," interjects the specialist, "Employees celebrated that we had that designation for them. Our partners and customers wanted to be a part of "the herd", too."?

In her opinion, companies in today's world need to make a special effort to create the necessary sense of belonging:?

"Especially in the remote context, it's very important. You're sitting at home in front of your laptop and that could be any company you're working for. If you're sitting there and you feel like you're part of the herd, that's very different than saying I work at Spryker."?

Still, she believes the ability to work remotely is also a big competitive advantage in today's job market:?

"We've defined for ourselves that the only true benefit is flexibility. We live in a world where there is a lot of constant change. People need that change, too, and they expect employers to embrace that change. For that reason, things like flexible work schedules are a great way to attract highly skilled employees to your company."?

But this is far from the only change Elise Müller has witnessed since 2017:?

"In 2017, we were 40 people. Most of them were developers. I was in the office and no one was talking. That totally changed when we brought in more sales people and marketing people."

"Company culture also changes with the people you bring on the team."?

How to handle biases in recruiting

Elise Müller also has a few things to say about diversity:?

"Bias is fundamentally not a bad thing. A gut feeling is also a kind of bias that helps us make quick and good decisions.?Nevertheless, one should set certain standards or a structure in job interviews. For example, it helps to always ask the same questions regardless of the candidate. Because if you have an unstructured interview, you're unconsciously giving people you're on the same wavelength with questions that that person is good at answering."?

To counteract their own unconscious biases, she also advises young entrepreneurs to ask themselves why they liked a certain person after each interview and to make staffing decisions as a team, rather than alone.?

"It's important to bring other people into the recruiting process. Also, it's now not just about skillset, but about what a person can contribute to the company culture. You shouldn't just recruit in the moment, but think a bit more long-term. It helps to ask where you want the journey to go and what the person can contribute to the company in three to five years."

Another important consideration is the issue of job titles. Because in a fast-growing company, it can otherwise quickly happen that you also have to demote employees, which can sometimes also cause disappointment and frustration:?

"We didn't think too much about titles in the beginning. There were also people who had high titles without really exercising them. Putting a bit of structure into that was a challenge in the beginning," reflects Elise Müller.

To solve the issue, the HR specialist decided at the time to set up a structure that was as simple and clear as possible: "At the time, we categorized what the different roles meant. In the process, we saw that some people didn't match what we put out as a definition. We made one or two downward adjustments at that time, but also many upward adjustments. In the end, that was okay for everyone involved because we communicated that transparently and openly."?

Although she has a few tips like that, her main advice to young entrepreneurs is to trust themselves when it comes to personnel issues and the topic of company culture:?

"At the end of the day, there is no right or wrong. Every company is different and has different focuses, values and challenges. So, above all, the appropriate decisions have to feel good."?

Want to learn more about the "Spryker Herd," recruiting in today's job market, and the topic of company culture??

Listen in to the podcast if you want to benefit from more of Elise Müller's experiences.

This episode is produced in collaboration and paid cooperation with HiBob. Fast-growing companies around the world such as Taxfix, JIMDO and Happy Socks, among others, rely on the innovative, intuitive and agile HR platform bob to help recruiters and managers engage, develop and retain top talent for the long term. Bob's diverse features pay dividends in HR and business development, as well as company culture and employee retention. You can find all information about HiBob here: https://www.hibob.com/de/