Michelle Sanchez-Bickley, Chief People Executive at Hallmark Health Care Solutions: “HRIS systems are now a must-have to function in today’s organisation”

We’re coming to the end of our interview series with HR leaders, and we’re delighted to include Michelle Sanchez-Bickley, Chief People Executive Einstein II at Hallmark Health Care Solutions. This is a huge role, with Michelle responsible for working with other healthcare executives across the USA to streamline processes.

You need some serious organisational and planning skills to achieve this, which is where Michelle’s 28 years of experience within HR comes to the fore. And the ability to develop and implement innovative solutions to achieve business objectives.

We also think Michelle has some brilliant advice for anyone managing a remote team — including how to keep them engaged, and to avoid micromanagement. Read on to discover what she has to say about the world of modern work, and the vital importance of technology both now and in the years ahead.

Related reading: Hiring for success: the case for skills and attitude

Tell us about your role – where do you work, what do you do, etc?

I currently work for a technology company called Hallmark Health Care Solutions and I am the Chief People Executive for Einstein II. In this role, I apply my HR expertise from my career to speak with other healthcare executives nationally to provide a total contingent workforce solution.

I have always had a passion for the workforce and believe the key to improving this effort is in using technology with data to help make informed real-time decisions.

It is imperative to manage overall workflow efficiencies and the ability to hire engaged staff with the right talent and retain them. Staffing shortages will continue in healthcare for the coming years and the ability to think innovatively is increasingly important to compete in today’s environment.

What made you pursue a career in HR? And what advice do you have for anyone considering a career in HR?

I love working with people and helping to solve individual and organisational problems. I admit, that I did not know initially I would go right into HR after my undergraduate degree. I had always worked summers and winter break during college as a temporary employee with staffing agencies to make money and learn new skills not knowing where I would be placed. It was a great experience and allowed me to pay the bills.

When I graduated, not really knowing what I wanted to do, I signed up with several agencies just wanting to work. I ended up being offered a recruitment role within an agency during this process. It was through this early work that I realised how much I loved HR and was exposed to all aspects that I decided to pursue my master’s degree in HR.

When I look back, I know I always loved working with people and once I realised I could do that in HR, I never looked back. I have spent my career in different industries working in HR and I am grateful for all of the experiences and challenges along the way.

The advice I would give to others looking to explore this field is to meet with others who are currently working in the field. HR has now expanded into so many specialities that you no longer need to be a generalist who does ”all things HR”, but can break into specific competencies, such as HR analysis, compensation, benefits, organisational development, coaching, labour relations, etc.

There are so many options in HR today that exist and it is needed in every organisation and industry which makes it a unique and exciting career for someone. Be prepared for constant change, and the ability to work with all levels in an organisation. It is important to adapt as necessary, but truly care about your team and the people you support. 

We hear about terms like quiet quitting and lazy Jane jobs, indicating a shift in employees’ approach to work post-pandemic. Is this something you’ve seen at your work? And how are you reacting to it?

I have not seen this at my current employer, however, that said we are primarily a remote organisation, so you do have to be more in tune with your staff as on-screen is not the same as in-person.

There are many cues you can get online as to how staff are feeling, but you must take extra time to create meaningful relationships to really ensure staff are opening up to how they are feeling and assess their true engagement. Create meaningful conversations and connections more routinely to check in to help with knowing staff’s thoughts and/or concerns.

In addition, it’s important to have deliverables that are easily measured as no one wants to be micromanaged or account for every minute of their day. Identify ways to measure effectiveness as outcomes become increasingly important. Create engagement as people generally want their work to be meaningful so recognising those contributions is important.

No one wants to talk about Covid anymore, or the implications it has left on our workforce, but it is important to recognise that some of what we hear about quiet quitting, etc, are some people have just learned to fade into the background. This may be attributed to how they feel the work or what they are doing is not as important, or they are not cared about as much, so making the extra effort to connect is critical.

How do you think offices as we know them will change in the next decade?

I think that there is no such thing as a traditional office anymore. That said, some industries have no choice but to be in person — such as the trades and healthcare — but everyone is looking at technology differently and considering alternatives to work.

That said, it will continue to evolve, and I think that while so much work has moved to a remote setting, there will need to be more effort on how to re-engage team members in person. There may be a need to host off-site meetings, hybrid work, retreats or in some cases bringing teams back into the office. I think businesses always evolve with the environment around them and innovative strategies will be important.

While technology can enhance and, in some ways, replace and make work more efficient and better, there will need to be an appropriate balance struck related to “offices” of the future whether fully remote, hybrid or seasonal in-person opportunities to keep the people at the forefront and engaged.

Related reading: How the world of work will look in 2030

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received and how has it shaped your career?

I have been fortunate to have great mentors throughout my career and I try to do the same for others as it was so important to me along my journey and still is to this day.

That said, I think the best advice I received was from my father at a young age, which was “What is the worst thing anyone can ever tell you? No? If that is the worst thing you have nothing to lose.”

Seems like such a simple concept, but to me an important one. It’s important to acknowledge how you ask questions and advocate for change with the appropriate delivery of communication; but the basic concept is to not be afraid to ask, advocate for yourself and others, and be confident yet humble.

What are the top three challenges HR professionals face today? 

Depending on the organisation these may look different, but generally, I think most would agree on the need to develop financially viable recruitment and retention strategies, improve employee engagement, and leverage data and predictive analytics for enhanced HR planning across all disciplines to reduce workload and create efficiencies. The market is competitive across all industries and most have a lack of talented skilled workers which means we must focus on those we have and ensure we are aligning the right strategies within each organisation.

What do you think has been the most significant way in which technology has impacted HR?

Every aspect of human resources has been impacted by technology and generally has been very favourable. HRIS systems are now a must-have to function in today’s organisation. Virtually all files for employees are now electronic as well as the ability to run reports, pay employees (even daily pay), and overall demographic management of the workforce.

Technology also plays a huge role in recruitment automation, scheduling of staff, predictive analytics, succession planning, training, benefits, compensation administration, tracking and trending employee trends, and engagement. Technology makes HR operations more efficient and allows the delivery of HR services for staff to be more accessible and available when they want and/or need it.

What do you perceive are some of the risks of deploying AI in the workplace?

AI is an exciting opportunity for organisations to explore the possibilities of continuing to streamline mundane tasks for staff and making more efficient workflows and processes to be automated. I think some risks may be the evolution of the technology itself to understand use cases and ensure the data is accurate.

I think another risk, or perceived one, will be the change management side. Training and communication will be critical for staff to embrace the concepts and not fear that this could take over their jobs. Instead, HR will need to work with business leaders to determine what upskilling may need to take place to train the workers of tomorrow instead of today.  

Many HR departments continue to digitise more and more of their processes and workflows – has this been the case at your company and what has that experience been like?

At my last employer, we digitised almost everything we could and it was an evolution over the years. When I first started, we were all paper in HR and moved ultimately to an HRIS system and removed as much paper from our processes as possible.

We launched an online learning academy and portal for training both self-service as well as assignments to staff, a chatbot recruitment function for candidates, a self-service module for staff to review all of their HR and demographic data, online open enrolment, automated self-scheduling for shifts including incentives that were pre-calculated based on demand, wellness programs, online total compensation statements, an employee app for their iPhone for all communications, web-based interviews that could be pre-loaded and shared with hiring leaders, and many others.

It is an ongoing process to understand what is available on the market, what makes sense for your organisation and the ability of staff to digest the change.