'I'm a big believer in developing the whole person'

HRD talks to the general manager, HR, at InfoTrack about catering for a wide demographic of people, both personally and professionally

'I'm a big believer in developing the whole person'

The biggest HR challenge at InfoTrack relates to the size and scope of demographics in the business, according to Fiona Crawford, general manager, HR, at InfoTrack.

Crawford told HRD that the technology company are “incredibly culturally diverse” and have an employee base that spans the ages of 19-76.

“It’s important to have HR initiatives in place that support and cater for everybody that fits within that demographic,” she said.

“I’m a big believer in developing the whole person, so we’ve created programs that cater for people both personally and professionally, not to mention their physical and mental wellbeing.

“The way I look at it is if an employee leaves InfoTrack and says they’re a better person for having worked within the business then I know I’ve got an advocate for life and I’ve done my job.”

Crawford added that the role of the CHRO or HR director in 2018 is “incredibly complex”.

She said that at the end of the day if HR can “remove the noise and maximise potential”, then they’re setting both the business and the people up for success.

“It’s removing the unnecessary red tape, the distractions, and just the general noise in the business by having a solid understanding of what makes the business tick,” said Crawford.

She added that if the focus is on maximising the potential of people and really understanding how to get the best out of them then that “really creates engagement and laser focus”.

Moreover, there’s been a substantial amount of merger and acquisition activity within InfoTrack in the last 12 months, including with small and large, young and mature organisations.

“I’m really proud of how I’ve integrated each of those businesses into the InfoTrack culture,” said Crawford.

“As you can imagine they’re really sensitive situations so it’s been with respect without overpowering them.

“I think what’s testament to that is that I had an employee who had been with one of the businesses for 42 years and she said ‘thank you for making InfoTrack feel like home’.”