Creating a Shared Services Culture

Trust, communication and valuing the contribution of staff are just some of the elements that contribute positively to the culture of a shared service. Charles Reis, General Manager of Shared Services for WMC Resources Limited, shares his observations. Hiring good people and developing a culture is a mixture of science and art. Aptitude testing can give us a measure of a person's temperament and intellect, however their ability to think creatively, engage in the role and contribute positively to the culture and the organization purpose is often more difficult to ascertain. At WMC, we have sought to minimize hiring risks by undertaking several measures to ensure that we attract and then retain the best people in our shared services. The first approach is philosophical. Every person has a gift for something. If this can be supported with good attitude, value for the role and demonstrated desire to learn, then we can typically train for everything else that a job in shared services might require. Reference checking is very important, as past behavior is typically a good indicator of what we can expect in the future. And we recruit those who we believe have the capability to perform a next-up role in the future. We also ensure that once people join our group, they assimilate quickly and feel rewarded for their job choice. A comfortable work environment with all the necessary tools for the job, a clearly defined role and a well thought through induction is affirming to a new employee. I make a point of meeting every newly hired member of staff to shared services, and then informally checking how they are settling in on a weekly basis during their first month. I memorize their name, and any small piece of information they share about themselves so that I can develop some rapport. Their managers and team leaders are responsible for their supervision, but every new person likes to at least be recognized by the next-up boss in their first month with the Company. As our team has expanded over the years, we have found the most important influencer of culture is the value placed on open and honest communication. It is unrealistic to expect people to be aligned to the Company if they are kept in the dark about things that might affect or interest them. At WMC Shared Services, we practice open communication and deal with the risks that this sometimes entails. If, for example, we are planning to change some office space or thinking about a new service initiative for our customers, we take the team into our confidence very early in the process, even if the information we are sharing is still incomplete. We have found that this not only creates trust and alignment with the Company, but can often result in valuable suggestions from our team that we might not otherwise have considered. Another factor in shaping culture, often hidden from view in organizations, is fear. Transactional staff are more likely to be exposed to direct or indirect bullying, and least likely to be able to do anything about it. For us to achieve a best practice culture, our people need to operate in an environment free of fear or harassment, feel supported and genuinely believe that such behavior is not tolerated. We are fortunate that WMC actively fosters and practices collaboration across the organization, and maintains zero tolerance for individuals who use inappropriate power or intimidation. We also work hard to ensure that our staff genuinely connect with customers. WMC is a mining company with all its operations in remote locations and a workforce which operates shifts around the clock, typically on a fly-in fly-out basis. We make a point of ensuring that anyone who is dealing with our site customers has the opportunity to visit an operation to get a first-hand insight into some of the challenges our people face in very remote and often physically harsh locations. We frequently organize short-term placements of shared services staff to temporarily fill a site-based role, so that they can understand some of the pressures being placed on our customers. Finally, we ensure our shared services staff share in the same range of entitlements as their more senior peers. This includes performance based rewards; annual performance and career development discussions; access to salary sacrificing laptop computers and other benefits; participation in WMC's share plan; and generous superannuation. We measure the success of our approach through higher individual productivity; lower absenteeism; reduced turnover; and a generally higher level of morale in the office. Every morning I look forward to going to work, and it is satisfying to arrive at the office each morning to see other people in our group feeling exactly the same way.

Creating a Shared Services Culture

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