This year, the only constant is change. Shelley Roither, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Enterprise Holdings, understands that aphorism all too well.
Read on to discover what excites Shelley about the organization’s future, her impact on inclusion and diversity efforts, her advice for new managers and her favorite TV show (hint: she’s completely prepared in the event of a zombie apocalypse).
In your role you lead all aspects of human resources and ensure that Enterprise Holdings’ culture is in line with the company’s mission. What excites you about the organization’s future?
What excites me most is what has always excited and inspired me – our incredible people. There is not a single organization that competes with our talent, passion, commitment, creativity and resilience. Seeing the teams battle through this pandemic, all while taking care of each other along the way, simply reconfirmed what I already knew – that our employees are the very best of the best.
What has been the impact of COVID-19 on Enterprise Holdings’ employee base and how does the organization remain committed to employee safety and wellbeing?
At the onset of the pandemic, continuing through to today, our focus has been on ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our employees. It has impacted not only our operations significantly, but our employees as well – both personally and professionally. We are all managing through a lot right now as a result of COVID-19 – pressures of work and home, quarantine, isolation, concern over family and loved ones. From an operations point of view, we quickly mobilized a safety and wellness committee to evaluate, assess and share best practices on health and safety in the workplace. We also recently committed to significant technology investments that keep employees and customers safer, as well as enhanced equipment and tools to better accommodate flexible and remote working during the pandemic and beyond.
How as a leader have you supported inclusion and diversity initiatives, and how have these initiatives impacted employees?
In my role I provide oversight to our overall inclusion and diversity efforts, which includes working with our Diversity Office. Together, we have implemented a number of initiatives throughout the years designed to create and support an inclusive working environment and diverse workforce, both horizontally and vertically. These initiatives include formal and informal mentoring programs, employee resource groups, Inclusion and Diversity committees, world-class training, women and minority leadership forums.
We monitor and track our representation and diversity at all levels of the organization then identify and implement action-oriented programs to address areas of opportunity. Through these efforts, we are developing future leaders who are diverse and representative of the communities we serve. While we are proud of the progress we have made, we know there is much more to do.
As a seasoned leader, what advice would you give new managers?
Oh my goodness – it’s tough to answer this briefly, but a few things come to the top for me. First, lead by example. While you may be a new manager, you’ve worked with a lot of managers, each with different styles. Establish your leadership style by thinking of the kinds of people you want on your team, then emulate those attributes.
Second, recognize early that you cannot do it all yourself. Trust the people you work with and give them meaningful responsibilities.
Lastly, remember that while you are a leader, one of your important roles is to serve. Recognize that everyone has value and deserves to be appreciated and treated respectfully. Act unselfishly, work to create a fun and happy work environment, and hold yourself accountable to your team.
What is something people might not know about you?
I am a hopeless fanatic of The Walking Dead. I am completely prepared in the event of a zombie apocalypse. Let me know if you need any pointers.