In nearly all companies, people issues are currently leading to boardroom discussions. But are companies already acting and investing as they should? What are the biggest challenges here? And do HR structures need to be re-developed to meet today’s and tomorrow’s requirements? Rachel Crowley, Vice President Human Resources US at Campari, explains her perspective on these and other questions in our interview.
Based on our “CxO Priorities Study”, People/HR is ranked as the no. 1 management priority – but do you think most companies already act and invest as they should?
CROWLEY I think a shift happened during/post Covid when employees started to put a greater focus on life instead of work. Wellness and mindfulness became more focused. This transition is still happening.
HR will always be needed but today it has a different role to play. Depending on the industry, this role can change. People development is not so much focused on upward movement but tailored to individual interests and is taking into consideration an employee’s well-being, satisfaction, and companies need more empathy.
Engagement of people is a priority for companies. It is about the employee experience, shaping the moments that matter. Retaining staff is more important now – the approach has shifted to include a lot more listening.
What are innovative or promising approaches to solve people-related challenges strategically and holistically?
CROWLEY While companies are focused on engagement overall, the HR function is looking at back to basics. For us, training agendas focused on increasing manager capabilities to have meaningful discussions with their employees are important. Topics include, for example, how to have meaningful feedback sessions, open compensation dialogues and honest career discussions focusing on what the individual employee wants or needs.
We also provide training targeted to our manufacturing community and, in particular, our front-line supervisors. Besides this, opportunities for coaching at all levels are important to us – there are great companies out there which are making it more affordable to companies to offer coaching to all. Mentoring is still existing as well. We also focus on onboarding, bringing new employees (and catch-ups from Covid) into our headquarters and our manufacturing sites to learn who we are.
Which are the major people challenges in your industry?
CROWLEY In the spirits industry, there is a big focus on DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) right now. Historically, this industry has been a white male run industry – in reality, our consumers are multicultural, so it is important for us to connect with our consumers more than we have in the past.
To what extent do HR structures as well as compensation and benefits systems need to be re-developed to meet today’s and tomorrow’s requirements?
CROWLEY Compensation is an important topic, especially when it comes to equal pay. Companies are handling this differently in every country. In the New York area, a law was passed at the end of last year that requires compensation for a job to be published. Creating more transparency gives us the opportunity to have conversations that weren’t possible before. HR is focused on helping hiring managers navigate these conversations. While we haven't had any issues of inequitable pay, it is alleviating the perception of that. This is a good thing!
Campari also continuously re-evaluates its benefits. Recently, we did a survey to find out what our employees liked and didn’t like. We changed some offerings as a result. For example, most of our employees have a Peloton bike. We now have a company membership with Peloton in which our employees get discounts and can connect with each other. This not only promotes their health and wellness but also creates a sense of community.
How does Campari cater to the expectations and preferences of “Gen Z”? Are there any conflicts of younger and older employees?
CROWLEY I haven’t seen any conflicts or generational gaps since I have been at Campari. In past companies, I saw more of a generational gap, but to be successful in the spirits industry, all generations should be in touch with the current trends.
New technologies, especially AI applications, offer new potential for automatization. What does that mean for HR?
CROWLEY AI is not much of a topic for us right now. There is a greater focus on simplicity and creating moments that matter to employees. It's more about people, less about tools. The idea is to move away from overly clerical tools and enable managers to have conversations with their employees (e.g., about salaries, performance, development). The success of HR work is not measured by complex key performance indicators but by our staff retention rate.
About Rachel Crowley:
Rachel Crowley joined the Campari Group in November 2021 as Vice President Human Resources US and is responsible for HR and people. She is a results-oriented and collaborative Human Resource professional with over 25 years’ experience setting People Strategies which align to Business Strategies. Rachel Crowley is a trusted executive advisor with a successful track record for building high performing teams and driving initiatives developed to increase employee engagement, develop talent, and enable business strategies. She has experience in leading global HR initiatives and teams across various industries, challenges, and HR competence areas.
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