We have a strong committee of senior female leaders at Canon Solutions America who will be focused on networking, professional development, community outreach, and mentioning.
— Traci Spero, executive director, HR and strategy, Canon Solutions America
As an executive director, Traci Spero oversees the HR operations for Canon Solutions America, which includes business partnering, talent acquisition, employee relations, payroll, and benefits functions. As a business leader and a people leader, Spero is focused on how she can add significant value back to Canon Solutions America, as well as to their internal and external customers.
In this edition of HR Talk Women in HR series, Spero discusses how diversity, inclusion, and equity became areas that are openly discussed across the team and organization. She also talks about how Canon’s leadership development programs use performance and succession data for the selection into these programs, which in return grows a strong internal talent pipeline. From deploying workforce and recruitment analytics for daily HR operations to measuring your recruitment funnel, Spero highlights how organizations can have an integrated approach to diversity and inclusion, which connects to company-wide goals.
Key Takeaways on How To Empower Women in HR:
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- Measure retention and promotion rates to align with diversity, equality, and inclusion goals.
- Invest in workforce and recruitment analytics for daily operations to help identify where there may be potential gaps.
- Have a true discovery discussion with hiring managers to understand the recruitment strategy behind search and sourcing methods.
Here’s the edited transcript from our exclusive interview with Traci Spero:
1. How do you view diversity, inclusion, and equity in your organization today? What are some of the challenges you encountered as a leader at the nascent stages of your career?
I think there is a significant amount of support regarding the topic, and I have seen increased awareness over the last few years because of the strong ethical nature of our company. As an HR organization, our focus on diversity, inclusion, and equity is embedded within all our strategies and it is an area that is openly discussed across the team and with our partners. As a company, we take active steps to ensure we are proactively recognizing and embracing actions that support movement forward. I see this in our partnerships, talent practices, training programs and within our recognition programs. There is true care and a strong wiliness to be open, which I believe is critical to making sustained progress.
For myself, I had a few situations early in my career that were challenging due to the industries I was working in. However, these experiences reinforced for me the importance of company culture (and subculture) and that organizations need to create a supportive environment for all team members. I have always had a great deal of perseverance and took ownership of my career from an early point. Additionally, I had a good idea of what I wanted to accomplish and set goals for myself.
— Traci Spero, executive director, HR and strategy, Canon Solutions America
I was fortunate to have a father who was very empowering and taught me to stand up for myself and for what is right. This has helped me navigate and stay focused throughout my career and to have a broader viewpoint as a leader.
Also read: Empowering Women in HR: Q&A With Donna Kimmel, Chief People Officer, Citrix
2. Which initiatives at Canon Solutions America have empowered the women at your workplace? How did you measure the success of these initiatives?
As an organization we provide strong opportunities for development and growth through formal and informal professional development programs. Our formal programs such as Emerging Leaders and Directors provides our high performing talent who are individual contributors and talent who are already in managerial roles the ability to enhance leadership capabilities. These programs help prepare participants for possible next steps in their careers and helps the organization grow a strong internal talent pipeline.
As part of this process, we leverage performance and succession data for the selection into these programs, while ensuring we have a representative group of participants. Our leadership is very invested in these programs and our program sponsors are inclusive of our female leadership. We measure retention and promotion rates to understand progress overall and to align with our diversity, equality, and inclusion goals.
Additionally, a few years ago, our parent company, Canon U.S.A., Inc., developed a Women in Leadership Levels (WILL) Program to help to drive awareness and support for women’s inclusion, recognition, and advancement. The WILL Program has been supported by our executive and senior leadership across all business units/divisions of Canon and is popular amongst our employees.
Canon Solutions America has recently been approved to launch our own chapter of the WILL Program, which will represent the largest chapter, and which will be national in scope. We have a strong committee of senior female leaders at Canon Solutions America who will be focused on networking, professional development, community outreach, and mentoring. We will be assessing retention rates relating to women in the organization, as well as seeking ways to increase our talent pipeline of women throughout the course of the year.
— Traci Spero, executive director, HR and strategy, Canon Solutions America
Also read: Why an HBCU Recruitment Strategy Is the Pillar of Diversity Hiring: Q&A With PwC
3. In your opinion, what is the best way to create a culture that helps to retain and engage its diverse and inclusive talent?
I think it is important to be aware of the opportunities within your organization, industry, and marketplace. This type of awareness provides the ability to know where to put your focus. It is also critical for your executive team to share in the ownership of talent plans and for there to be open dialogue around diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Additionally, there should be an ongoing review of key programs from training/development, recruitment, succession planning, etc. as they might not support deeper organizational needs. This is where data is also important in that it enables us to measure progress year over year.
We developed various workforce and recruitment analytics, which are used as part of our daily operations to help identify where there may be potential gaps. If there is limited representation across leadership teams it is often harder for diverse talent pools to connect with leadership on a longer-term basis.
Diversity and inclusion should be seen across your organization. Whatever the opportunity, not understanding from a tangible perspective of what is happening within your organization will work against your attempts to create an inclusive culture. I stress the importance of having an integrated approach that is connected to the goals of the entire organization, not only within HR. This is a strong way to increase the impact on retention and engagement of all talent.
Also read: How Xerox’s Reskilling and D&I Strategies Prepares It for the Future of Work: Q&A
4. Programs designed to increase diversity and inclusion in the workplace often fail, according to the Harvard Business Review’s 2016 articleOpens a new window . What concrete steps should leaders take who are seeking to include female talent as an important part of their recruiting strategy?
Diversity and inclusion programs should be examined and updated on a regular basis to ensure they are addressing real-time gaps and to resonate with all generations within your organization. Companies also need to understand that individuals’ motivation and connection to their work can vary greatly. I find that organizations that have a clear and transparent vision and purpose tend to take a holistic focus across their diversity and inclusion and talent programs.
It is important for leadership to be strong proponents of having a representative organization and to ensure that messaging is communicated throughout the organization. In terms of recruitment strategy at a tangible level, you need to take a multipronged approach that spans across the entire talent acquisition process. This includes having a true discovery discussion with your business partner/hiring manager to understand the strategy for the search and sourcing methods.
When receiving feedback on candidates, it is important to have thoughtful discussions on why a candidate may or may not be a fit. Unless there are mandatory requirements for a role (e.g., degrees, licenses, certain experiences, etc.), there should be openness to growing talent as it is unlikely that all candidates are going to meet 100% of the desired criteria.
— Traci Spero, executive director, HR and strategy, Canon Solutions America
Measuring your recruitment funnel is something that organizations should invest in doing. Having a clear understanding of the candidate flow will highlight the strength of your approach or identify where adjustments need to be made.
5. Which are the top 3 tools, skills, and mindset women in HR need to embrace today to succeed in the workplace?
I think that in HR, strong communication skills, confidence, and the ability to influence and establish credibility are important to be successful, regardless of gender.
— Traci Spero, executive director, HR and strategy, Canon Solutions America
These are critical skill sets for the profession and in business in general. I am a strong believer in taking ownership of your career and in stepping outside of your comfort zone to grow. Pushing yourself, including by taking advantage of learning opportunities, mentoring programs, and being part of any cross-functional project teams, will only maximize your value and pathway to success.
I also believe that it is crucial to be your own advocate in the workplace, which may mean taking steps to be more proactive when it comes to career opportunities and advancement and speaking up to ensure your voice is heard.
I believe that as companies continue to make diversity, equity, and inclusion an ingrained part of their culture, disparities in career growth, advancement, and other workplace matters will continue to improve. I have seen this firsthand over the course of my career. I always take the time to invest in others as I deeply enjoy doing so and it is important to be part of the solution.
About Traci SperoOpens a new window :
As executive director, HR operations for Canon Solutions America, Traci Spero is committed to partnering with executives and business operations to elevate people and financial performance for the company. Prior to joining Canon Solutions America, Spero was the director of talent strategy at Macy’s (during omnichannel transformation) for over four years and prior to that role was the assistant director, HR management at the Health & Hospitals Corporation (unionized and non-unionized and civil service employee base) for over seven years.
About Canon Solutions AmericaOpens a new window :
Canon Solutions America provides industry leading enterprise, production, and large format printing solutions, supported by exceptional professional service offerings. With the technology offerings of the Canon and Océ brands, Canon Solutions America helps companies of all sizes find ways to: improve sustainability, increase efficiency, and control costs in conjunction with high volume, continuous feed, digital and traditional printing, and document management solutions.
About HR Talk
HR Talk is an interview series that features top people and talent leaders from HR tech and Fortune 500 companies who are redefining the future of work. Join us as we talk to these HR tech and people analytics experts to get in-depth insights, and some pro-tips on how HR tech can best work for you and your people. If you are a people expert and wish to share your thoughts, write to [email protected]Opens a new window .
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