Leadership Stories Unveiled: Michelle Lynch
We sat down with Michelle Lynch, Head of HR at MASS, for the latest instalment of our Leadership Stories Unveiled series.
Michelle, you’ve had an impressive HR career. What initially drew you to this field, and what keeps you passionate about it today?
As many do I fell into HR; I went to toddler group with a lady who had a child the same age as my eldest over 30 years ago who owned a recruitment agency. She asked me if I would be interested in a temporary job in a HR department to cover maternity leave, this was in Ipswich at a company called BT&D Technologies. At the time they were being acquisitioned by Hewlett-Packard and I got straight in being involved in the TUPE transfer of employees, I really could not have started at a better time. After a few weeks I was offered a permanent contract and I was hooked, realising that this was the career for me. I very quickly got involved in all kinds of ER and wellbeing related projects, looking back I realise now that they were a very forward-thinking company who cared about their employees. Being an American company, we introduced coffee pots, which is an all-employee meeting on a Friday morning, and I was the first non-manager to stand up and take a regular slot. Over 30 years later here I am still working in the HR field as Head of People and Talent for MASS. My main reason for continuing to work in HR is based on wanting to make employees time at work the best it can be, to have the opportunity to grow as individuals and enjoy the work that they do.
Can you tell us about your journey at MASS. What were some key milestones that shaped your approach to HR leadership?
I joined MASS a contractor in July 2014 as I was running my own business and the timeframe was for a few months until they knew what they wanted to do regarding to the leadership in the HR team. Within a few months I was offered a permanent contract, which was not what I was looking for but felt the challenge to move the department from an administrative department to being an integral part of the strategy was too much of a good thing to pass up, so I said yes. I built the team from four to eleven over the next few years, as well as a HR function to include a Talent Acquisition team and most recently Talent Development. Key milestones were: transitioning into a role that focused on HR strategy which resulted in my role having a place on the Executive Management Team and supporting the business from a small organisation to a SME; having the autonomy to launch initiatives aimed at improving employee engagement; developing and implementing leadership training programmes to cultivate future leaders within the organisation; having the freedom to build a strong HR team focusing on professional development; and ensuring the team is aligned with organisational goals.
MASS recently launched the THURBON CEMA system, marking a significant advancement in data synchronisation for cyber electromagnetic activities. How do you see this innovation shaping the future of MASS, and what role does HR play in supporting such cutting-edge developments?
The upgraded database management system allows MASS to be the forefront of this software technology. The role of HR is to ensure that we attract, develop and retain the skills of our employees to continue to be cutting edge in the world of Electronic Warfare.
We are experts in defence and other sectors that require our knowledge and experience to keep the most confidential information safe. Ask our people what it’s like to work here and you’ll get the same answer – always exciting, endlessly inspiring and constantly rewarding.
Talent acquisition is becoming competitive. What strategies do you use to attract and retain top talent in such a dynamic environment?
We notice that candidate shortages come and go. After lockdown it became tricky as people made lifestyle choices that meant they were not willing to relocate away from family and friends, working from home became the norm and people were looking to not go back into the office. Some skills became off the chart with what they were being offered. We have seen it slow down over recent months which has made us more competitive in the market.
Our main strategies to attract and retain are our unique marketplace, working within our Employer Value proposition with work that is only done at MASS, a technology company offering highly secure digital services that put data at their heart. We are experts in defence and other sectors that require our knowledge and experience to keep the most confidential information safe. Ask our people what it’s like to work here and you will get the same answer – always exciting, endlessly inspiring and constantly rewarding.
Our employees love the work they do and the people they work with, this always comes out in employee feedback. We have introduced a range of flexible working options, including hybrid working and 9-day fortnight. We have introduced a number of health and wellbeing strategies including our very popular wellbeing allowance.
Employee engagement is critical to business success. What innovative approaches have you implemented to keep employees motivated and connected?
We offer a fuller range of flexible work arrangements: offering hybrid and remote work options or flexible hours, enabling employees to balance their work and personal lives.
In 2020, we introduced a peer-to-peer recognition scheme which allows employees to acknowledge each other’s efforts, fostering a positive workplace culture. We have plans to expand this in the next 12 months.
One of our biggest Health and Wellness Initiatives is our £240 a year wellbeing allowance that employees can claim against anything that supports their wellbeing, for example gym memberships, fitness classes, health and holistic beauty treatments, music subscriptions and many more. We also hold regular events, for example on World Mental Health Day our Mental Health First Aiders held a ‘tea and talk event’ where people could chat over tea and cake, as well as hear from guest speakers.
We hold Hackathons that encourages employees to work on projects outside their usual responsibilities can spark creativity and strengthen team collaboration.
We encourage transparent communication: Regular updates from leadership and open channels for feedback can help employees feel valued and informed about company goals.
Implementing a combination of these approaches can help create a motivated and engaged workforce.
We recently employed a Talent Development Manager who has put together a strategy to support employees’ development, where employees can develop Personalised Development Plans: Tailoring professional development opportunities to individual goals can foster growth and show employees that the company invests in their future.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are more important than ever. Can you share some initiatives that have been particularly impactful in promoting DEI?
A strategic diversity, equality and inclusion management plan can help organisations make the most of its diversity by creating an inclusive, equitable and sustainable culture and work environment, at MASS our HR Strategy is to provide the business with the tools to influence a diverse, inclusive and engaging working environment. This the heart of our what we do throughout the employee lifecycle, including recruitment and resourcing, employee engagement and learning and development.
male dominated environment, multiple generations working in the same company and expecting different things, neuro diversity and what we’re doing to support this.
AI is transforming industries, including HR. How is MASS integrating AI into its HR practices, and what benefits or challenges have you observed?
Working in the Defence industry we always have to consider security first, which means we tend to tread carefully when looking at how we use new technology. We have not used AI much in MASS, although we have seen some CV’s coming through that can be detected as being created via AI, which will make for interesting times
I believe the challenges will be data privacy and the ethical use of employee information and a resistance to change, some employees may be hesitant to embrace AI tools, fearing job displacement or reduced human interaction. The initial investment in AI technology and training can be substantial, especially for smaller organisations. It may enhance the HR function and foster a more engaged workforce, but the jury is out.
As a HR leader, how do you foster a culture of continuous learning and development within your team and the wider organisation?
Our talent development strategy is to promote a growth mindset, creating an environment where asking questions and seeking knowledge is encouraged. We are reviewing our training programme to offer a range of options, from workshops and seminars to online courses and webinars, catering for various learning styles as well as personal development plans. We’ll work with employees to create development plans that align their career goals with organisational needs.
At MASS we encourage knowledge sharing. For example, we have a series of peer-to-peer learning webinars called ‘More about MASS’ and we also run face-to-face sessions with senior leadership across all our sites called ‘Stay In The Know’.
MASS is very much a company that supports leadership development. We invest in developing future leaders with targeted training programmes that focus on soft skills, emotional intelligence, and decision-making.
In the near future we are looking to move to continuous performance conversations. This will be a shift from annual reviews to ongoing feedback discussions that focus on growth and development
Within my team I encourage an environment of continuous learning and development. Setting clear goals working with each individual to create a personalised development plan that outlines their goals and skills they wish to develop. We recognise and celebrate success where an individual has developed their skills and advanced in their career. I have regular one-to-one meetings to discuss progress on development goals and adjust plans as needed. I encourage collaboration amongst the team for all members to have the opportunity to be involved in projects that are away from their day to day. I encourage and allow team members to take ownership of their projects and make decisions, fostering confidence and independence.
Can you share a time when you navigated a significant change within the company. How did you ensure employees were engaged and supported during that transition?
We introduced a career mapping framework to help employees to understand where their role sat at MASS, including how pay is decided and how they can progress their career. It was introduced to bring better consistency and transparency to roles within MASS, so everyone was aware where they stand currently and how to build their career in the future.
We started by clearly communicating the reasons for the change, its benefits and the expected impact on employees. We engaged the management through the whole process by gaining their input and feedback.
The first phase of the project was to re grade all employees that sat under four bands, Support, Professional, Management and Executive and each role was within a level under each of the four bands. All employees received a new grade and new job description. We created channels for employees to voice any concerns which we dealt with on a case-by-case basis, we only had a handful of concerns which was testament to how the project was handled by the HR team. The grading system is now very much integrated into the MASS way of life, and everyone understands where they sit in the grading system and how they can progress across and up the bands. Once it was embedded in the fabric of MASS, we moved on to phase 2 of the project where we introduced salary bands for each job family and grade. We are all looking forward to phase 3 of the project will be individual development plans.
How do you measure the success of HR initiatives, and can you give an example of a project that exceeded expectations?
At MASS we use pulse surveys to measure success, satisfaction and engagement and perceived effectiveness of HR initiatives. We monitor employee engagement scores before and after initiatives to determine their effectiveness. Performance metrics such as turnover, time to hire and onboarding provide insight to the success of the project.
We ran a project a couple of years ago to review our benefits package. Our in-house Research team ran surveys and workshops to understand how employees felt about the existing package and where they felt there were gaps. We discovered that our existing benefits package was actually well received, but we made a couple of additions to it based on the feedback, including dental insurance and a £240 a year wellbeing allowance.
Looking ahead, what emerging trends do you believe will have the most significant impact on the future of HR?
I believe flexible working will continue to be important to employees. HR teams will need review and develop policies that support hybrid teams and maintain productivity and engagement. We also need to become more creative with how we encourage team bonding and culture in remote environments whilst still harvesting a sense of purpose and belonging. A higher priority will be given to employee health and wellbeing, offering more flexible work patterns and wellness programmes with a focus on mental health.
We will need to become more agile with regular check-ins and pulse surveys, which will replace traditional annual reviews and full engagement surveys. We’ll need to continue to develop our leaders to encourage and support an inclusive culture to enhance workplace equity. With an increasing diverse workforce, including multiple generations, employers will need to provide ongoing training and development opportunities that provide a choice of learning styles.
HR will play a role in promoting environmentally friendly practices within the workplace and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives where employees will increasingly seek employers to engage in meaningful CSR initiatives that align with the values.
HR leaders can and will be required to proactively adapt their strategies to meet the evolving needs of their organisations and workforce. This forward-thinking approach will help create a more agile, inclusive, and engaged workplace.
Michelle is an experienced Human Resources Leader who started her career at a large technology company where she stayed for 10 years and gained her MCIPD. On relocating to Cambridgeshire, she moved into HR managerial roles, which included the pharmaceutical, and benefits and rewards industries. During this time, she returned to college to gain her CMI. In 2014 Michelle joined MASS as HR Manager, and in 2016, moved into the role of Head of HR. She is passionate about HR having a strategic influence within the business, development of people reaching their full potential whilst creating an diverse and inclusive culture.
