“Redefining HR Practices”

Michelle Berg, CPHR, started Elevated after 10 years in HR feeling like she wasn’t making the impact she wanted to. “Honestly, I thought something was wrong with me. Perhaps, I didn’t know what I was talking about. And so – I was ready to take the risk and build a company that was all about building cultures where work didn’t have to suck. I love to problem solve and build and answer the question what if.”

"In addition, I am part of the team behind Disrupt HR in Calgary, bringing in speakers from around North America to truly teach other HR professionals to be different. A bit of a "renegade" (yes, I realize that word is overused) when it comes to HR - I am committed to helping you to build Employee Experiences that turn employees into true Brand Ambassadors."

Michelle remembers how hard it was to establish herself as a business owner who wasn’t considered just building a “hobby business.” She remembers one person telling me, “how cute” it was for her to be starting her business. “The biggest thing I keep reminding myself of is that I am my only competition; nobody is going to bring me down but me. And I try to impart that same advice with the female leaders we support.”

According to Michelle, company’s need people who aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo and get their hands dirty even if it means they haven’t seen that scenario before. Michelle and her team believe in transparency: from compensation to career development to performance management, they are incredibly clear.

Clients come to Elevated for two reasons:

1. They recognize that people are their greatest assets and have often gone it alone. They have had success but are interested in staying ahead of the competition related to HR programming and assets. They partner with Elevated to build something that aligns with their values, behaviours, norms and culture aspirations.

2. They are stuck. Typically, we see them struggling with low morale, high turnover, low engagement and direction. They are ready for a kick in the pants to turn things around as it relates to their people.

As such, Elevated begins with an HR Assessment of current programs to identify where the risks and major pain points are. Elevated gets creative with ways to address the culture and employee base. “We engage with the employees to ensure that their thoughts and opinions are part of the plan moving forward. Buy-in from the team is key” and we drive the initiatives from top down. She adds, “I mean we begin with the premise that “work shouldn’t suck.” This doesn’t mean it won’t. All companies, no matter what they sell or who their clients are have days that aren’t great. But I think because we are focused on the incrementally “good” as opposed to these big overarching goals that never seem to get achieved, we have success.” Success is in the eye of the beholder, and if someone says, “Wow, that actually made my life a lot easier,” Elevated has lived up to their values and has made an impact.

Elevated’s goal is to help companies integrate work and life more seamlessly, completely understanding that balance will always be elusive. Sometimes, it’s inches and baby steps, and therefore the goal of their programs, from compensation to performance management to training and development, is about incremental moves forward.

"2018 Best HR Firm to Work with by Canadian Law Magazine. 2017 Finalist for best HR External Consultancy Firm of the Year. Selected as one of twenty top leaders in Calgary by Business in Calgary magazine in 2016 as well as the 2016 HR Team of the Year from the Human Resources Institute of Alberta. Winner of the 2015 Notable award in Canada for Entrepreneurship. "

One of Michelle and her team's biggest impacts for companies is demonstrating how HR isn’t just one department’s job; it’s everyone’s job and starts with leadership. The Leadership Essentials Certificate Program was designed to help leaders understand their role and how their intentions must match their impact. But to have an impact, there has to be action. Identifying action through a lens of understanding various lenses and worldviews has made the biggest impact on organizations they work with. It’s then that they realize how they can influence the employee experience. And since the pandemic, they have moved this course to virtual and have supported companies across North America.

“The biggest thing I’d want people to know is that HR isn’t administrative. Whether you call it people services, people and culture, talent acquisition or the employee experience department – the role of an HR department isn’t just recruitment or even payroll,” explains Michelle. “I think we have come a long way in demonstrating the impact that HR can make, but there are still too many people that overthink it, underthink it and just forget that goal is human connection. At the end of the day, no one stays in companies because of good HR. That’s the effect of leadership that determines that. But it has to be a conscious decision on how leaders show up; and then a commitment to their people to be the best leader they can be!” IE