According to Heather Newton, the director of talent and training at Child & Family Center, nonprofit mental health and social services agency, what sets her apart as an HR professional is her ability to devise employee wellness strategies that benefit both employees and the organization.
"Benefits are so much more than health insurance," Newton said. "I believe benefits should be an experience that helps employees feel supported, valued and empowered throughout their employment journey."
A key component of this strategy was implementing mandatory supervisor training focused on empowering employees, delivering effective feedback, fostering psychological safety, and strengthening employee engagement. Newton and her team also introduced engagement dollars, providing supervisors with resources to recognize employees and facilitate team-building activities tailored to their teams' needs.
"Not only did these initiatives help us significantly reduce employee turnover — from 22% to 11% over the last 12 months — but we also were awarded the Silver Bell Seal for Workplace mental health for the first time," Newton said.
"My primary goal as an HR and benefits leader is to create a workplace where employees feel supported, engaged and empowered to do their best work while maintaining their well-being," she added.
One of her key goals for the coming year is to establish a formal employee well-being committee that brings together employees from across the organization to help shape wellness initiatives, identify emerging workforce needs, and serve as ambassadors for a culture of well-being. By incorporating employee voices directly into program development, she believes they can ensure their efforts remain relevant, inclusive and impactful.
In addition, she also plans to launch a new ERG focused on employees with caregiving responsibilities, considering many of their employees are balancing work while caring for children, aging parents or other family members.
"While I am proud of the progress we have made in employee engagement, retention and mental health support, I am always looking for opportunities to do more," Newton said. "Continuous improvement is a core part of my approach to HR leadership."
Heather will be honored at EBN's Benefits at Work conference in September, which you can
