CHRO Action Recording with Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits' Terry Arnold - 11/20/20

In response to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and its unprecedented impact to business and employers, i4cp holds a weekly series of standing calls to help HR leaders navigate this unpredictable time. 

On i4cp’s November 20, 2020 CHRO/HR Strategy Action series call, HR leaders from a wide range of organizations were joined by special guest Terry Arnold, SVP and CHRO at Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits, a family-owned distributor of beverage alcohol. He was interviewed by i4cp Chief Research Officer Kevin Martin, with key topics covered including:

• Like many organizations, Southern Glazer shifted all relevant employees to remote work back in March. Since then, productivity has remained strong, and they recognize the need to balance flexible work needs going forward.
• A key is listening closely to their employees about their various needs, such as when they will want to work remotely and when they will not (e.g., focused work vs. collaboration).
• The Flexible Work policy will be role specific, with the needs of the work being relevant to whether remote work is an option.
• Southern Glazer expects to have a broader talent pool as a result of implementing this approach, one that will improve talent attraction and retention.
• Such a new approach will require a focus on discipline, communication, keeping it simple, and change management.
• Arnold shared Southern Glazer's approach to Leading Effectively Through Coronavirus: Be Right, Be Credible, Express Empathy, Promote Action, Show Respect, Be a Swan (i.e., keep your cool even if your feet are paddling fast below the surface). These were conveyed through leadership coaching and guides complete with examples and further details.
• He also shared their six-part model of leadership essentials, which are: business acumen, culture and change champion, influence, communication, talent curator, personal touch.
• Now and going forward, HRBPs need to be strong in four areas: business acumen, adaptability, analytic reasoning, and dealing with ambiguity.

In addition to this recording, please see the i4cp Coronavirus Employer Resource Center for new research and next practices to help address the COVID-19 pandemic.