How to put people first: a conversation with our CPO
Keith Hanlon-Smith, our Chief People Officer, shares what he’s learned about organisational health during his 20-year career.
Keith Hanlon-SmithChief People Officer, RSSB
In rail, we often hear that the industry is about the people, not the track, trains, or tech. What’s your view on this perspective?
I’ve worked in HR for a long time, but I’m quite new to the rail industry. In the time I’ve served so far, I’ve been amazed at the calibre of people both within RSSB and more widely across the network. The knowledge and commitment that rail industry employees have are so impressive.
It’s also true that passengers are at the very heart of everything we do in rail. The different accountabilities and responsibilities for the various stakeholders within the industry should always be informed by the passenger.
With more than 20 years’ experience in human resource management, what have you learnt about people in that time?
So much has changed since I started working in HR. Yet a lot has stayed the same. While the tools and technology have changed, what people want from their careers is the same: a sense of achievement, recognition, and respect. All the things people really value are consistent.When I started managing a team, I quickly realised that one approach to leadership isn’t going to work for everyone. While it’s vital that you’re consistent in your values, your approach to individual needs and circumstances must be flexible. And flexibility means different things to different people in different circumstances.
At RSSB, we have a principle that underpins our HR approach. We trust that people are going to do the right thing, while recognising that different people want different things. We acknowledge how different people think, feel, and behave. That underlying principle has helped us create a really healthy culture of trust.
How might rail organisations use this insight to confront some of the industry challenges they face?
It’s about making decisions with the customer—and how they think, feel, and behave—in mind. And never losing sight of that. There are some great HR pioneers out there disrupting established practices and encouraging us to work with colleagues in other specialities, like marketing.
Marketing knows how to segment audiences and provide a personalised service. I’ll name check Lucy Adams because we follow her work quite closely, and we’ve worked with her in terms of adapting our approach. This segmentation is a great way to recognise ‘the individual’.Customer satisfaction is a good example. Not every customer is going in with the same experience. They’re going to be looking for different things. So, it’s about recognising that individual approach.
It can’t be easy to get all staff around an organisation’s shared vision. What are the challenges, particularly in an evolving industry like ours?
Although there are some huge challenges in the rail industry, we’re quite fortunate in that what we do does a lot of good for communities and for the economy. We make a real difference to the environment as well, from a sustainability point of view.
Getting people to buy into that greater purpose is something that a lot of organisations strive for. Doing good for society is something most people can get behind.
How do managers and more senior rail leaders overcome these challenges?
Having that kind of shared vision is key. It’s about tapping into what people value the most and effectively communicating that.
We have people in the industry who are passionate about their specialism. But helping them see a clear line of sight between what they do and how it impacts the wider industry is vital.
You’ve been with RSSB since 2017. What are the biggest positive changes that you’ve seen in that time?
It’s in our culture. Since we made organisational health a priority, we’ve seen a massive boost in morale, engagement, and advocacy for RSSB as a business. Our members have benefitted from that, too.Creating that environment of trust means that there can be high levels of autonomy. That almost always means a better experience for the customer. In our case, it’s better for members.Our employee engagement scores are the highest they’ve ever been, too. More than that, it feels like a great place to work. And we’ve recently gained accreditations recognising our work in wellbeing and equality, diversity, and inclusion. It’s good to get that independent acknowledgement.
How do you hope to help RSSB meet members’ needs even more effectively in the coming years?
We’ll continue to meet our members’ needs in operating a safe, efficient, and sustainable railway. Our core purpose will always be a priority. But there’s a massive opportunity for us to do that more efficiently through digital transformation. And we’re building on the technological advancements at an incredible pace at the moment.Whether it’s collecting masses of data to provide insights or being able to do more value-add work by making efficiencies elsewhere, there’s a huge opportunity for us to be more impactful through that digital transformation.
We’re not going to deprioritise any of the organisation’s key goals. But having that digital transformation wrap-around will help us be more impactful in the core purpose of what we do.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received that you’d like to share?
The best piece of advice I’ve been given is from my dad. He says, ‘never go back’. That can be applied in so many different scenarios. In our industry, what it says to me is that we can never go back to a time when rail wasn’t as safe as it is today.Despite all of rail’s challenges, we must be careful that we don’t go backwards on any of the progress that we’ve made over the past two decades.
Shared Vision and Purpose: Understanding how individual roles contribute to the bigger picture and the positive impact on society.
Flexibility and Trust: Recognising individual needs and creating an environment where people feel empowered to do their best work.
Recognition and Respect: Providing opportunities for achievement and acknowledging employee contributions.
All of the Above
Want to learn more?
See how other rail organisations are embedding healthy cultures with these case studies.
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