Role of Technology in Creating Better Employee Experience

Matthew Kimball, CHRO & Vice President of Development, Wells & Exploration at Shell

Matthew Kimball, CHRO & Vice President of Development, Wells & Exploration at Shell

1. As a global business leader passionate in modernizing the employee experience and digital innovation, how has technology helped you in streamlining your day-to-day tasks?

Technology is key to providing me with the flexibility and freedom to bring my best to work and just as importantly at home too. At Shell we have created a spectrum of choice and flexibility for our employees which supports productivity, affiliation, culture, collaboration and innovation for individuals and teams in a variety of settings. Given the global nature of my role, it is not uncommon to have meetings starting early in the morning and late into the evening. We all have a range of needs to be productive, inspired and comfortable throughout the day which change based on what we are doing at the time. With my early and late meetings, I can take an activity-based approach which is enabled by technology to have the flexibility to move from space to space based on the needs of work and home.

2. What according to you are some of the challenges plaguing the HR space? What are some of the best technologies that HR leaders should undertake in mitigating inert challenges?

From COVID-19, political unrest to workforce fatigue, all organisations are constantly hit by unexpected events. But these events can also be an exciting catalyst for accelerating digitalization as we thrive to outperform the competition during these disruptions. I’ve seen many examples of how COVID-19 triggered technology changes have busted myths in how we can partner with our customers and with each other within Shell. I can touch on a couple of technology trends which I’m particularly excited about and in all of these I see three themes: 1. Solutions to rapidly scale creativity and collaboration through developing internal “gig economies” and bridging the gap between the internal and external talent market. 2. Technology which focuses on humanizing the employee experience for the big moments that matter. 3. Technology and data to help enable diversity, equity & inclusion.

3. Can you discuss the latest initiative that you have been working on? What are some of the technological elements that you are leveraging to make the initiative successful?

I am a member of the Advisory Board for Studio X which is a Global Innovation Studio powered by Shell and is reimagining the pace of the future innovation in energy. Through Studio X we’ve launched Xeek which is a crowdsourcing platform that challenges geoscientists, data scientists, and software engineers to build machine learning tools that solve energy’s biggest data challenges. Xeek is helping us to tap into a talent marketplace and the gig economy outside of Shell to solve big problems. I believe these boundaries between the internal and external marketplace will continue to become more porous and Xeek is leading the way.

4. As a thoughtleader, what are some of the technology innovations that you would like to see implemented by other HR leaders in the industry to steer ahead in today’s tech-savvy world?

As we’ve seen with the much-published “Great Resignation” the post pandemic world has left many people questioning their “why” and relationship with their employer. As HR professionals we have an exciting opportunity to focus on a human deal which orients toward employees as people, not workers; providing the attributes that are critical to that person’s life experience, not just work experience; and delivers a positive emotional response. As I’ve mentioned, technology can be an incredibly enabler of this through providing the flexibility, freedom, creativity and connection but it can also dehumanize the employee experience. Technology solutions which are designed firmly with the employee at the heart and with a focus on employee delight for the moments that matter are critical. Some of the technology trends which I’m following closely and experimenting with include implementing design thinking, developing an internal talent marketplace to solve problems outside of the traditional boundaries of a job, tapping into the external gig economy, incorporating virtual reality into learning and trusted digital connects for people and devices everywhere.

6. As an ending note, could you give some advice for other industry veterans or budding entrepreneurs from the industry space?

I truly believe this our time in HR. It’s such an exciting opportunity to reimagine the world of work. My advice, grab the opportunity! There is no playbook or blueprint, listen to your people, customers and leaders and importantly stay external. In busy times it’s too easy not to lift your headup and see what’s happening around you. Practical ways I try to stay connected is listening to future of work podcasts, speaking at virtual conferences, leveraging my alumni networks and following key thought leaders on platforms such as LinkedIn. Don’t wait, go for it.