Corey Simpson, Director – People and Culture.
Corey is a senior Human Resources leader with extensive experience in building and delivering HR programs across various industry sectors. He enjoys working at both the strategic leadership and hands-on operational levels to enable highly engaged and effective workplace cultures.
Hi Corey, how have you settled into your role?
I’ve been at ATC Williams for six months now, following almost nine years of leadership roles at Monash University. Before that, I was the Global Leader of HR Shared Services at Golder Associates, where I worked closely with both Darren Watt (CEO) and Terri-Lee Morris (HSEW Manager).
Having two familiar faces here has helped speed up the transition period, and I’ve been able to jump right in and start getting things done. I enjoy the dynamic and fast pace of the professional services sector. There are many brilliant minds at ATC Williams, and we get to support them in delivering significant projects.
What career development initiatives are you working on right now?
We’re rolling out a new annual review process that connects performance and development with promotion opportunities. We’re embedding new feedback tools as part of a Career Development Framework for everyone in the organisation so they can see a defined pathway. Our goal is to empower our people to feel in control of their own careers.
Next up is to introduce training programs that will serve as a first step to building capabilities for more formalised leadership and management development.
How are you approaching workplace culture at ATC?
I’ve found that ATC Williams has a unique and special culture that makes people want to shape their careers here. We need to identify and articulate the essential elements of that culture to strengthen them going forward. One way we’ll achieve that is through a culture review, where we’ll seek broad input from across the organisation. A current-state culture assessment followed by a desired future state blueprint will enable us to enhance the ATC culture as we continue to grow the company.
Then, it’s about wrapping our arms around those critical aspects so we can protect and maintain them. On the flip side, we’ll look at what parts we can leave behind to embrace aspects of the emerging culture. Smart organisational growth involves preserving the rituals and symbols that are important about the existing culture while being cognisant of change.
How does People and Culture align with Health and Wellbeing?
Terri-Lee and I have spoken extensively about the HSWE focus at ATC and the safety and wellbeing work Terri-Lee implemented last year. One of the initiatives resulting from this is our Total Reward Framework, which is HR-speak for the way an organisation determines its Employee Value Proposition.
This is where we explore what it is that our people get from working for ATC Williams beyond remuneration. We want our staff to have access to a broad range of benefits and value outside of just pay. As part of this, we will strengthen the range of wellbeing related policies, and deliver initiatives that promote personal wellbeing.
What excites you about working in HR?
I love to see people engaged and happy at work. I started my career as a psychologist because I’ve always been fascinated by what makes people tick in life. That curiosity led me to organisational psychology and how to motivate and support people in the workplace as well. I aim to have our people gain satisfaction from their roles, build confidence in their abilities, and fulfil their potential to develop beyond what they even know they can do.
The ATC People and Culture Team
You can follow Corey on LinkedIn here