Eveliene Witjes is an entrepreneur and Human Resources Management Specialist with over 20 years of professional experience; of which 16 years in core Human Resource Management roles. She has a proven ability in developing an HR department from ground up and in continuous managing the HR operations of start-up/medium and larger sized companies. She holds a strong command in core HR functions such as Recruitment, Learning & Development, Performance Management, Employee Retention, Payroll, Onboarding and Succession Planning, Policies & Procedures, International Mobility, Health & Safety, Legislation and Legal mediation, Strategic annual planning and budgeting, Annual Taxation and has helped many different types of organizations with their transformation.
Recently, in an exclusive interview with CXO Magazine, Eveliene shared her career trajectory, insights on the role of technology in shaping the future of HR, the secret sauce behind her success, future plans, words of wisdom, and much more. The following excerpts are taken from the interview.
Hi Eveliene. What inspired you to pursue a career in human resources, and what motivates you to continue driving innovation and excellence in this field?
I started my career from ground up as I originally did not planned to start working in HR, with a bachelor in Journalism and tried to find work in that field first, which was back in time as a fresh graduate very difficult and I had to start in a support admin role, from where I started developing myself and looked for opportunities in different types of organizations. I then started to grow, exploring new roles and within very different organizations, which helped and prepared me a lot with the immense diversity and versatility you need to have as an HR professional, whether its throughout corporate and cultural changes but also strategic wise. I’ve been working with many different people and in very different environments from a very young age, which helped me prepare for the versatility and adaptability in roles and organizations I stepped in to later on in my career.
What role do you believe technology will play in shaping the future of HR, and how are you preparing your organization to leverage these advancements?
My core focus always starts from top level down as the leading and strategy starts at top level and need to seamlessly flow into the reporting roles underneath. Depending on a company’s talent framework needs, as those are undergoing constant change, I’m a big believer in preparing for a leaner workforce or talent pool and stepping away from the traditional talent framework we used to work with for such a long time. In this new era of work which really started to elevate post pandemic, most companies start to think about their culture and work environment, and how their current talent can deliver at their best. In addition to that we have such a variety of software and tools to choose from, which continues to increase and on top of that AI comes more and more familiar to incorporate in your organization. Tools and technology are always important to leverage support and win back your talent’s time to focus on other parts of their role. AI on the other hand I see more as a virtual assistant in a support role to leverage and win time back from as well and it’s incredible all that can be done through AI, if data collection and output is used correctly.
The future of technology and HR are very important, as HR is one of the most critical departments working 360 on a variety of responsibilities to support the company’s strategic direction and business on one side and the other side to support the everyday people and organizational operations. The best way to leverage which tools or technology fits best within the company is to really focus on key priorities & needs; how does it support HR, the business and what is the productivity increase and outcome. For Tindle Foods I’ve implemented a fine suite of tools that support our core needs on a global scale, while we keep room for evaluation and growth as we continue to develop/change our direction as well.
As a woman leader in HR, what challenges have you faced, and how have you overcome them to achieve success in your career?
Throughout my work in different types of organizations and varies roles, I developed a very all-round skill sets within HR and defined it more to an expert in the area of organizational change, restructuring, and expansion across Europe, USA, LATAM, China, APAC for smaller and mid-sized organizations. HR is a very diverse department with different role specialisations. It’s been very challenging to run all these specialisations alone on an operational level, while setting things up from scratch and staying very closely aligned to the business direction and strategic needs. However, as a company grows, these will start shifting more and creates room for new focus areas while you increase and build an HR team in different countries and regions.
You were recently recognized as one of the Top Pioneering CHROs Making Waves in 2024. Our readers would love to know the secret behind your success.
Always stay open minded, curious, continue to learn or be interested in new things you’ve not done before and that does not have to be something within your work field all the time. The values and learnings we receive in life comes through the direction and decisions we make ourselves. Even the smallest decision or intention can have a major impact you do not have to see immediately, but it will come. On top of that I believe in a healthy balance to keep going, with a strong focus on your mind, body and soul, and staying grounded. And last but not least, do what you love, do what makes you feel good, follow your passion, not because someone tells you so, but because You want to. Success, growth or however we want to describe it by, starts from within. Stay closely aligned to your authentic self.
Do you notice a lack of women in technology? If so, why do you think that’s the case?
Technology used to always be a traditional men’s job, and I definitely see that slowly changing. I don’t think there is a shortage perse or lack of women in technology; but the decision women are taking for themselves in what type of work they prefer to study for or start working in. DEI has become very important in most organizations, but it took a long time to get where we are today and I see that further developing into a complete equality in the workplace for both men and women, through equal roles and pay, as more regulations are being rolled out on pay transparency as well, which is only the beginning.
Looking back, which women in your life have had the most influence on your career?
I haven’t really had a role model to look up to when it comes to my current career. However, all the life lessons, decisions and direction I surrounded myself with or who crossed my path, I’ve learned from, through good and bad experiences. In my younger years I used to train as an athlete to becoming a professional ballerina, from which I’ve learned a lot, prior to entering the corporate world, through my dance teacher’s, which regards to core values, discipline, dedication, commitment and hard work.
What does the term “authentic leadership” mean to you?
To lead by example, rather than leading in a way someone tells you to or by copying someone else. To lead by example in a way to reflect how you would like to be treated yourself, but also to not be ashamed of making mistakes and admitting those as no one is perfect and we should not thrive for perfection solely. Teamwork, collaboration, innovation and inspiration to make your teams thrive and go above and beyond, that is an example of (to my opinion) great authentic leadership.
What is your secret behind striking a work-life balance?
Keeping a very strong focus on balancing mind, body, soul. Have a life after work and making sure you take very good care of your own mind, body and soul.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?
Very difficult question, as I don’t believe in planning too much ahead. I’ll still continue to work in HR or HR aligned, probably more on a strategic advisory role to one or multiple companies.
What advice would you give to aspiring women leaders in HR, and what skills or qualities do you believe are essential for success in this field?
Keep exploring in what feels good and what interests you throughout different settings and environments to learn from. But also, to invest in yourself outside of the workplace. Every skill or life lesson you develop is essential at work. Surround yourself with likeminded people but also those who have a very different mindset, and stay open minded, don’t make your conclusions too quick. Lead from you mind and heart, and listen to your gut feelings, those never lie! Some key skills to focus on are: multitasking, punctuality, communication, planning & execution management, emotional intelligence, organizational development, adaptability, versatility, change management, AI for HR.