Having first planned to go into finance, Shaun Stacey Chief People and Culture Officer at Serco UK and Europe decided to leave this competitive arena for Human Resources. Attracted by the function’s pace, challenge and constant change his appreciation of the influence that a good people function can have on an organisation grew and has kept him motivated and engaged throughout his career. “I’m motivated by the blending of commercial realities with community impact,” he says. “The work has variety and energy and I’m lucky to be working alongside some highly skilled and engaging people.”
Stacey thinks about his career in three stages. First there was a foundation period based at Associated Ports where he learned the fundamentals of the profession and gained relevant qualifications. His time at the business was varied and this resulted in him building a strong knowledge base alongside plenty of practical expertise.
I’m motivated by the blending of commercial realities with community impact.”
He then moved to the Royal Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI), which offered him more experience within a public sector setting, and one which was undergoing transformation and change. Those changes included relocating the organisation’s headquarters, introducing new technology and reframing the relationship the organisation had with its customers: “The change programme touched every part of the organisation,” says Stacey. “It was demanding but also incredibly fulfilling”.
For Stacey, this work cemented the importance and influence of people management across organisations. While he says he spends a lot of his time making the connection between overall business strategy and the people mission, he also believes the standing of HR within organisations has improved over the years he has worked in the function. There is a clear acknowledgement that people issues go hand in hand with overall success.
“Certainly there is now the recognition that culture has a part to play in supporting competitiveness and growth, and therefore HR has a role to define and embed that culture” he says.
The Covid achievement
Stacey has been with Serco for 15 years and identifies the Covid years as giving him a particular sense of achievement. Working against a backdrop of ‘profound uncertainty’ Stacey was part of the Serco team that was not just affected by the pandemic but was actively trying to help deal with the crisis too. Work was continuous, with long days 7 days a week, with Serco involved in supporting the UK Government response setting up and operating test centres and supporting the contact tracing ecosystem. At the same time the business itself had to manage closures, work to protect vulnerable employees and recognise the stress employees felt as they juggled work with home schooling and other personal issues.
Stacey says the sense of fulfilment for doing an important job was significant, but there was also a sense of freedom about the work. This kind of project had never been done before and there was an acknowledgement that mistakes would be made along the way. However, there was also a great deal of resilience and commitment to getting the job done.
