HI I’M KARI
MY STORY
I love being the glue that brings teams together, connecting great moments and making work fun. I’ve evolved my passion for people, creativity, and culture into a unique niche: building community for growing companies.
In my role at Genesys, I combine internal communications and employee engagement programs to create an internal ecosystem of brand advocates; employees who love what they do, understand what the company stands for, and enables them to bring meaning and play into the workplace. In the simplest terms, I build a community.
Cultures are created by leaders and lived by the employees. I enjoy working with senior leaders to make them accessible to their teams, supporting their efforts to enable great work and foster a positive employee experience in an environment where employees love what they do.
During times of change, I make an impact by connecting people and information to support transformation; as such, my role encompasses aspects of strategy, leadership, culture, community management, internal communication, diversity and inclusion, corporate social responsibility, content, measurement, policies, governance, and tools. I know I’m successful when people feel connected to the company and to each other. I use a “family table” model – collaborative, collegial, authentic and trusting -- where everyone has a place, and where there’s always room for one more.
At Genesys, I infused the concept of community and #oneteam into the DNA of the company during a time of hyper-growth. During my tenure, we doubled our revenue and scaled from 1800 employees to over 5,000 in over 50 countries, organically and through multiple acquisitions. Companies in times of high growth are my sweet spot.
Before my position at Genesys, I held various roles in HR. I also knit, write, play D&D and am really good at building PowerPoint decks.
WHAT I'VE DONE
February 2020 - Present
GLOBAL HEAD OF INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS & EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT, ZENEFITS
I direct and lead all the Internal Communications and global employee engagement programs. My focus is on building a high-performing remote culture that attracts and retains employees while having fun.
2013 to 2020
VP INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS & COMMUNITY, GENESYS
Reporting to the Chief People Officer, I direct and lead all the Internal Communications and global Community programs. My focus is on building exceptional employee experiences through:
Internal Communications (IC)
Executive: All hands, decks, videos, announcements
M&A: Focus on change management
Functional: Develop templates for ease
Employee Comms: Announcements and stories
Tools: Partner with IT to develop the IC ecosystem
Community / Employee Engagement
D&I: Global program, inclusion groups, metrics, and tools
Site engagement: Employee led committees for fun
Corporate Social Responsibility: Global program, donations, and volunteer activities
Recognition: Peer-to-peer recognition and awards
Engagement surveys: Bi-annual engagement surveys and eNPS pulse checks
Partnership and Collaboration
Work with functions such as Engineering on internal conferences
Join forces with marketing and talent acquisition for talent branding
Collaborate with IT on internal communication tools
Partner with business leaders to help them find their authentic voice and channel
2005 to 2010
TRAINING MANAGER, ORGANIC
One of the original interactive agencies during the wild west of the internet, Organic was founded in 1993 and continues to do exceptional work.
Ensured strategic alignment of the training department with business goals
Evaluated individual and organizational performance to ensure training is meeting business needs and improving performance
Identified training needs by consulting with stakeholders and using needs assessments
Developed and delivered training solutions that meet business needs
Selected and managed resources, including working with both internal employees and training vendors to develop and deliver training
Managed the technologies and technical personnel required to develop, manage and deliver training
2001 to 2005
DIRECTOR OF HR, WESTSIDE COMMUNITY SERVICES
With a focus on African American and other underserved minority communities of San Francisco, Westside Community Services provides services to those impacted by poverty, violence, substance abuse, and HIV/AIDS.
Ensured outstanding support for our clients by creating a strong customer service culture
Developed, implemented, and promoted strong employee relations practice and policy
Mentored and developed the leadership team in all facets of HR
Developed and implemented seamless programs that help achieve business results and increase employee engagement
Negotiated union contract renewals and enforcement
Worked with our supervisor/leadership group to support their growth as effective leaders and great coaches for their employees
Leveraged data and analytics to drive people practices and bring valuable insights to the business.
Strategic business partner, trusted advisor, and coach to the leadership team
