Professional and Personal Development of Employees

From Specialist to Business Partner: Evolution of the HSE Department's Role

The transformation of the HSE function in modern companies requires a fundamentally new approach to the development of the specialists themselves. When a business faces the challenge not just of compliance, but of building a safety culture, the role of the HSE specialist changes. They cease to be a mere controller and become a business partner capable of influencing management decisions. In this context, Anna Rumyantseva, Head of HSE at Leroy Merlin, shares her unique experience in building a system for the professional and personal development of HSE department employees.

The presentation details an approach where the development of specialists' competencies is integrated into the company's business processes. This is not just training for the sake of training, but targeted work to improve the efficiency of each employee through participation in real projects and regular feedback.

Multi-Level Development System: From Store to Company

Using her company as an example, the speaker shows how the development trajectory of specialists is structured. The system offers three levels of involvement, each solving its own tasks and developing specific skills:

• Store level: basic safety work, supporting HSE committees, and implementing local projects. This is the foundation upon which an understanding of the facility's specifics is built and communication skills with staff are formed.
• Location level (group of stores): participation in working groups, mentoring in specific areas (e.g., special assessments or incident investigations), and internal audits. At this stage, the specialist learns to analyze processes beyond a single facility and interact with colleagues from other departments.
• Company level: leadership in global projects, implementing innovations, and managing strategic directions. This is the level of experts capable of initiating changes across the entire network.

This approach allows each employee to choose a comfortable pace and direction for development, while enabling the company to efficiently allocate resources and identify talent.

Competency Assessment: Transparency and Feedback

A key element of the system is the regular and comprehensive assessment of specialists' work. The speaker examines the tools that help make this process objective and motivating:

• Individual boards: annual meetings between the manager and the employee to summarize results, assess competencies, and set goals. Importantly, the assessment is based on a clear competency model that considers the specialist's level (beginner, professional, expert) and the scope of their tasks.
• Collective boards (co-boards): team development sessions where specialists share results, receive feedback from colleagues, and adjust their plans. This is a powerful tool for creating a unified information field and team spirit.
• 360-degree feedback: gathering feedback from managers of related departments, store directors, and colleagues. This method allows the specialist to see themselves from the outside and identify areas for personal growth.

It is important to note that the performance assessment is conducted by specialized managers (HSE managers), which eliminates subjectivity and guarantees a professional approach to analyzing the results.

Integration and Onboarding: Investing in the Start

Special attention in the presentation is given to the integration process for new employees. A successful start largely determines the specialist's future efficiency. The onboarding system includes:

• Individual plan: developed taking into account the newcomer's experience and the specifics of the facility.
• Mentorship: working under the guidance of an experienced colleague for 2-3 months.
• Practical certification: testing knowledge through solving real cases and conducting training events (e.g., introductory briefings in a training format).

Such an in-depth approach to onboarding minimizes the risks of mistakes at the start and brings the specialist to the required productivity level faster.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to build a transparent competency assessment system for HSE specialists?
• Which feedback tools are most effective for developing HSE personnel?
• How to motivate specialists to participate in cross-functional projects?
• What are the specifics of onboarding new HSE employees in a distributed structure?
• How to transform the role of an HSE specialist from a controller to a business partner?