Chief People Officer Robin Corralez discusses HR’s efforts to support PandaDoc’s global workforce, including those in Ukraine.
By Debbie Bolla
HRO Today: What’s the biggest challenge you are currently facing and what are your plans to overcome it?
Robin Corralez: My biggest challenge is rebuilding engagement after a tough year in the business that resulted in the need to level up our performance and talent as an organization along with some staff reductions. To overcome this challenge, we’re leveraging our pulse and engagement survey feedback and have built a road map focusing on increased communications and visibility of leadership; enhanced communication around growth and development opportunities; launching new learning platforms to ensure our employees have access to develop their skills; and training our leaders on developing their talent. These are just a few ways to give our team the confidence so that they can continue to grow a successful career within our organization.
HROT: How has HR been a huge champion for employees in the Ukraine during the war and how has this impacted the organization and employees?
Corralez: Before the war began, we offered employees temporary relocation in addition to hosting sessions about how to mobilize in the event of war. Once the war began, our HR team was front and center immediately activating our teams to support relocation of our almost 200 employees in the country. This included everything from securing entire buildings for rent to use as housing on the western side of the country, providing allowances for relocating, and even organizing transportation for family members of those who were not able to leave. We doubled our mental health allowance and introduced counseling and coaching benefits to our team globally, which allowed employees to have access to coaches to gain skills in resilience and managing stress. We also hosted open Zoom calls for emotional support of the teams who were both in transit and those who were committed to staying in the country and offered as much paid time off as needed to those who were unable to work for any reason.
The impact on the organization was tremendous as we led with our value of empathy and the entire company felt it. Our entire organization rallied around our teams in Ukraine and we continue to support our Ukrainian pandas through donations to efforts in the country, the continuation of pay for those who are called to the military, and we even provide a bomb shelter in Kyiv with back-up generators which provides safe haven for those who experience blackouts in the winter and during air raids.
HROT: Can you share a few strategies on how you approach landing top-tier VP-level talent?
Corralez: Over the last year, we successfully landed six amazing VPs that significantly up-leveled our organization. Our C-level team directly engages in VP-level searches. They are skilled at outreach on LinkedIn and at times will even do the first screen with candidates to get them engaged in the process from the beginning. This outreach goes a long way when recruiting top talent. Many candidates inform me that what got them interested in the role and the company was the outreach from the C-level executive from the start, which demonstrated to them the investment in talent made by our C-level.
HROT: What is your favorite way to spend your free time?
Corralez: My free time is mostly spent binge reading Fancy Nancy books with my kindergarten-age daughter. Her love of reading trumps mine and teaching her to read and seeing her face light up when she gets words right has been the highlight of my year.
Robin Corralez is the global chief people officer at PandaDoc.
