Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Sets Human Capital Example at Global Benefits Conference
BOSTON — June 8, 2010 — On May 19, global education leader Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s (HMH) Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Ciara Smyth presented an innovative strategy for attracting, retaining and developing human capital at Mercer’s Global Benefits Outsourcing Conference in Washington DC.
Smyth’s presentation was part of a session titled Human Capital, Rewards and Talent Management Strategies: How to Thrive in an Era of Contradictions, about making smart human investment choices in the face of complex business contradictions. Smyth, along with Pat Milligan — President of Mercer’s Human Capital business — and Kim Seals — Global Leader of Human Capital Operations and Technology Solutions for Mercer — discussed several dynamic talent management strategies for twenty-first-century global organizations.
“The recession and the disruption occurring in our marketplace have created significant challenges for human capital leaders. The demand for exceptional talent is more pressing, whilst traditional levers to incentivize and drive engagement are limited. We have to treat every salary and benefits dollar as an important investment,” said Smyth. “People are our greatest assets and so HR leadership must act as human capital portfolio managers utilizing tools and processes like career mapping, hands-on professional development, rewards and performance management to optimize and retain their current talent.”
In collaboration with business leaders, Smyth has transformed HMH’s global HR agenda. By engaging with and investing in HMH talent, Smyth has focused her strategy on driving performance and employee engagement through focused talent initiatives. Smyth commented, “We have an enterprise approach to talent, with certain key constituencies of our population further along on their development journey than others.”
Smyth shared with conference participants that key to the success of her talent programs was getting employees involved, providing them with purpose and building community, both physical and virtual.
“When we thought about this agenda for our conference, HMH came to mind immediately as a company to showcase to others,” said Pat Milligan, President of Mercer’s Human Capital business. “We have worked with HMH since 2007 to put in place the talent framework needed for strategic talent work. What they have done with that framework is truly impressive and something we believe others could benefit from by having HMH share its journey. It was a remarkable success.”
The objective of the conference, titled Moving Forward: Organizational Agility in a Transformed Global Marketplace, was to identify strategies for making organizations more dynamic and increasing their momentum for future growth. Global HR thought leaders utilized both plenary and breakout sessions to work through the major regional and global challenges facing today’s businesses.
About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company is a global education leader and the world’s largest publisher of educational materials for pre-K–12 schools. The Company publishes a comprehensive set of best-in-class educational solutions, ranging from research-based textbook programs to instructional technology to standards-based assessments for students and educators. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning literature for adults and young readers. With origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. To learn more about Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, visit www.hmhpub.com.
About Mercer
Mercer is a leading global provider of consulting, outsourcing and investment services. Mercer works with clients to solve their most complex benefit and human capital issues, designing and helping manage health, retirement and other benefits. It is a leader in benefit outsourcing. Mercer’s investment services include investment consulting and multi-manager investment management. Mercer’s 18,000 employees are based in more than 40 countries. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., which lists its stock (ticker symbol: MMC) on the New York, Chicago and London stock exchanges. For more information, visit www.mercer.com.
CONTACT:
Josef Blumenfeld
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
617-351-5432
Josef.Blumenfeld@hmhpub.com