A Conversation with Amy Parker, Vice President of Global Talent Development and Employee Engagement at Acquia
The road to Employee Engagement is not a straight path – especially for a leading-edge technology company that has a following akin to that of a famous rock band. For Amy Parker, that means her work is never done. She has continuously evaluated and innovated around the changes in the workforce and work environment during her 10 years at Acquia.
Amy Parker leads Acquia’s Global Talent Development and Employee Engagement strategy. She joined the Acquia team in 2014 as the Director of Acquia University, a technical talent incubator program for Acquia and the Drupal community and went on to build Acquia’s first global Learning and Development function. The global team now offers programs that span the entire employee life cycle – from new hires, early-in-career employees, management/leadership development, all the way through collaborating with senior leaders on customized employee learning and engagement programs.
Jacqueline: Amy, you’ve had a robust career in the Learning & Development field and other key areas of Talent, and recently added the responsibilities of Employee Engagement to your portfolio. Reflecting on your experience in the broader Talent field, what has changed the most?
Amy: When I look back at one of the first “virtual” leadership programs I ran for EMC with a team in Bangalore, the changes are immense. The technology of the time (2000-2001) was limited. We used synchronous satellite video supplemented by email. There wasn’t a way to engage in meaningful
New Tech Tools
conversations since the technology was new and the connection wasn’t very strong. To share content, we designed courseware using PowerPoint and Macromedia Flash, and then sent along a voice recording. Fast forward, I can now create all my eLearning materials in Articulate Rise, upload them to our Learning Management System, and publish them to the entire company in a little less than a few hours. Using Slack, Zoom, and other online collaboration tools, I can deliver fully interactive courseware for new hire onboarding, leadership development and connect people across the globe who otherwise would not come into contact with each other.
Jacqueline: What about other non-technical training? How has technology impacted that aspect of your work?
Amy: The need for leadership, communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills is stronger than ever. Many traditional courses were full-day, in-person workshops. With the pandemic and people working remotely, not only does the technology need to change, but we also can’t expect people to sit through five-hour classes in a virtual environment. There are too many distractions, and people don’t want to be lectured to. They want short-form, just-in-time learning opportunities. We’ve devised many new ways to create microlearning pre-work, leaving the in-session time for group discussion and small group exercises using breakout rooms.
Leadership Matters
When I started at Acquia in 2014, and our workforce was much smaller, we had a mentoring program. I was able to match mentors and mentees to each other based on needs, strengths, etc. because I personally knew the people who would work well together. As we grew to the current size of +1,100 global employees, this process became unmanageable. Using the latest technology offered by Trova.io and Slack, we created a peer-to-peer learning program that enables people to match themselves on any topic, for any duration at any time. Through Trova, we also created a Customer Experience Job Shadow Program that connects people to shadow calls and meetings with customers, which helps our team develop deeper insight into the products they are building and supporting. I am always looking at new technology to help enhance the employee experience. With AI becoming more and more acceptable, I am excited to be able to accelerate the pace of learning AND provide more personalized learning journeys.
Jacqueline: What were the operating principles that guided you in building the Employee Engagement function?
Amy: We’ve always been an organization with a strong culture which makes it critically important that we put the employee at the center of every decision we make. What I saw was an opportunity to capitalize on Employee Engagement through learning. In the traditional model, companies would train people and then go away and hope it would all sink in. But today’s tools give us the opportunity to create continuous learning environments. The DiSC Workstyle Preference framework, for example, has been at the core of
our learning programs. The focus on discovering work style preferences for yourself and your team has given us a platform for stronger communication and EQ across the spectrum. I’ve facilitated over 700 DISC assessments and workshops with our teams, and I’m convinced that it’s a key factor in our ability to maintain high levels of collaboration and build trust, which in turn contributes to a positive work environment.
Jacqueline: Acquia is known for its strong culture and has grown considerably since its early Drupal days. How has the leadership kept the people side – especially employee engagement and learning – at the top of the priority list through the various phases of growth?
Amy: Open-source technology has profoundly helped shape our culture by fostering collaboration, transparency, and innovation. Embracing open-source encourages a culture of inclusivity, where employees feel empowered to contribute ideas and solutions regardless of their hierarchical position. This culture of sharing cultivates trust among team members and promotes continuous learning and improvement. We’ve continued to rank high on Best Places to Work in the US, EMEA, and India, and recently ranked 6th in the nation on Built-In for the 2024 awards!
Jacqueline: Keeping this super-charged work force energized is quite the challenge and opportunity. What other programs, tools, and priorities have come to the forefront in recent years to help you meet your objectives?
Amy: Like many companies we embrace a remote-first culture, allowing more flexibility in how and where we work. Professional development opportunities not only stimulate growth but also instill a sense of value and investment in employees’ career paths. Our peer-to-peer recognition programs democratize the way everyone can be recognized and recognize others, and we have a very robust collection of special interest Slack channels, paired with Trova help people bring their whole selves to work and ‘find their people’
Jacqueline: Amy, you’ve been at Acquia nearly ten years. Can you share what has inspired you to stay.
Innovation & Collaboration
Amy: This one’s easy. The people. I get to work with some of the most creative, collaborative innovative and kind people. We also have a really great technology portfolio that helps make the dreamers and doers make the impossible happen.
Jacqueline: Are there any other programs that you believe have worked well to further boost Acquia’s success at Employee Engagement and fulfilment?
Amy: Finding ways to make your culture evolve and change with time is really important. We really lean into our employees to help us crowdsource changes to our core programs. Our DEI Statement and the definitions of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion were crafted by a group of Acquians who are passionate about linking our culture to what DEI means to us. We also really try to get everybody involved in an Aquians Teaching Aquians program. There’s nothing better than to be recognized as a subject matter expert, be able to teach other people, knowing that in turn, someone will lend a hand when you need it. I’m really proud of the programs that we’ve built.
Jacqueline: Given all you have observed during your time in talent, and specifically Employee Engagement, what is your advice to people entering this field today?
Amy: For someone staring out today, I’d have two thoughts. First, being able to make data driven decisions by leveraging people analytics is crucial. By leaning into data-driven insights, we can optimize talent management strategies, enhance employee experiences, mitigate risks, and align our Talent initiatives with overarching company goals
Second, I’d say: Don’t be afraid to break the mold. With the pace and change of the world today, we have to constantly innovate and find new ways to drive engagement. Be bold and consider building something that will be unique to your culture. Be empathetic and open to what you see and hear.