Market View
Adaptive HR in a Dynamic World: Navigating Diversity, Jurisdiction, and the Modern Workforce
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Interview with
Aidan McKee
Chief People Officer
WaterWipes
About Aidan McKee
Aidan McKee serves in the role of Chief People Officer at WaterWipes, a company that manufactures the worlds purest baby wipes. In his position, Aidan has dual responsibilities - he oversees day-to-day operations and works closely with other C-suite executives in an executive capacity. Additionally, he sits on several of WaterWipes' international boards in a governance capacity.
How has the evolving nature of work impacted your HR strategies, technology and processes?
The whole world of HR and people management has changed dramatically. Most notably, HR has shifted from simply providing solutions to now bringing teams and leaders together in a much more enterprise-wide approach. For example, in my role HR plays an integral part in strategic planning, aligning our people strategy to overall business growth aspirations. It's no longer just about hiring and firing - HR is a central strategic partner.
Specifically on technology, we’ve moved from HR systems being siloed to global solutions that integrate seamlessly with wider business technology initiatives. HR is part of the overall strategy and technology roadmap. The emphasis is breaking down barriers and integrating systems, data and processes across the entire organisation.
What are some of the key considerations when operating globally across multiple jurisdictions? How does your organisation approach systems integration and data in this complex environment?
Operating globally requires navigating varying localisation needs and business processes. Something as simple as a date format can create friction when you have employees across the globe, we need to be sensitive to those nuances and localise accordingly.
For example when considering automated onboarding, with the goal to simplify it on a global level, we must be mindful of what that process needs to look like in the Netherlands vs. the US. I think where technology can play an important role is adapting the global strategy to a local level. Managing global intricacies is an ongoing journey, but integrated HR technology and data are foundational to navigating the path forward.
What strategies does your organisation employ to address the challenges of a diverse and decentralised workforce?
Some keys for us are communication, feedback and inclusivity. We emphasise simple, meaningful messaging at every level to connect our global teams. HR facilitates continuous improvement through open dialog. We also take an active approach to diversity - diversity of thinking, perspectives and culture. As long as people have the core skills, we encourage them to bring their own uniqueness to their roles. Age diversity is also important, since different generations offer distinct experiences.
Our policies are transparent and ingrained in our values, with clear guidelines. We aim to make these policies relatable to employees' daily work lives. Importantly, leadership must fully embrace diversity in our collective goals and culture. The executive team takes an inclusive approach to co-creating policies, systems and processes.
Culture ultimately comes down to leadership - executives must model the change they want to see. Make diversity, transparency, engagement and wellbeing central parts of your leadership approach and company values. Share stories that unite teams and exemplify desired behaviours. Invest in manager enablement around nurturing culture. Move beyond surface-level platitudes into actually embedding cultural priorities into all goals, policies and processes. Culture can't be a one-off project - it needs to be an ongoing journey rooted in your purpose and beliefs.
When considering HR systems and solutions, what are the most important priorities?
Integration capability is one of our top priorities - HR solutions must seamlessly connect with existing business systems rather than create data and process silos. We aim to unify data for maximum insights. Simplicity and user-centric design are also critical priorities. If tools aren’t intuitive and easy to use, adoption will suffer regardless of functionality. Solutions should align to how people want to access information and resources. For HR technology, less is often more - we focus on stripping out complexity and barriers to drive productivity and experience.
Automation is important - there are still many manual processes in HR that can be streamlined through technology. Virtual engagement and culture-building will also be key priorities post-pandemic. Employee wellbeing has come to the forefront after the challenges of COVID-19. Additionally, there is a growing focus on holistic employee experience - creating an environment that enables continuous engagement, development and growth. Accessibility and relevance are big drivers of adoption.
About WaterWipes
Founded in Ireland in 2004, WaterWipes makes baby wipes with just 99.9% purified water and a drop of fruit extract. Committed to using the safest, gentlest ingredients, WaterWipes are the #1 midwife-recommended wipes brand in the UK. The company started with a simple idea - create a wipe that cleans using just water to care for newborns' delicate skin. WaterWipes now sells its innovative wipes in over 50 countries worldwide.
