About Aisla Nicholls
Aisla Nicholls serves as the Group Director of People at Arden University, a for-profit university which delivers vocational higher education courses that have been designed to equip students from all backgrounds with the skills they need to succeed in the workplace. With extensive human resources leadership experience across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, she oversees all aspects of HR strategy and operations at Arden. This encompasses functions like recruitment, compensation, talent development, and employee relations for the university's workforce.
How has the evolving nature of work impacted your HR strategies, technology, and processes?
As a growing business, we've had to ensure our HR technology meets our needs in the short and long term, because the world is such a changing environment, technology should be adaptable and global accessibility is important as our UK base isn’t the only one growing - our German and Prague workforces are expanding too. We may grow further still, so our tech must be versatile no matter the geography. Products that worked a few years ago don’t necessarily work now with our substantial staff increase.
How does your organisation navigate the complexities of operating under multiple jurisdictions with varying localisation requirements and business process?
We recruited knowledgeable local staff who understood legislative and cultural norms in Germany and Prague which outsiders, however learned, can never fully grasp intuitively. Our exceptional in-country managers act as guides so our legal and HR teams can partner with specialist international service providers to get prompt, tailored advice on localisation complexities across different territories. What we've also done is partner with international law firms or international providers of services that enable us to be quite quick at getting something going.
In what ways does your organisation address the challenges posed by a diverse and decentralised workforce?
Facing new difficulties requires consciously prioritising inclusion. Our diversity enables us to stay responsive - we monitor our balance of people and skills, bringing in expertise as needed, through permanent and temporary contracts. With more remote working, community and culture building is harder so we're focused on nurturing virtual relationship abilities across generations and locations. Geography's less limiting now, creating opportunities and complexities from blended workforces we're striving to support.
How do you anticipate the future of HR management given the rapid changes in the work environment?
Considering worldwide conflicts, there’s a significant mental toll on many. Post-pandemic, community and culture building remotely, raises real issues. How do we cultivate meaningful relationships in an environment dominated by virtual interactions? Our workforce is now more multi-generational and diverse than ever, with individuals working for organisations they might not have considered previously due to geographical constraints. Addressing the complexities of fostering connections and supporting this varied mix of employees presents a real challenge, both virtually and face-to-face.
You mentioned these systems help make discussions with customers feel more human. Could you expand on that? What is the value you see in those human conversations?
It all hinges on the culture within the workplace. When people approach me with complex dilemmas that are troubling them, my role is to provide counsel and direction, drawing upon a wealth of experience to present another perspective. This guidance is priceless – you can’t put a price on growth opportunities like that. The true extent of one's influence on others' careers frequently becomes apparent only upon departure from an organisation. When I left my previous organisation, I discovered how much colleagues felt that I had provided support to them over the years. It highlighted the importance of authenticity in all interactions, challenging the notion that HR is merely about mechanical, transactional processes. I believe it’s so valuable when HR can be the space that matters to people. It's all about relationships and connections between people.
About Arden University
Arden University is a for-profit university focused on providing quality, flexible business education to working professionals and non-traditional students. Established in 1990, Arden delivers its flexible courses via blended and online study modes. This allows students to study at a time, location and pace that suits them, in a way that fits around their busy lifestyles. With campuses located across Europe and headquarters in Coventry, UK, the university strives to open up the possibility of higher education to all. Arden is accredited by the British Accreditation Council and has over 150,000 alumni worldwide.