Projects
Once hiring was handed over to me, so that we could bring it entirely in-house, I worked to bring more structure to the process.
I redesigned our hiring process, working with team leads, to create a fluid process that worked for everyone, taking time-constraints into account.
I began conducting all screening calls for candidates, setting up all our interviews, as well as leading many of them myself (especially culture alignment ones, which was an area I was particularly focused on). I also redesigned our screening and interview question docs, restructured our cloud filing, designed my own candidate ranking sheet for keeping track of recruitment, and redid our HR system tags for new applicants.
I worked with samdesk teams across the globe to achieve more uniformity in samdesk's hiring process, so that every candidate who came through the recruitment pipeline and into onboarding received the same treatment (and enjoyable experience), and the business saved time where it could with its hiring processes.
The feedback I received from managers and samsters in general on this revitalized process was very positive.
When I joined samdesk, our onboarding process was decent, and we had the framework of something that could be expanded upon over time. Through a series of meetings with team leads, as well as samsters who had been hired quite some time back and recently, I gathered notes and recommendations on how we could improve the entire onboarding process.
I used this information to put forward some ideas I could implement for future hires, to give them an even better experience, helping them integrate quicker into our culture, and get up to speed faster in their roles.
An example was a 1-week check-in with myself (now that there was someone in a dedicated HR role), as well as a mid-point check-in during their probation, alongside checking in with their manager, to make sure expectations were being met, and they were fulfilled so far in their role.
I bolstered the offboarding process, through expanding what was documented when someone leaves, as well as implemented a more formalized exit interview process, and launched a samster debrief process where feedback from manager on their direct reports is documented for future learnings.
I reviewed and updated a number of policies, including travel, for samdesk, bringing them in line with current business practices and employee expectations.
I also researched and launched new mental health supports that were added to our existing private medical plan for full-time employees in Canada.
I developed and then managed an improved system for tracking company-provided hardware, so that our payroll could use this for asset management during audits, and so that we had an easy time retrieving devices during offboarding, as well as replacing those that were deprecated.
Furthermore, I put together a system for tracking which of our samsters used certain paid apps (software platforms), for budgeting purposes as well as easy removal during offboarding, to protect company IP.
For 6 months, I helped plan samdesk's first annual user conference, Horizon.
This endeavor was aimed at creating a valuable opportunity to dialogue with our clients face-to-face, learn from their experiences with our product, provide them with information about what we had in store for future releases, and build a foundation for hosting future user conferences.
Our team had never done anything like this before, and I learned a lot about event planning in the process, including putting contingency plans in place, budgeting, travel management, and communications.
Horizon was extremely successful. Our guests provided very positive feedback, and we look forward to hosting future, even bigger conferences year-on-year.
All products previously just went by name, including in company records. I developed a new product classification system for all items sold by the business, inclusive of new item codes, theme groupings, dimensions, and weights. These classifications formed the foundation of the new online store listings, as well as integrated with the new ordering system, both of which I also created for the business.
I designed and developed a brand new company website, which has provided the business with the first opportunity to sell items online. I also updated all existing company social media channels, and started new ones, such as Instagram and LinkedIn.
I facilitated a re-branding of the business, which at the point I began working for it, had existed for over 26 years. This was a large undertaking, but I developed a fresh, modern look for the company that spoke to its roots, but also projected the new digital path the company was taking. New company logos, documents, typefaces, and promotional materials were developed.
We realized that the Consultants we had posted around the continent were well-positioned to assist us with sourcing leads, especially taking into account the fact that certain cultures preferred in-person introductions.
We designed a Lead Generation Campaign, inclusive of a training manual and letter of authorization, after which we trained select Consultants, and developed a tracking system for new leads across Africa. We integrated a referral payment system into the Campaign to incentivize lead generation.
We went through a full digital rebranding, inclusive of project managing numerous third parties to redesign our website and digital assets.
As part of a move to a more digital, streamlined service offering, I helped launch and market our Integrated Program. This was a lengthy roll-out of new online platforms that we used to increase the value we offered our clients, while also saving the business money - a challenging balance.
We initially began using a pre-made travel app that worked on mobile devices and was updated in a back-end through web browsers. We later moved to a newer online portal-based system.
We received extremely positive feedback from clients for our Integrated Program, developed new avenues of doing business, saved money, provided additional digital value to our clients, and won a major global supplier award for our efforts.
I oversaw the restructuring of how the marketing division tracked its finances for annual budgeting, as well as a redesign of how our monthly reporting worked for the Board. These efforts were both aimed at greater divisional accountability and streamlining administrative processes.
When I began volunteering at iSMA, the Association was in the process of moving from an old web provider and hosting system to new ones. I assisted with transferring content from the old site, building new pages, and launching the new website, which you can view here.
When the pandemic started, we realized that we had a responsibility as a social marketing association, to provide the public with accurate information about the pandemic, and to try and encourage positive behavior change that would lessen the impact of the pandemic in society.
I put together a new page dedicated to COVID-19, and helped source videos, articles, publications, public health websites, and various other resources for our visitors and members to use.
Alongside my responsibilities as Web Coordinator at iSMA, I am also a member of the blogging team. I was part of a drive to produce new content for the site, and I frequently edit, post, and tag new articles for our website.
After assisting with the 2021 iSMA Board elections, I now have the time to work on our next project, alongside my Communications team members: a book section.
We are be gathering recent social marketing publications from our connections, and I have begun creating a new area of the website where we can both host informative content, as well as promote the sale of social marketing resources via affiliate links. I look forward to seeing this endeavor evolve over time.