Work in Progress Podcast with Roger Clements

In this episode of the HRchat show, we shine a light on a new pod called 'Work in Progress' by Matrix. Bill Banham's guest is Roger Clements, Chief Growth Officer at Matrix.

Roger joined Matrix at the beginning of 2023 assuming responsibility for leading Matrix’s growth strategy.

Roger has over 25 years of experience within the field of human capital management and workforce solutions. His experience spans working in prominent leadership roles for global HR Outsourcing, Recruitment Process Outsourcing and Managed Service Provider firms as well as experience gained within HR functions at large blue-chip organisations.

Questions for Roger include:

• Can you tell us about the inspiration behind launching Work in Progress - The Matrix Podcast and how it aligns with Matrix's mission?
• What led to the decision to feature Tim Campbell MBE and Cath Possamai as special guests for the inaugural episode, and what unique perspectives do they bring to the discussion on the gap between education and career?
• How does this new podcast aim to differentiate itself from other podcasts in the sphere of discussions surrounding the future of work, and what can listeners expect in terms of topics in future episodes?
• As the chief growth officer at Matrix, what impact do you predict  theWork in Progress pod will have on the broader conversation surrounding workforce management, talent acquisition, and professional development, both within Matrix and in the wider industry?

We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.

Chapters

• 0:03 Podcast "Work in Progress" by Matrix
• 9:57 Podcast Panel
• 20:14 Future of Work and Talent Management

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

Welcome to the HR Chat Show, one of the world's most downloaded and shared podcasts designed for HR pros, talent execs, tech enthusiasts and business leaders. For hundreds more episodes and what's new in the world of work, subscribe to the show, follow us on social media and visit HRGazettecom.

Speaker 2: 0:26

Welcome to another episode of the HR Chat Show. Hello, this is Bill Bannum. In this episode, we're going to shine a light on a new pod called Work in Progress by Matrix, and my guest today is Roger Clements, Chief Growth Officer over at Matrix. Roger joined Matrix at the beginning of 2023, assuming responsibility for leading Matrix's growth strategy. Roger has over 25 years of experience within the field of human capital management and workforce solutions. His experience spans working in prominent leadership roles for global HR outsourcing, recruitment process outsourcing and managed service provider firms, as well as experience gained within HR functions at large blue chip organizations. Roger, it's my pleasure to welcome you to the HR Chat Show today. Great Thank you, Bill, Really delighted to be here, so beyond my reintroduction just a moment ago. Roger, why don't you start by taking a minute or two and introducing yourself to our listeners and, of course, telling them about the mission of Matrix?

Speaker 3: 1:34

Sure, yeah, thank you, bill. So yeah, roger Clements, I'm Chief Growth Officer of Matrix. I've been in the HR and workforce sector for the best part of 20, 25 years now, and I've joined Matrix last year to lead an accelerated growth journey for the business. Matrix is a business that is a workforce management platform. It essentially sits in the middle of what we refer to as a three-sided marketplace, so our mission is to connect people to work and to help make the system and process for finding and delivering work more effective, more, a better experience for all three parties, the three parties that we see in the marketplace so they are large employers, the talent themselves and also those that are involved in the sourcing and supply of candidates. So our mission is really to, through a combination of our platform, but also our services, is to make that process as friction-free, great experience and create improved visibility and control for employers and suppliers and the talent within that ecosystem.

Speaker 2: 2:50

Okay, thank you very much. Now, as mentioned in the introduction, this is a bit of a special episode because we are shining a light on your fabulous, wonderful, awesome new podcast called Work in Progress. Maybe you can take a couple of minutes now and share with our listeners how the podcast aligns with Matrix's mission, but also the reason for launching it in the first place.

Speaker 3: 3:18

Sure, absolutely, bill, and we're really excited to launch it. It's been a plan of ours for a little while. So Work in Progress is really a podcast that aims to bring three different perspectives on topics that are close to the hearts of those involved in that ecosystem that I just mentioned. So we're tackling we have a range of topic areas that we're planning to tackle throughout the year. The plan is to run a monthly podcast where we always get three different perspectives on each of the subject areas that we tackle.

Speaker 3: 3:52

Our feeling was that there was a gap in the market that actually meant to make sure we get a balanced view on all of those topics. So in the process of recording the podcast, we will always have an employer in the podcast as a guest. So, whether there's a HR director, a chief people officer, a head of talent or a resourcing director, someone who can shine a light on the topic area or in question, but bringing really an employer's perspective. So what are the things that are really resonant with that employer in relation to that topic area? We'll also typically bring the voice of the talent, and that may well be talent themselves, individuals that are talent, whether it's early in career or experienced professionals or otherwise, but getting their view on a particular topic. And then typically we'll also be having a voice of a supplier or someone who represents the supply industry.

Speaker 3: 4:50

Sometimes that may well be analysts, but essentially so, every single topic. We aim to get three different perspectives on that topic so that we get a really rounded view, and I guess the reason that it has a relevance to our business and our mission is that that's exactly what we do. We create a connection, we are with the interconnectivity between lots of different players in the market, all of whom need to operate effectively together to make the talent ecosystem successful. So the reason we launched it was really to start sort of really acting the way in which we act in our day to day business, which is the facilitator of change, and hence the reason the podcast was born.

Speaker 2: 5:34

And why the podcast? For that? I mean, there are lots of different ways that folks get the word out there written articles, events, webinars, you name it but why did you guys say one of the things that we want to do in 2024 is to launch a podcast?

Speaker 3: 5:51

I think really it's because the written it's not instead of the written word. We continue doing that. Our focus is really is making sure we're utilizing all the channels available to be able to A make our voice heard, but also make sure that we're creating the platform for really tackling some of the issues that are most a matter to all of our customer and supply interactions. The podcast is particularly good because it enables us to, I guess, properly debate a subject.

Speaker 3: 6:25

I think other mediums perhaps are great if you want to do a little bit of thought leadership or if you want to project, but actually what we have found particularly good about the podcast is it really enables us to properly get into the meat of the subject and actually, when you're trying to get different perspectives, sometimes we actually want to create a little bit of spark, a bit of controversy or a bit of debate, so an employer may have one very different view to the talent market. And actually sort of having a platform that enables the employer, the supply market and the talent market to actually openly discuss the things that matter most to them is a medium I don't think you could do in any other format other than the podcast, and so we've certainly found it really really useful for truly getting into the meat of a subject.

Speaker 2: 7:14

And I would add to that just based on my own experience. It's a great way to build relationships, to get to know people. You know you and I had a couple of drinks together in the pub in London, so we got to have a little bit there. But just having a conversation like this or hitting record, getting to know each other a little bit, bouncing ideas off each other, I think it goes a long way to building relationships Would you agree?

Speaker 3: 7:40

Yeah, absolutely, I think it's certainly less formal as well. So we clearly, I think our ambition I mean, I guess what I aspire to be able to do is to create an informal platform which people feel inclined to follow and listen to and just follow the debates and the subject areas that we cover. But the intention is definitely to make it an informal, yet professional, forum and platform. But I completely agree with you, bill, it's a non-threatening way of doing things as well and it's definitely our intention to make it as informal as possible.

Speaker 2: 8:30

And what does your podcast calendar look like for 2024? What's the cadence? How regularly can your listeners expect to get new, fabulous insights from you and the team?

Speaker 3: 8:40

So we are planning a monthly and, like all good things, plans change. We want to make sure that the quality of the content is strong, so we have we deliberated around whether we can do it more often, whether we actually wait and do it less often, but higher quality. Our ambition, our aim here is to do a monthly podcast with a revolving themes of topic areas that are relevant to that particular time. So we have a three month rolling viewpoint on the sort of things that we're going to be covering. But equally, there are certain things that happen in the market that we want to be dynamic and agile towards.

Speaker 3: 9:25

So if suddenly a new piece of legislation comes up or in the UK anyway, with the forthcoming general election and some of the policies around employment that are all very much tied up into that, I can foresee some of that changing, which I think will be a complete nightmare to my podcast manager and Kelly from a PR perspective, but I think they're quite used to that now with me particularly. But certainly I definitely aim to make this fairly agile and dynamic, but structured in the way in which we manage it. And of course, one of our challenges is the fact that we do have three guests on the podcast at every one time, which logistically means that we have to probably be a little bit well-planned around making sure we get the right dynamic between the guests and making sure that we also get the right guests that are going to have a strong viewpoint on the market as well, okay, I'm just going to be self-indulgent here before I get back into the other questions, because this interests me.

Speaker 2: 10:21

So your approach with your three guests is you get them all on the same recording. You don't record individually with each of them and then splice it in. It's the full kind of panel, almost approach. Absolutely that's what you guys are doing.

Speaker 3: 10:34

It is. Yes, I felt it was really important to get the dynamic between the guests and actually going back to your point around the informality and authenticity of the podcast, one of the things that I was really, really keen to do is to make sure that actually, if I do my job well, I don't actually have to talk to that much at all. I tee up the topic area and really I see my role as really sort of helping to facilitate and shepherd the conversation in the right place, but actually let it go off-piece when it needs to and the three guests also bring a different following. I guess in some ways as well, no-transcript. Again, it's the uniqueness and one of the fundamental reasons we are doing the podcast is really to underline our position in a market where we are trusted by all three parties that are involved in our ecosystem, and so we felt it was a natural evolution for us to bring that trust and for us to be the facilitator of that trust and facilitate the conversation.

Speaker 2: 11:43

Just before you and I jumped on this call to record this podcast, I was a guest on another popular UK pod and one of the questions was around what's your style of being a podcast host? And I use Michael Parkinson as my example and from what you've just said there, it sounds like you're taking some sort of approach you ask a question and then you shut up and you listen and you let them speak right, Absolutely how you educate the audience?

Speaker 3: 12:10

Yeah, and at some stage in the year or so time bill I look forward to sitting down with another beer with you and talk about whether I'm getting anywhere near close to a style of Michael Parkinson, which would be a really high praise indeed. But yes, I'm learning. You know, like many people, I think that run through podcasts or set up podcasts, and certainly in the early stages. I'm sure I'll look back at some of those first episodes of my own performance and a podcast and cringe a little bit. But certainly my hope is that I create a forum that allows people to be able to express their view and to have constructive debate. That is that If I do that, then I'll be extremely happy.

Speaker 2: 12:52

Tell us a bit about your first episode. You've got some pretty impressive folks special guests on the first episode. What unique perspectives did Tim Campbell and Kath Persome? What did they bring to the discussion on the gap between education and career?

Speaker 3: 13:12

Yes, the first podcast, the first episode, was a real feature for us, so we got the podcast title. As you say, Bill was addressing the gap between education and career and actually the launch of this podcast ties in with a really big national initiative that we are putting a lot of focus and matrix itself is putting a lot of investment and time behind which is National Interview Week. So National Interview Week is a national awareness campaign that aims to try to create a better awareness of this sort of growing gap between those coming out of the education system and what employers seek for their early in career individuals young talent entering the workplace. And what we found through research with one of the partner organisations, your Game Plan, who's a platform for schools and colleges and students, is that there was a real lack of preparedness for students coming out of the education system and coming into the workplace. That's based on feedback from employers, but also from talent themselves to say I was lost, I came out of school. Everything our young generation are taught in the school is all geared towards you must get good exam results, you must get your academic grades and then suddenly they reach A levels and then it's right you must get a job now or you must decide what you're going to do next, and schools, particularly in the state system, have little funding and, frankly, are under the resource to be able to provide proper guidance to students going through, typically your 16 to 17 year olds, when they're starting to plan what their next steps are. The level of information out there for students is pretty cool, and so the aim of National Interview Week is to help raise awareness for this gap and this growing gap, but also to provide something that we feel we thought would be a real practical next step, which is, you know, there's lots of theory around the subject, around what the education system should be doing, what should employers be doing to help that, but actually a lot of it is really interesting debate, but very little action.

Speaker 3: 15:42

National Interview Week was really a practical action to both a way to awareness for it, but also just to say that one of the biggest issues at the moment is the lack of preparedness for students on actually how to perform in an interview. Loaded them get huge amounts of advice around how to write a CP, but actually then they get thrown into an interview and had no idea around body language, personal style and confidence. So we in National Interview Week which is running this week it's running during the week of week commencing 29th February is we're putting 5,000 year 12 and year 13 students through practical interview training one week. We've got 530 something. Volunteers, mentors from loads of different organisations, that from Amazon and Metta through to Deloitte, BBC, you name it. We've got mentors from all over the country really sort of throwing their time, volunteering their time to give practical interview guidance to students that really need it. So that was really the. So the first episode is really driven at driven at creating a forum for the voice of National Interview Week, but also really really sort of really putting a focus on the issue of the gap between education and careers. So Tim Campbell obviously very well known in the UK market, for sure the first ever winner of BBC Apprentice, and he's also now a mentor on the BBC Apprentice show with Sir Alan Sugar and Cannon Brady he's also a massive advocate for helping young people in the careers process. So he's funding National Interview Week. He had a really great perspective on what the school's school system should be doing and also from what he's seeing with his mentorship for quite often some more underrepresented groups in the UK market.

Speaker 3: 17:44

Cath Posamai has been a friend of mine for many years.

Speaker 3: 17:47

I had the great privilege of working with Cath in very early my career, probably about 20 odd years ago, although I'm sure we both wouldn't want to admit that.

Speaker 3: 17:56

But Cath has had some really, really interesting and very high profile heads of talent, heads of resource and roles in the market. So she used to run the British Army recruiting and so has got a really unique perspective on how the British Army reaches out to communities, to talent, and actually they are a great example of how they do it really well in terms of reach out and reach out into schools and colleges. But also she's now head of talent for Amir at Amazon, so a very different profile of individual in terms of target recruitment market. That has got some really interesting experience. And then the other lens that she has is around her work with the Institute of Student Employers, for which she is Vice-Chair of, so a really interesting group of talent. And then obviously we also had Mark Inskip, who's our CEO and represents the voice of the supply and supply market in that perspective, and Mark is a real passionate advocate and really drives major tricks hard around connecting to our mission and really driving a purpose-led business.

Speaker 2: 19:10

When I launched the HLChat pod back in 2016, there weren't that many podcasts out there at the time. Now, there are something like 3 million podcasts out in the ether. Okay, roger, how does your new podcast aim to differentiate yourself from other shows in the space? You were talking about the future of work, the world of work, and you mentioned that you're planning three months ahead generally, so what else can listeners expect in terms of topics in future episodes?

Speaker 3: 19:40

So, yeah, I guess the big differentiator for us is the fact that we bring three different perspectives to every topic that we host. So for me, that was I didn't want to, as you rightly said, bill, the market. You know, market is well populated with really great podcasts yours included, of course but my feeling was that there was a gap. There was a gap around creating sort of deep debate with different perspectives on a topic area. So I see that as a big differentiator for us. We deliberately tackle topics that have a implication, or perhaps a different implication depending on which side of the marketplace you sit. So when we tackle a topic like the upcoming one, we have coming up is around the future of work and the future of work with a lens on the how organizations are setting themselves up for managing different employment types, and there's a lot being lots of commentary from a number of different places. We've got some insight from an author who will be coming on the podcast. We've also had an insight from a research organization who do a lot of research into the future of work for on behalf of some of the big four and one of the some of the topic areas all around how organizations setting themselves up for the idea of portfolio career working and how individuals that perhaps coming out of the education system or earlier in their career actually seeking portfolio careers rather than a career for a many years in the same organization. So the indirect workforce is a big topic area that we feel has needs needs tackling properly in terms of really sort of some practical insight as to what organizations are doing to grab the set and so on.

Speaker 3: 21:30

So that's one example of a of a topic area we've got coming up, actually we record in the next couple of weeks, and then we're also tackling some of the topics around around compliance and risk, workforce risk management Again, how, how, how to create a great onboarding experience for individuals but actually make it so that you actually you understand who you're employing and actually you're managing the risk associated with onboarding properly. So we've got some really interesting guests coming on that which come, come, come from very different perspectives in the markets how the talent want to join an organization, what, what, what, what is a great onboarding journey look like for actually the talent themselves rather than the HR operations creating a great process to make sure they get all the data they need to be able to take the right boxes in the HR system. Actually, how? How does your onboarding experience really set you up for success in the role? So these are the. These are sort of topic areas that we're grappling with over the next couple months.

Speaker 2: 22:29

Okay, so this is a special episode where we focused on the new podcast, so let's talk podcast legacy. Roger, okay, imagine a scenario couple of years from now you're nice sitting in some trendy bar or restaurant in in central London. I'll even buy the first round. What about that? And I say to you, roger, what, what, what impacts. What impact do you do you think work in progress pot has had on broader conversations surrounding workforce management, talent acquisition, professional development? What would your answer be to that?

Speaker 3: 23:03

My, I hope my answer would be raising awareness.

Speaker 3: 23:07

Raising awareness of some of them and making sure that when organizations, when new processes, when new technologies or when new approaches are being implemented, but people stop to think about the experience for all rather than the experience for one.

Speaker 3: 23:24

I have seen I've been part of that in many, many, over many, many years projects that are implemented with a one dimensional perspective on things. So so, whether it's a new HR system, whether it's a new applicant tracking system being implemented, whether it's a new vendor management system or new program for managing a larger volume piece of recruiting, too often it's all your, your. Your focus is on the result in the outcome you want to get out of it. What we aim to achieve from what we aim to deliver through work in progress is a rounded viewpoint on topics, and so if, if, if we can add our bit to helping inform whether it's a new program that an organization is looking to implement, or whether it's how supplies better engage with the talent community, or whether it's how talent changes the way in which they operate in order to create and become more compelling to the employer market, if we can do our little bit to sort of shape that, then we will be very happy.

Speaker 2: 24:27

OK, so you're not looking into years time to say, well, it actually was this springboard to my career, radio one. We're now the best paid DJ.

Speaker 3: 24:36

Well, maybe that, maybe that. Well, maybe, maybe, maybe that. Let's see how we go. Maybe maybe we're looking at the next parking. Now I'm only joking, Of course. I know I at some stage in the future I was I also like to hone my own skills. You know I I have a great deal of admiration for anyone involved in facilitating great discussion and great conversation, so I would love to you know, apply and learn my new skills, which is part of the great experience of creating a podcast.

Speaker 2: 25:10

Well, speaking of great conversations, this great conversation is almost at the end, I'm afraid, because our episodes are a certain length. Before we do wrap up, however, how can our listeners connect with you? Maybe that's LinkedIn. Maybe I want to show you email address. I bet you're super cool all over TikTok. How can they learn more about Matrix? And, of course, how can they tune in to the new podcast?

Speaker 3: 25:31

So Matrix itself is on. You'll find us in all the usual places around LinkedIn. We also have a podcast. That's on Instagram, YouTube. Go on, follow it. Work in progress podcast. Just follow and like and subscribe. We will be pushing content out regularly and you'll also see our first episode, which is in parts one and two, to your point, bill, around making sure that they are bite size, bite size chunks. My learning from the first episode was clearly not controlling your control and I guess well enough and actually letting the conversation go on way too long. So so much so that we actually have two parts and we also have a bonus episode for those that are interested in national interview week. We have a bonus episode on the first, on the first person as well. So, yeah, linkedin, most of the usual social, social, social channels, but certainly LinkedIn from a Matrix perspective. We definitely like that.

Speaker 2: 26:28

Perfect. Well, that just leaves me to say for today, roger Clemens, your agent, I'm looking forward to catching up in person at Disrupt London on March 20th, but for now, thank you very much for being my guest, my pleasure.

Speaker 3: 26:40

Thank you for having me. Bill Really appreciate it. Thank you.

Speaker 2: 26:43

And listeners as always. Until next time, happy working.