Five minutes with Sara Gerhart

We want to introduce you to the people behind PeopleEX, our amazing practitioners passionate about good people practices. First up, meet Sara Gerhart.

Hailing from Canada, Sara is a true people generalist with over 20 years of HR experience across New Zealand, Canada and Switzerland. She brings a commercial lens to bettering people's experiences and loves partnering with and supporting our PeopleEX clients to scale and thrive. Here's five minutes with Sara.

How would you describe the culture at PeopleEX?

It's great to be part of a team that lives its values- being inclusive, inspiring, honest and making an impact. These values extend beyond our HR work too. PeopleEX encourages us not to miss the important moments with our families. As I have a 10-year-old and an 8-year-old, I love the ability to work flexibly alongside doing meaningful client work.

What are your predictions for the future of HR?

With an uncertain economic climate ahead, organisations will need to turn inwards and look at their structures. External hiring may subside, and leaders must focus on upskilling and reskilling to maximise the talent already in place. The shift towards internal growth and development is already happening due to the tight labour market in New Zealand, but I predict this will become an even bigger priority. By making the most of in-house talent, an organisation will be better poised to face challenges.  

I also see a migration towards a more balanced hybrid model of working. Covid has shown us that we can work effectively at home, but in-person social connections and team interactions are really important. So those businesses that swung towards a highly remote model may turn back to a more balanced hybrid approach.

Finally, I hope to see greater pay transparency. Pay transparency in recruitment supports diversity, equity and inclusion and sets the stage for fairness and understanding up front. It also saves everyone time!

What are your outside interests?

My kids take up most of my spare time! As a family, we like to spend time outdoors, especially walking and skiing in the winter (back to my Canadian roots). I also love to travel. Covid was a great opportunity to see more of NZ, and I look forward to skiing, skating and tobogganing in Canada at the end of the year.