Patricia Jones is taking a strategic approach to leading human resources and talent management as chief human capital officer at Wayzata-based TCF Bank.
Jones' role combines what were separate human resources and talent management positions with other responsibilities.
"As we're moving to a more integrated and aligned organization in the back offices it's important that those functions come together to better serve the business strategies and needs," Jones said.
One project, Jones said, is revitalizing the employer brand at TCF, which offers retail and commercial banking at more than 300 branches in seven states and additional services through subsidiaries.
"I'm working hard to tell a more comprehensive story about what that means for our employees and how they work and connect to our customers," Jones said.
Jones has more than 30 years of senior executive experience, most recently as chief human resources officer at Arctic Cat.
She previously was vice president of administration at Lifetouch, chief administrative officer at Allina Health, chief administrative officer and general counsel at H.B. Fuller Co. and vice president of administration and general counsel at the Star Tribune, among other roles.
Jones earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota and a law degree from what is now Mitchell Hamline School of Law.
Q: What goes into revitalizing the employer brand?
A: It's a little bit about knowing what our key competencies and strengths are, understanding what people need to be engaged and enabled to do their jobs and removing barriers to help them do them better. We recently focused a lot of attention on an engagement survey that allowed us to know more about what it takes for our employees to be successful and are working on tactics that can help them do that.
Q: What are your human-resources priorities?
A: There's a real competition for talent so we're working hard to create a workplace that attracts people in ways that they want to work but in ways that work for us as well.
Q: How do you recruit and retain millennials?
A: We see a desire for people to express themselves as whole individuals. I don't think it's necessarily exclusive to them but more a desire to bring the whole individual to work.
Q: How is your experience influencing your approach to this role?
A: I've worked in some companies that have given me an opportunity to learn a number of things that work and don't work and how to be efficient and effective in terms of delivering services but also connecting to the business strategy. [Employees] want to understand how their contribution matters.
Todd Nelson
