In episode 39, Coffey talks with Andrew Pryor, CHRO at ECI Software Solutions, about building and maintaining a great company culture in a remote work environment.

They talk about Andrew’s initial pandemic experience; his company’s continued growth throughout the pandemic; how ECI has thrived in a remote and hybrid environment over the past two years; how employee engagement actually increased during the pandemic; how they maintained their “culture of recognition” throughout the pandemic; the importance of consistent communication with employees; the value of employee engagement surveys; how ECI took their learning and development program to a remote environment; how ECI emphasized mental health in the second year of the pandemic; Andrew’s appreciation of frontline workers throughout the pandemic; changing working spaces to accommodate hybrid workers; the importance of hybrid workplaces and flexibility in recruiting great employees; the changing role of talent acquisition teams; and how employee expectations differ across ECI’s global footprint.

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Andrew Pryor

As CHRO, Andrew dedicates his time to making ECI the best it can be in every aspect and works tirelessly to ensure employees are engaged and working in an optimal, enjoyable environment. His passion is utilizing the platform of HR to help employees build strong careers for themselves and, in return, better lives for their families. Under Andrews guidance, ECIs culture has been recognized as one of the 50 Most Engaged Companies to work for in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021. ECI has been Certified as a Great Place to Work in 2017, 2019, and 2020. In 2018, the International Business Awards recognized Andrew as HR Executive of the Year. That same year, his peers in the Dallas HR Association recognized him as Dallas HR Executive of the Year.

Andrew joined ECI in 2015 and has more than 35 years of experience in human resources. Before ECI, he served as Chief Human Resources Officer for Anthelio Healthcare in Dallas, Vice President of Human Resources for BerylHealth, and Senior Human Resources Business Partner to Bell Helicopters Engineering Division. In addition, while serving as the Senior Human Resource Manager, Andrew was part of the original launch team that brought Nokia Mobile Phones to the United States in 2005. In 2012, he co-authored the book SMILE GUIDE Employee Perspectives on Culture, Loyalty and Profit.

Upon graduating from The University of Texas at Arlington, Andrew was named a White House Intern by President George H. W. Bush. During his time at The White House, he worked on the presidents Thousand Points of Light project. He is a past president of the Society for Human Resources Managements Fort Worth Chapter. Andrew married his college sweetheart, Amy. They have two children, Chloe and Elijah, and one very spoiled rescue dog, Thomas. The family loves mountain hiking and exploring Americas national parks. His long-term goal is to retire from ECI (many years from now) and become a volunteer park ranger for the National Park Service.