Chief People and Culture Officer Logan Carmichael is building success through pay equity, a strong manager-employee relationship, and enhanced development opportunities at the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority.
By Debbie Bolla
HRO Today: What’s the biggest challenge you are currently facing and what are your plans to overcome it?
Logan Carmichael: Employee engagement has been our biggest struggle. While that is a broad and commonly used term, I have been focused on three areas for engagement:
- a strong manager-employee relationship and communication;
- inclusive environment where everyone can voice their opinion respectfully; and
- wellness, both physical and mental, which ties into their desire to come to work and that they are supported as much as possible outside of work.
COVID changed the workplace, and as a 24/7 operational and multi-site employer, having these engagement discussions and trying to develop programs that meet the needs and desires of all employees has been difficult. Through our “Management Development Program,” we taught our management staff the need to connect with empathy, lead with compassion, identify leadership and communication styles, and flex your skills, while also recognizing the multigenerational workforce characteristics at play. We continue to drive this message to our staff so we can begin to measure and enhance employee engagement.
HROT: What positive changes came from the recent comprehensive compensation study? How are you leveraging the findings?
Carmichael: The organization has been able to achieve pay equity and formalize pay structures based on roles and responsibilities—and not based solely on financial budgets. There were job classifications and/or titles making different salaries depending on which department you looked at. Because of this compensation study, we were not only able to provide equitable pay but increase our salaries to competitive market rates and ensure we achieve our desire to pay above market wages.
HROT: How are your training programs helping to retain talent and build leaders for tomorrow?
Carmichael: Since I started the training and development function in 2021, I have seen a growing number of requests for individual and departmental training. This is a great sign that people recognize the value HR can provide when we collaborate together. When I was first hired, I also heard that since performance wasn’t measured and we received only cost of living adjustments, there was no incentive or formal ways to receive feedback and grow within the company. In response to this, we implemented the first-ever “Management Development Program” and “Performance Management Program”—these two key items played a role in manager-employee relationships while also building current and future leaders to succeed. Our company turnover and vacancy rates have been at their lowest percentage in recent history.
HROT: What is your favorite way to spend your free time?
Carmichael: I love to watch movies, so I can usually be found at a movie theater. Otherwise, I enjoy spending time at home with my fur baby and husband.
Logan Carmichael is the chief people and culture officer at the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority.
