Elena Davis, HR manager for Milwaukee-based advertising and marketing firm Bader Rutter, has had an enormous impact on the success of the agency and its 250 employees.
In an organization that relies on ideas to fuel business, Davis plays a crucial role in attracting, engaging and retaining top talent. Balancing the needs of the organization with the needs of its people, she recommends sound strategies to maximize the employee experience and help us evolve in modern work practices, according to Linda Hogan, chief operating officer and Eric Kirkhofer, chief financial officer.
2020 was a pivotal year for employee relations due to the COVID-19 pandemic and social issues and Davis worked with agility to address ever-changing needs, they said. She monitored the changing information to understand legal and safety implications to inform company policies. She researched ways to lower health care costs and enhance benefits, including introducing a new flexible time off program and enhanced parental benefits.
Davis regularly seeks input from employees through the “stay interview” program she developed. She is a senior member of the agency’s Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Council and co-leads the Health & Wellness committee.
She was also instrumental in recommending and launching ADP StandOut, a strengths-based employee-engagement platform designed to enhance the manager/employee relationship.
