In episode 17, I’m very excited to welcome Sarah Barillaro, Chief People Officer at 3Play Media, a Boston-based company that provides closed captioning, transcription, localization, and more. Barillaro was previously the SVP of People at Brightcove and the U.S. Learning Partner for HR at John Hancock. She is passionate about “building something that attracts the right people for the right reasons and empowers them to learn, grow, and thrive,” and that’s why she’s joining us as a hero of hybrid work.
Sarah Barillaro experienced a nontraditional journey to becoming a Chief People Officer, starting in retail and transitioning into the people function after realizing her passion for management and organizational dynamics. She believes the people function can play a tremendous role in driving growth and making an impact on the business, and emphasizes the importance of developing stronger leaders.
Sarah Barillaro discussed the challenges and responsibilities of people leaders in navigating remote work during the pandemic. She was at Brightcove when the pandemic hit and led the charge in developing a hybrid work policy there. She had to navigate important decisions, such as mandating vaccinations for employees returning to the office. Barillaro connected with other leaders in her network to gather information and insights on how different companies were handling similar situations.
“You had to be comfortable with the uncomfortable during that time and really comfortable with just a complete lack of clarity around what was the right thing to do because it was so unprecedented.” - Sarah Barillaro, Chief People Officer at 3Play Media
Sarah Barillaro reflected on her challenging onboarding experience during the height of the pandemic, where navigating uncertainty and discomfort was key. Difficult decisions were made to prioritize employee well-being over business interests. She emphasized the importance of communication, support, and adaptability during unprecedented times, and the value of networking and learning from others' experiences to make informed choices.
How does your hybrid work policy stack up? Take the Hybrid Work Grader to find out.
Sarah Barillaro explained that the focus at 3Play Media is on keeping humans in the loop when it comes to both building their innovative product AND to hybrid work policies. They ensured that employees are listened to and their feedback is taken into consideration. By maintaining a human-centric approach, 3Play Media aims to create a work environment that values the input of their team members.
Sarah Barillaro shared that the leadership team discussed the challenges of implementing a hybrid work model and the importance of having intentional workdays in the office. Since then, they have designated Wednesdays as the anchor day for everyone to come in and collaborate, while also encouraging employees to come in on other days for face-to-face meetings.
Read more: 20 Chief People Officers (Shaping Hybrid Work) To Follow
Sarah Barillaro shared challenges around balancing in-office and remote work, especially when some roles require on-site presence. She explained that her team is actually dispersed across multiple locations in Minneapolis, Calgary, and Florida, with different office cultures and work requirements. The work in Minneapolis and Calgary require heavy on-site presence because of the dependence on equipment in the office for live captioning of major sports events.
Additionally, live captioning and audio description services are crucial for ensuring accessibility in various scenarios, such as major sports events. There’s a need for heavy on-site presence because these services often involve human professionals providing real-time support for individuals with hearing or visual impairments.
“Don’t underestimate the power of lunch in uniting people and creating a positive work culture.” - Sarah Barillaro, Chief People Officer at 3Play Media
With the rise of hybrid work, Sarah Barillaro explained that the Boston office has had to go through a cultural evolution to figure out the right steps. One way Barillaro shared was providing lunch for employees working in the office to improve overall engagement. Small gestures like providing meals can have a significant impact on employee morale and well-being.
Watch: How Drift’s former CPO transitioned from a strict office mold to a thriving hybrid framework.
Sarah Barillaro shared that the company recently opened a beautiful office space in the North End in Boston. They’ve experimented with different office layouts to see how it affects collaboration and communication among employees. They have moved towards having everyone sit closer together in one area to encourage more interaction and collaboration. The new layout allows for junior employees to overhear more senior employees, which can be beneficial for their learning and development.
“With onboarding, I’ve noticed there's an acceleration of connection, trust building, and information sharing that happens in person. And that's not to say we need to necessarily do more or less of it, but I do think there's a component of that that can't be underestimated.” - Sarah Barillaro, Chief People Officer at 3Play Media
Sarah Barillaro explained that employees can use the office spaces they need without formal booking. Some people sit in a different spot every day, while others gravitate towards a specific section or desk. She shared the impact of in-person interactions on productivity and connection, especially in onboarding new employees. For example, she’s observed new hires coming into the office on Wednesdays, and they leave that day more connected, more engaged, and have more information.
Sarah Barillaro emphasized the importance of having a voice in discussions around hybrid work. She highlighted the value of coming to the table with a solution-oriented mindset and being willing to experiment, and encouraged employees to speak up and share their thoughts on how work should be structured. She highlights the value of coming to the table with a commitment to finding solutions to work-related challenges and how that can have a positive impact in the workplace.
“Having a voice that is solution oriented, naming the problem, identifying ways that we can solve it, and being willing to roll up your sleeves and experiment—that just goes so far.” - Sarah Barillaro, Chief People Officer at 3Play Media
3Play Media is a Boston-based company that combines machine learning, AI, and automatic speech recognition to provide premium captioning, transcription, audio description, localization, and more. They work with customers in higher education, entertainment, government, enterprise, and media.
Jenny is a top Go-To-Market (GTM) leader in the Greater Boston area, where she has a track record of building powerful brands and categories, generating demand (for both sales- and product-led orgs), and creating energizing mission-driven cultures of belonging in the B2B tech space.
Sarah Barillaro is the Chief People Officer at 3Play Media focusing on talent management, employee engagement, and leadership development. Previously, she was the SVP of People at Brightcove, US Learning Partner for HR at John Hancock, and a Founding Member of Hacking HR's Experts Council.
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