Company: APCO Worldwide
Company Description: Founded in 1984, APCO Worldwide is a global communication consultancy with offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. APCO operates at the nexus of business, government and public opinion. Clients include corporations, industry associations, governments and non-profit organizations, as well as six of the top 10 companies on Fortune's Global 500.
Nomination Category: Team Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Human Resources Team

Nomination Title: APCO Worldwide's Human Resources Team

1. Tell the story about what this nominated team achieved in the past year (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

This past year was filled with numerous opportunities and challenges at APCO
Worldwide. The company celebrated its 20th anniversary, realized a 24 percent
increase in revenue and organized a management buyout to become an independent
firm. Any one of these events would have prompted celebration, but
all three created an environment full of excitement and some apprehension.

Success is determined by the results we achieve for our clients; therefore,
keeping the best talent is critical to ensuring high standards of service and the
viability of the company.  It was critical for the company’s people strategy to
be closely aligned with the business.  The primary objective for APCO’s human
resources team (HR) was to guide management and employees through the buyout
with minimal disruption.  Given the projected revenue growth and related demands,
ensuring a seamless transition was a very tall order. 

HR spent considerable time developing a strategy and communication documents for employees about upcoming changes, and providing counsel to the CEO on how
to manage employee expectations.  HR also addressed several infrastructure
issues by selecting and implementing a global HRIS and payroll vendor within a
very short timeframe.  Benefit and retirement programs were also negotiated and
implemented in the U.S., Canada and the UK.  HR saw the buyout as an opportunity to bring several employee programs into alignment with the longer-term goals of the company.  The following is a brief summary of the HR initiatives completed last year:

• Recognizing an ownership change could cause unrest among employees and
competitors could make a play for our talent, a base compensation program was
developed to demystify our pay practices and help employees understand their
earning opportunity by staying with APCO.  By discussing our compensation
philosophy and disclosing salary ranges, HR helped create an atmosphere of trust
and transparency, empowering employees to make informed decisions about their
career.

• An Annual Incentive Program (AIP) was designed to help build a “pay for
performance” culture.  This program replaced an undefined bonus scheme and
introduced clearly defined individual metrics linked to key business targets,
thus employees are able to see the link between strong company performance and
individual earning opportunity.

• To encourage retention of senior management, an opportunity to purchase equity
was extended – further binding them to the financial success of the firm. 
Additionally, an Equity Compensation Program was introduced for ongoing equity
ownership for employees.

• A new retirement plan was introduced in the U.S. and the UK.  HR selected
investment firms with strong reputations for fiscal management and business
integrity, and gained agreement to add a company matching contribution for
participants.  The team facilitated meetings to educate employees about the plan
and long-term benefits of saving for retirement.

All of these initiatives were completed by a team of eight while they performed
their regular responsibilities.  HR is seen as a business partner at APCO. Through
their tireless efforts, a seamless transition with minimal turnover was achieved
and the company is positioned for success.  For these accomplishments and more,
this team is deserving of a Stevie Award!

2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

http://www.apcoworldwide.com/content/newsroom/press_releases/03_10_23.cfm
http://www.apcoworldwide.com/content/overview/culture_values/index.cfm?id=3
http://www.apcoworldwide.com/content/careers/index.cfm
http://www.apcoworldwide.com/content/careers/training.cfm?id=4
http://www.apcoworldwide.com/content/careers/rewards.cfm?id=3

3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of this nominated team:

Stacy Reyan, vice president of human resources, has over 15 years of progressive
human resources experience.  Working as a generalist throughout most of her
career and most recently focusing on the functional areas of compensation and
benefits, Ms. Reyan is responsible for setting the global human resources strategy
to align and support APCO's global business strategy.  Ms. Reyan is a member of
World at Work and the Society for Human Resources Management.  Ms. Reyan
earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from George Mason University.  She
received her PHR certification by the Human Resources Credentialing Institute
(HRCI) in 1996.