Lisa Lie, head of people and culture at independent media agency Half Dome, is leaving after three years to launch her own tech platform, Learna.
Learna is a microlearning app for fast, practical and useful learning on the people skills that make the most difference at work, aiming to change the way people learn and improve the way they work.
Lie created the people and culture strategy that resulted in Half Dome being recognised and awarded for its dynamic and market leading initiatives. She championed new ways of working.
She launched an industry first unlimited annual leave experiment and used the pandemic lockdowns to run a flexibility experiment.
This included breaking existing work habits, meeting-free days, condensed working week options and core working hours. Placing trust in the agency's staff that they would get the work done when and where they preferred, as long as they met deadlines and expectations.
Half Dome is also testing the theory that they only need around 50% of the workday to be effective. There’s a dedicated time zone for sync-based work, such as meetings and collaboration activities, with the remaining hours focused on autonomous work.
Half Dome was the first independent media agency to receive the Gold Mental Health First Aid Skilled Workplace, with more than 80% of its employees now trained in Mental Health First Aid. Half Dome also made this year's AFR BOSS Best Places to Work list.
Half Dome will continue to work with Lie, who will consult back to the agency, while recruiting for a replacement.
Lisa Lie said: “Over the time I’ve been with Half Dome, we’ve continually pushed to experiment and try new ways of working, and it’s created a highly motivated and happy team. I couldn’t be more thankful for this experience.
“Working in an environment that fosters curiosity, problem-solving and shaking things up led me to want to create a new way for people to learn the skills that matter most at work. Learna is all about making sure learning keeps pace with the future of work.”
Tom Frazer, Half Dome managing director, told AdNews: "Over the last three years, Lisa has been pivotal in shaping Half Dome, particularly as it relates to its most important asset – people.
“Together, we have created a culture backed by experimentation and challenging the status quo, landing on a simple mantra to create a space for people to thrive. And thrive Lisa has.
"From an early-stage idea, through to testing, and more recently, deciding to take the plunge and follow her passion, Half Dome has been supportive of Lisa's development of Learna from day one.
“The evolution from colleague to client in the future will no doubt be seamless, and we're looking forward to seeing Learna reach its full potential not just for us but for workplaces around Australia – being a small part of this journey is an exciting prospect.
"As we move into the next phase of our business, it's clear Half Dome has big shoes to fill after Lisa's departure. Whilst we search for a replacement, our general manager Catherine Smith will take responsibility for the people and culture function, someone who has worked closely with Lisa over the last 12 months.
“With a sense of optimism, we are looking to find the next innovator, someone who has a similar desire to push Half Dome to remain a leader in the future of work. And with Lisa's blessing, we are excited about what's to come."
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