Culture isn’t static: OLLY’s Lynda Tran on building company values that stick

Lynda Tran believes great companies are built on human connection. As VP of People + Culture at OLLY PBC, Tran helps foster workplaces where mental health matters through strategic purpose-driven initiatives, including workplace mental health efforts to support employee wellbeing and champion diversity, equity and inclusion.

With over 15 years in people operations, how has your approach to aligning company values with employee experience evolved over the years?

One thing that has evolved in my approach over the years is that I now look at values and employee experience as more of a symbiotic relationship – it’s not so much that the company has values and we align the employee experience to it, but I have learned both values and the employee experience are better off when it’s an inclusive and participatory process. It has become less top-down or just words on a wall or shared during onboarding only, but more embedded in our daily work and decision-making. Employees should be involved in shaping how values come to life in their work, and a collaborative approach helps foster a more personal connection between values and employee experience.

Looking back on your career at places like UC San Diego, Method Products and now OLLY, what’s been the biggest lesson you’ve learned about creating a culture that reflects corporate values? 

Culture is not a static one-size-fits-all solution. As the company grows and changes with new leaders, new employees, new business goals, etc., the culture is also changing. I think it’s important to do a periodic review especially when there are changes in the organization to stop and evaluate if the values still are aligned with the business, if they still resonate with employees, if how they come to life through the employee experience are still fit for purpose.  

What’s the thing you’re most excited about for the future of your profession? 

The last couple of years have been very transformative for HR, with many changes to how we look at work environments and hybrid work, DE&I and AI, and technology. At the core, the future of HR is still centered around people. I am excited to see human-centric leadership, with a focus on developing leaders who lead with empathy, adaptability and authenticity to understand and support employees’ needs and business needs. 

Share a moment that you were the proudest of your career. Any time that I can affect change and advocate for better and more equitable treatment of our employees, I am super proud! I think a common misperception is that HR is about paperwork and compliance. And yes, while these things are part of our responsibility, I think the role that we play is shaping company culture, supporting organizational growth, and improving the employee experience. I am most proud of when I was able to implement new benefits and policies that support better workplace mental health and when I was able to create fairer and more consistent compensation principles to make a more positive work environment.

What’s one way that you maintain your work-life balance? A little planning goes a long way.  I find that it’s easy to go down the rabbit hole of too much work and long to-do lists. When I am feeling a bit unsteady, stepping back to prioritize, making a plan with realistic milestones and setting a reasonable “end time” to my day helps me stay organized and accomplished where I can walk away from the work and come back refreshed the next day. I still haven’t figured it out completely yet, but this practice helps! And cuddling with my dog.

What are you inspired by? Acts of kindness and those who are making a positive impact on the lives of others. I think it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and to be absorbed in one’s work or things that need to get done, but I am inspired by those who want to make things better and try to show up best for themselves, their friends and families and even strangers.

Lynda Tran is a speaker at Ragan’s upcoming Employee Communications 101 Virtual Conference on Thursday, Jan. 30th. Attend from wherever you are for more insights around DEI and employee wellbeing.

Isis Simpson-Mersha is a conference producer/ reporter for Ragan. Follow her on LinkedIn.