Kim West will be speaking at the HR Leaders Summit on November 10
HR leaders are being forced to do more with less, and the challenge isn’t just about stretched resources – it’s about refusing to let HR slip into an administrative role.
So says Kim West, Senior Vice President and Head of Human Resources at Cineplex.
“We’re a company of over 12,000 employees, and we have an HR team of 34, including six payroll people; those ratios are not in our favour in any way,” she says. “The struggle is to stay at a strategic level and not default to just being an administrative partner and really staying above that fray.”
That reality has forced West's team to sharpen their priorities and lean heavily on business leaders to take accountability. That means choosing carefully where she and her team invest their energy.
“We are giving our employees the critical information, as opposed to babysitting them end to end,” she says. “I’ll insert myself when I think I need to, but I’m certainly not like I would have in past lives; we pick our spots for maximum benefit and we’re out."
West will be speaking about how HR can remain influential even under pressure at the HR Leaders Summit on November 10. She will also be highlighting the strategies she’s using to keep her team operating strategically in a time of resource constraints.
Upskilling talent and keeping culture alive
One way that West has kept her team engaged despite shrinking budgets is through creative skill-building. Instead of sending staff to external courses, her human resources business partners involve colleagues directly in live business issues.
“Everybody has their ‘What do I want to learn this year?’ and they’re getting exposed to that project or that initiative,” she says. “Now you’re sitting in with the LTIP review meeting on the PSU payment structure instead and getting it that way, because we don’t have the budgets to send people out.”
The approach, she explains, gives employees new learning opportunities while also giving the organization extra hands-on key projects. That sense of growth is critical for retention.
“Everybody wants their growth and their opportunity. So how do I do that? How do I keep you here and engaged and happy? I can’t give you a lot more money, but I can give you exposure that you wouldn’t get in other organizations,” she says.
Culture is another lever that West pulls often, especially in an entertainment business where employees sometimes forget the industry’s purpose.
“We’re in a fun business, so we forget that sometimes. We must remind each other we’re here as an entertainment organization, and we’ve got to have more fun at work,” she explains.
That philosophy shows up in everyday decisions. For West, demonstrating flexibility doesn’t cost the company anything, but it pays dividends in employee loyalty and leadership style.
Recommendations for HR leaders
For peers struggling with the same pressures, West says flexibility is top of her list, particularly with hybrid and remote work.
“Find everything you can do for free, everything you can do cheap and free,” she says. “It doesn’t cost us anything. It’s going to cost us more space, and it’s going to cost us turnover. I would fight hard where you can.”
Technology has become a core part of her playbook, with automation of routine tasks now a critical strategy for boosting efficiency and reclaiming time.
“ChatGPT should be every single person’s best friend. Stop wasting time building PowerPoints. Stop wasting time doing analysis,” she says. “Don’t be shy – put everything in there you can. ChatGPT is free, and your first question should be: 'What can I automate in this?'” she says.
But beyond the practical levers of upskilling, culture, flexibility, and AI, West wants HR leaders to embrace change more boldly.
“Instead of being afraid of what’s ahead, be excited, embrace it and be really bold and creative and take some crazy risks,” she says.
The HR Leaders Summit will be held on November 10 and 11. Register here.
