The College People and Culture team Kelly Walewicz, Amy Schulz (rural SA), Julian Snook, Peet de Villiers and Sophia Azadegan with Nisha Samuel (NT) on livestream
Peet has a professional background in human resources, and joined Flinders in 2019 after stints as the manager of the medical workforce at the Fiona Stanley Hospital in Fremantle, and then at Monash University where he also completed a Masters of Human Resources.
You get around a lot. Ha, yes I do! I’ve always liked living in different places and experiencing diverse cultures and ways of living. I grew up on a property in rural South Africa so I crave large open spaces. When we moved to Australia, I immediately started exploring – I’ve travelled all over the countryside, and lived in every State except Tasmania.
South Australia has eventually settled me though – it’s got a comfortable familiarity that I’ve found homely.
Briefly describe your current role: I work in collaboration with the Executive team and staff across the College’s multiple sites along the Central Australian Corridor. It is important for me to understand the extent and nuances of the College’s business, to provide strategic and timely support, and to work with our staff to navigate policies, procedures and the University’s various systems. The sheer size of our activities means that it can be complex to navigate – my team and I are here to provide accurate advice and support, and pilot staff through what, at times, can seem like complex and time consuming processes.
Is there a particular language that you speak in HR? What do you mean?! I do my best not to speak in HR jargon but to provide authentic, timely and supportive advice about core competencies, balanced scorecards, cultivation of corporate culture, upskilling and onboarding, with KRAs at the interface of all of our flexible and strategic tasks.
What’s it like working at Flinders? Every workplace has its own challenges and Flinders isn’t an exception. The work is very complex, every day is different, and there’s never a dull moment. However, this University, and especially the College, is tightly knit. My colleagues are like a family, with talented and passionate people who are kind and caring. Working alongside an incredibly talented, caring and passionate team makes a huge difference to our professional and personal accomplishments, on a daily basis.
How does the “business partner” role work? Business partner roles provide the nexus between a portfolio and a College Executive and leadership team. Broadly speaking, their role is to understand the unique strategic objectives of the Colleges, and to assist the business in realising its goals and objectives. In my case, I see my role as being there to assist with problem solving, attracting and retaining talented staff, thinking ‘courageously’ and communicating directly to our colleagues.
How has the pandemic changed the ways you and your team work? Strangely, COVID-19 has presented positive opportunities for the team. We have developed stronger-than-ever connectivity with our rural and remote colleagues, learned new ways to use various communication tools, and developed greater team cohesiveness.
Tell us something about yourself others may not know. I really enjoy fishing and the outdoors more generally. I’ve got a boat (I catch the world’s most expensive fish) and a veggie patch with free range chickens (they lay the world’s most expensive eggs) so I’m outside as much as possible when not at work.
What’s one thing you couldn’t live without? I had surgery to my left arm earlier this year, and it was amazing to learn ‘firsthand’ how much I relied on it! Everyday tasks became quite clumsy and, although I adapted, I don’t want to live without that hand again. As an ongoing thing though, I really value my relationships with my family and a great bunch of friends. COVID has made socialising a bit tricky, particularly with many of my family and friends interstate, but the time apart gives me something to really look forward to. That’s what I keep telling myself at least!