For Brenda Refalo, Manager - People and Leadership at Malta’s major fuel importer and supplier, Enemed, a key lesson learned during the COVID pandemic was that the same working conditions do not appeal to all workers equally.

She has noticed that while some employees have thrived working remotely during the pandemic, others have suffered.

This, she says, has helped teach the importance of communicating with staff, rather than making assumptions.

Sitting down with WhosWho.mt as part of a series of interviews with Enemed’s senior leadership team, Ms Refalo reflects on her career progress so far and provides her insights on the company and wider HR trends.

From the very first day of her career she worked in HR, where she developed an interest in the field to the extent that she pursued formal education in the area and she studied for a degree in HR at the University of Leicester.

Eventually, she joined Enemed in 2018, when the company wanted to re-engineer the HR office, and this was one of the things that appealed to her. Being entrusted to spearhead the direction of the department was very exciting – and she knew she was the right person to do the job.

She values employee wellbeing highly, and she wants her employees to feel they have a family at work and that they are not just numbers, but valued members of a team.

As part of this, she has helped draft and implement a number of policies ranging from ones that focus on promoting the balance each employee needs to have between meeting exigencies of work and individual needs be it personal or family related, to others that have a wider impact on the community such as the special leave policy that allows employees or their relatives to participate in sports or cultural activities without hindrance.

“This is because as a company, we see our employees as the most valuable assets that provide the true competitive advantage, hence we invest a lot in them to keep them continuously engaged," she explains.

Ms Refalo is also a member of the firm’s Executive committee, which is the team that strategically decides the way forward for the company. She was heading the drafting of the new collective agreement for the employees which is currently being negotiated with the union.

Her involvement in this committee and the broader strategic decisions it entailed cultivated an interest in developing her skills in this area, and she decided to pursue an MBA, which she is reading at the Henley Business School.

Asked about how Enemed’s HR department was developed from scratch rather than outsourced, she states that as a leading companythat puts human resource as its most valuable asset, she didn’t even think about any other alternative.

“Having your own HR department means personalising its function after getting to know your employees. If an HR department is personalised, it can focus on channelling its efforts towards overall strategic goals.”

The company is currently negotiating the collective agreement, and Ms Refalo is working on making sure that a fair balance between the company needs and employees rights are met. Additionally, it has recently adopted a a new HR system, that caters for the demands of today’s employees. As a company, Enemed’s transition to its new facilities in Has-Saptan has been a highlight of hers, and as she reflects on the major project Ms Refalo says she was particularly impressed with its employees' engagement with the move.

“They asked questions, raised points, and highlighted particular areas that the leadership was not aware of. They want Enemed to succeed, and I feel it is critical that employees feel that way,” she comments.

Regarding her approach for leading her team and promoting a healthy HR environment, Ms Refalo emphasises the importance of walking the proverbial shop floor.

“From an office, you cannot know exactly what is going on with your employees, but if you frequently visit the installations where work is being carried out, they will get comfortable engaging with you.”

At the moment, her MBA is a particular focus of hers, and she emphasises that it has so far been essential to have the backing of both the company and her family in this pursuit.

Expanding on her family role and the influence it has had on her, she explains that her philosophy towards her family and employees is similar.

“I am the same person at work as I am at home. I speak to our employees as if they are family members,” she says, expanding that this is an effort to make them feel as comfortable as possible: “I don’t act like I’m somehow superior, and I think this is a vital quality for leaders in HR.”