Extra Space Storage is proud to announce that Senior Vice President of People Whitney Harper has been named one of the 2022 HR Achievement Award honorees. HR professionals who work diligently to cultivate a positive workplace culture and increase productivity are recognized by Utah Business and Utah Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) each year. This group of leaders goes above and beyond to make their workplaces better.
Harper joined Extra Space Storage in January 2021 and has worked hard to help the company attract and retain outstanding talent. With staffing an issue throughout the United States, Harper and the People team worked to ensure that both new and seasoned employees thrived in the workplace.
“I view HR as the engine that drives a company’s strategy,” Harper shared. “Every company I have worked for, Extra Space included, depends on people to push the organization forward.”
Shortly after joining Extra Space Storage, Harper and her team had to get creative to source top candidates. She helped our National Solutions Center (NSC) in Salt Lake City, UT, pivot to support more remote positions. Before the pandemic, NSC team members had to be located in Utah and work onsite. Now, the NSC supports remote employees across 19 states throughout the U.S.
In addition to more remote work opportunities, Harper propelled company efforts to increase employee compensation due to rising inflation. Those efforts resulted in a 5% pay increase for the entire company nationwide, impacting over 4,000 employees!
Extra Space Storage encourages team members to seek growth opportunities. Harper and the team expanded learning and coaching initiatives for high-potential employees through the Leadership Development Program (LDP). LDP is an annual program designed to prepare high-potential employees for expanded leadership roles. The program elevates a participant’s technical expertise, organizational awareness, soft skills, and scope of influence within the company.
“I would love to see HR get a brand refresh since “human resources” isn’t an accurate reflection of the work happening today,” Harper also shared. “We have evolved to be agile business leaders, data junkies, and trusted advisors. We have proven that we can adapt to become subject matter experts on global health protocols, restructure for a hybrid or fully remote workforce, and take care of our employees during extreme events.”
Congratulations to Whitney Harper and all of the 2022 HR Achievement Award honorees!
Learn more about Whitney Harper and her role with Extra Space Storage in this Q&A. See the full list of Utah Business’ 2022 HR Achievement Award winners here.
