Secrets of success: Mirka Slater, benefits manager at Facebook

Is there a particular project or task that you have undertaken that you are really proud of?

One project that does stick in my mind from my time at Expedia is when we finally got flexible benefits in the UK. That was probably the biggest win, not just for me, but for everybody across all the stake holder groups, including the employees. That was a major shift, going from fully manual to a much more automated environment, so that was probably one of the biggest projects that I have pushed through and saw the biggest effects from as well.

What skills do you think a benefits manager needs to tackle the role?

Definitely multi-tasking. We do a lot that spans across many areas so I think being able to run a lot of different things at the same time is important. You don’t usually get the luxury of focusing on one thing at a time. The second skill I think is important is being able to be a really good partner, which includes being a good team-player and a project leader. A lot of the work that we do requires us to be able to work with so many others externally and internally, so I think that it is another great trait to have to be able to work across and within teams very well. The third type of key traits are enthusiasm and drive, as these will help you move forward in your career and ensure you are happy with what you do every day. 

In the future, do you believe these skills will be needed or will technology do most of the work?

I think from what we are looking at now, in the immediate future, it is a combination of technology and humans working together. We all know, the reward area has got a lot of administration and at the same time, there’s a lot of smart ways we can make the area really efficient, by finding automated solutions and learning about our populations through AI, as an example. More and more, we need to prove that what we produce and provide is really targeted, something that is of value to the business and the employee. Saying that, there are still areas that need to be managed by a human being. 

Interestingly at Facebook, I see a mix of this where there is a big push to look for efficient ways to provide things to employees in an automated way, but a lot of people still feel more comfortable with discussing their own personal situation, face to face, with another person rather than just being pushed to a website or dialing a help desk number. There is still a need for both, which is very nice. I believe that bringing the best of both, combining technology with the human aspect, is going to be the winning formula. You cannot yet replace a benefits manager’s enthusiasm and drive via technology!