Meet Jaime Macartney

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jaime Macartney. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Jaime, so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?
The best place to start with this question is highlighting the culture we have developed + sustained at Fittes. We have a strict approach to work/life balance including “no email/slack on phones” and hard stop at day’s end. There is no expectation of working after hours or on weekends [it’s actually frowned upon!].

Having that foundation is really critical – being able to work for an organization that recognizes the value of time away from work and the importance of recharging gives me access to the self-care I need.

My biggest act of self-care is my fitness routine. My day doesn’t feel started until I’ve worked out in the morning and I’m able to give energy throughout the day and maintain my productivity with that first big accomplishment.

The other big piece of my routine is keeping my weeknight commitments limited. I really enjoy being at home with my partner and dogs, winding down. This consistency allows me to be effective the next day in my job responsibilities.

Common feedback we get from the team at Fittes is this dedication to work-life balance, and the downtime our brains get, drive our culture of innovation.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
It may be helpful to start at the beginning…. Navigating through university was a bit of a maze for me, I was unsure of my path. I took a travel break which coincided with Humber College offering degree programs, and diving into their application-based approach was a game-changer. I struggled with the traditional university model and my B.Comm at Humber opened new doors for me through the co-op program. My co-op supervisor became a mentor, guiding me through various career shifts, from sales to restaurant management back to HR.

A pivotal moment came when she called, offering me an HR role reporting to her again. Under her leadership, I thrived. Moving from an HR Rep in a global transportation company to a Training and Organizational Development Specialist role at the HQ in Miami. After several years at that company, I ended up returning to Canada and joining WestJet, expanding my HR expertise in both unionized and non-unionized environments.

I’ve always been passionate about inclusion, likely stemming from childhood experiences. I’ve made it a point to engage in inclusion initiatives everywhere I’ve worked, but always felt hindered by the bureaucracy common in enterprise companies. I wanted to make a significant impact so I shifted my focus to startups, seeking a role where I could pioneer HR programs with a strong foundation in inclusivity.

This is when I connected with my current CEO. Since joining Fittes, I’ve been immersed in my favourite career chapter – crafting HR programs from scratch, envisioning the future as we scale, all while prioritizing the well-being of our incredible team. Having experienced the challenges that larger organizations face has allowed me to build our culture + team at Fittes with intention, keeping our future needs in mind today. Things will need to evolve as we get bigger but knowing that now allows me to set us up for success and plan for incremental evolution.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
My game-changers that come to mind are:

  1. Drive and Ambition: I’ve really taken on an adventurous spirit with my career. I feel settled in my career at this point, for now, but in the beginning, I was *hungry*. I wanted to learn more, do more, accomplish more, make more money… this is what pushed me to say yes to new opportunities and adventures. My advice for early-journey folks is: Stay hungry, stay curious, and never underestimate the power of saying “yes” to the unknown.
  2. Breaking Free from the Fear of Disappointment: for me, it was a rebellious decision to leave university the first time. It had been ingrained into me that university=success. Not only was I disappointing my parents (my mom and I didn’t talk for over a month!), I literally thought I was throwing my future away. Little did I know, it was a pivotal moment. Shaking off this shame ignited a blaze of self-confidence. My takeaway? Don’t fear breaking the mold; sometimes, the best decisions emerge from unconventional choices. Trust yourself.
  3. Nourishing the Thirst for Knowledge: I’ve always been an avid reader, I spend the first part of my morning every day reading industry articles and periodicals. Technology, and HR, are changing so fast – I’m always keeping up to date with what’s changing so we aren’t left behind. Advice for knowledge-seekers? Make learning a ritual; success is built in structure and habits make a real difference.

I don’t think it’s a surprise I’ve found myself so fulfilled at Fittes, a disrupter in our industry.  These qualities are shared among many of my colleagues and allow us to continue challenging the categories we are in.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
My therapist LOL!

In all seriousness, I prioritize my mental health – the old adage of “putting your oxygen mask on first”. You need to deal with your own sh*t before you can show up as a great partner, friend, employee, leader, parent, _ insert role here.

When building our benefits plan at Fittes, it was important to the team to prioritize mental health which is why we have a separate category [with its own yearly allowance] from other health practitioners in our plan.

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