Nicole Weir
Manager, Client Services
Xpera HRservices
When Nicole Weir was hired in October 2010 to work in Client Services for Xpera HRservices, she wasn’t sure what to expect.
“I started in an industry about which I had little previous knowledge,” she admits. “But that provided me the opportunity to work from the ground up to understand the services.”
Her outstanding interpersonal skills and innate ability to connect with others also contributed to her success.
Now, 15 years later, as an experienced leader, Nicole has seen a lot of evolution in her industry. The variety of her experiences keeps her interested, involved, and excited.
“I was a bit of a sponge,” Nicole says of her early days. “I listened to senior team members when they were speaking to clients, I asked questions about describing process requirements, I hosted internal demonstrations to perfect my skills.” Coming from a customer-facing background in various industries prepared her well for learning and adapting quickly.
Nicole began her career with HRservices by processing background checks and becoming versed in industry-standard requirements. She quickly understood the transactional nature of screening services.
“Xpera HRservices doesn’t engage in the hiring process,” she is quick to clarify. “We provide background checks based on the requests of our clients.” This service assists employers across various industries in screening potential employees and obtaining essential background information, thus taking the onus off employers to do the screening themselves. The refined nature of HRservices’ screening solutions instills confidence in the results.
Two years after beginning her work with HRservices, Nicole was introduced to the ConfidenceLine program.
“I learned a brand new software and began supporting clients using our whistleblower reporting line,” she says. She explains that ConfidenceLine provides anonymity and support for employees to report concerns. Companies of all sizes, from all industries, benefit from having a whistleblower program like ConfidenceLine, because it creates a safe reporting environment.
It was here that her refined communication skills took centre stage.
Nicole's role quickly expanded to include client-facing consultation opportunities. “People have questions about ethics reporting,” she explains. “They want to understand how the program works and how it can benefit their existing processes.” It's also common for organizations to reach out to Nicole and her team in response to specific situations, such as regulatory compliance issues, concerns about potential misconduct, or the need to foster a better culture of integrity; and how our service can capture reports of these natures. ConfidenceLine does not provide companies with instructions on how to action these reports, but rather captures the specific data for them. Clarity surrounding these situations better equips a company to take crucial next steps.
During her tenure, Nicole has witnessed ConfidenceLine expand both geographically and in terms of its client base. This growth is not surprising, given the significant rise in ethics reporting lines in recent years and various key milestones achieved. However, Nicole attributes the success of ConfidenceLine primarily to word-of-mouth referrals from satisfied clients.
Nicole is hesitant to sing her own praises, but she admits that the client feedback she receives is deeply gratifying. “They talk about the engagement and responsiveness of the ConfidenceLine team,” she says, adding that they appreciate how flexible the platform is. “We customize ConfidenceLine with a company's branding and key information, allowing us to function as an extension of their organization,” she explains.
Now serving as Division Manager, Nicole oversees day-to-day operations and acts as the primary contact for both team members and clients.
Her responsibilities encompass ensuring client satisfaction through timely report delivery and adherence to service level agreements (SLAs), onboarding new clients, developing program materials, hosting demonstrations, managing vendor relationships, and sharing updates on the HRservices LinkedIn page.
She also trains and guides the HRservices team, encouraging their growth and development, updating their knowledge of services, privacy and legislation, and best practices. “So much of this work isn’t necessarily something you can learn in a class,” Nicole laughs. “There’s so much on-the-job training. Hands-on learning!”
In addition to her work duties, Nicole finds time to volunteer. She meets monthly with the Canadian chapter of the PBSA (Professional Background Screening Association) to discuss educational materials. Xpera is one of the founding members of the Canadian Council of the PBSA.
So, what keeps Nicole happy at HRservices after so many years?
“It’s unlike any job I’ve ever had,” she says. “There is always another industry milestone that keeps it exciting, even after all this time. As industry standards progress and technology advances, there is always something new to learn and adopt.” She adds that she couldn’t do it without her team. “I enjoy working with them,” she states simply. “The people I work with are fantastic.”
Nicole Weir works out Xpera’s Burnaby location and, just like the leadership she encountered when she began her work here, she serves as a resource to her clients, her colleagues, and her team. Her 15 years with the company have allowed her to learn and grow into an accomplished leader, and there’s no telling how far she and HRservices will go in the years to come.
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