As organizations improvise their way through 2020, the importance of the role of human resource professionals has come into increasingly sharper focus. But as most HR professionals know, constantly adapting to the changing face of the workplace has been a consistent theme regardless of the year or circumstance.  

From the perspective of Beth Nigut, the HR field is one that’s both stable and fast-growing. 

Nigut, executive vice president and chief people officer at EMC Insurance Cos., has been recognized as the Business Record’s first annual Davis Brown Law Firm Human Resources Professional of the Year. The new award highlights an outstanding HR professional from Central Iowa for their professional accomplishments and community engagement. 

After holding several HR leadership roles with EMC since joining the company in 2010, Nigut was promoted to her current role on EMC’s executive leadership team in January. As chief people officer, she oversees five key areas: corporate communications, human resources, innovation, learning and development, and security and safety, reporting directly to EMC’s president and CEO, Scott Jean.

“Beth is a strategic thinker and change agent, with an incredible amount of business acumen,” Jean wrote in nominating Nigut. “She is also an engaged community leader who is a strong advocate for Des Moines and Central Iowa and its vulnerable populations.”

Nigut, who began her career as an attorney, earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Simpson College and her law degree from Drake University. 

She first got to know EMC while she was an associate with Bradshaw, Fowler, Proctor and Fairgrave PC; the company was one of her biggest clients. Practicing in insurance defense, she worked with employers in developing employment handbooks that balanced providing good environments for employees with protecting her clients. 

After a stint as general counsel for the Des Moines Independent Community School District, an opening at EMC came up. She recalls that the EMC team took a chance on hiring her, given that she didn’t have a traditional HR background. “I took that job and never looked back,” Nigut said. “It has provided me tremendous growth, with the perspective of keeping people first in mind. 

“One of the best attributes about EMC is that our reason for being is to improve lives,” she said. “Whether that is our agents, policyholders or employees, we are a company who leads with people first, and that comes through in how we conduct our business. From an HR perspective, it creates a great connection between people and business strategies.” 

Beyond her contributions at EMC, Nigut helped to brainstorm and develop the Drake University Executive Leadership Program, which is focused on leaders seeking transformation and accelerated growth. She also serves on the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s board of directors and executive committee, as well as chairing its talent development committee. 

Additionally, she serves on the Iowa State Bank board of directors and is a board member for Please Pass the Love, a nonprofit that provides education, leadership and advocacy to empower school communities to embrace and sustain mental health and wellness supports for their students.  

Caring and empathy are two related, guiding principles that Nigut keeps in front of her as a human resources and community leader. 

“In any organization, your people are going to drive your business. Anything we do, we need to do by leading with our people first,” she said. And leading from a caring and empathetic standpoint isn’t necessarily exclusive of business acumen. “You can make tough decisions in the workplace, but do it with the perspective of being a good and caring leader.” 

Maintaining a “both-and” mentality during the pandemic has been important, Nigut said, “to make sure that we are recognizing that every single one of our employees has challenges in what’s going on in their home life.” 

With that type of approach, “I can recognize that you as an employee have struggles and challenges, and [ask] how can we work together where I can give you a little empathy and patience,” she said. “I think that whenever we do that, we can instill some loyalty. When we do that, we’re getting the job done, and then some.” 

HR professionals must constantly strive to adapt to the changing business environment, she said. For instance, with a focus on innovation as an organization, it has become important to recognize the types of behaviors that will most likely bring the company success, and to focus more on behavioral interviewing rather than looking solely at technical expertise or years of experience. 

Incorporating leadership development opportunities into every role in the company has also become more important to ensure a pipeline of leaders to draw from, as is embedding diversity, equity and inclusion in all aspects of the business. 

“I think organizations are always going to need the HR professionals to guide them through people issues — from compensation and benefits to talent acquisition,” Nigut said. “It is continuing to evolve, as many professions are, but its foundations give it stability.” 

One of the practices that she values most at EMC is one that she can’t take personal credit for starting — a regular executive meet-and-greet for new employees. 

“We’ve kept it up even in a remote environment, so that everyone has a chance to visit with our executive leaders,” she said. “Having that level of openness is important so our employees know that we care about them and want to get to know them.” 

She and her husband, attorney Rush Nigut, have two sons, who are in their first and third years of college and both playing college baseball. Her husband was their coach through their high school years. “Watching them through school and now college has just been an absolute joy for both me and my husband,” she said.  

If you’re around their neighborhood, you may find the Niguts out walking Rocky, their 2-year-old miniature Australian shepherd, a bit more often now that they’re empty nesters. Beth has also been trying out new recipes in the kitchen since the pandemic started. 

“I’ve been trying to do a little bit more with fish to be more healthy,” she said. A recent dish? She tried pan-fried halibut, which “actually turned out exceptionally well.”