Here, Everyone Belongs: Mayerland Harris

From starting straight out of college into a program she now runs to helping launch a company-wide network of Partner resource groups, Mayerland Harris has enjoyed a thirty-one-year career by keeping an open mind, a learner’s mindset, and always saying “YES” to the next opportunity.

Let’s start with: What’s your H-E-B story?

Over thirty years ago, I was preparing to graduate college with a marketing degree from the University of Texas at Austin when Scott McClelland, our Regional Vice President for the Austin Region at the time, visited the campus to conduct interviews for H-E-B – specifically for their SMT (Store Management Training) program, now called SORL (School of Retail Leadership).

Although I was born and raised in Austin, I had no special attraction to H-E-B. Honestly, I’m not even sure if we shopped there. But, like most young college graduates, I was looking for a job, so I was open to working for H-E-B. Luckily, I was hired right off campus into the SMT program and then spent my first eight years at H-E-B in store operations.

After that, I was given the opportunity to join HR by Tina James – she was the HR Director for Austin at that time – and like many Partners with long-time careers at H-E-B, I said “YES!” to the new role, and I loved it! For the next three years, I managed Partner relations for 25-30 stores. I also managed the regional Partners in the SORL program, where I got started, and the Partners in our SORM (School of Retail Management), where we develop Department Managers.

From there, I was offered a brand new and exciting position as the Director of Pharmacy Development, and I moved my family to San Antonio. Then I moved back to Austin to take the HR Director job for Central Texas before moving to Houston as the HR Director to help develop our Partners in that region. I stayed in Houston for about 16 years, where I raised my children, got my MBA from Texas A&M, and was promoted from HR Director to Vice President. In 2020, I moved back to San Antonio to accept my current role as the Group VP of Talent for H-E-B.

What’s cool about my current role is that my team oversees recruiting, talent development, Partner technology and analytics, and compensation – including the SORL program that brought me to H-E-B in the first place. It’s exciting to be on the leadership side of the programs that I was once on the receiving side of, and to help other Partners navigate a career full of opportunities with the same company.

What’s your favorite part of your job? And the most challenging?

Solving problems is both my favorite part – and the most challenging. A big part of the role is solving systemic, company-wide people concerns. We use data to identify process issues and then work to find a solution that makes a difference across the entire organization—not just in one store or region. It’s incredibly rewarding to look at an opaque and ambiguous problem and create a transparent and duplicatable process that solves it.

On the flip side, it can be challenging because these solutions are meant to benefit real people — our Partners. Solving one problem can benefit the lives of so many people, including future Partners, current Partners, and their families. Whether it is an order selector in San Antonio, a cashier in Weslaco, or a truck driver in Temple, we own so many of the different touchpoints throughout the lifecycle of an H-E-B Partner, and our programs should work in tandem to benefit them all.

What do you think is the most common contribution regardless of a Partners role?

At H-E-B, hard work pays off. You may have a college degree, or you may not, and either way, you have the potential to make six figures doing a job you love. The Talent team plays a part in making that possible. We pay as much as we can – AND we are dedicated to training and developing people to achieve the career they want so they can care for themselves and those who depend on them. That’s immensely valuable and important to me.

Speaking of things that are important to you – can you share how the PRGs came to be?

We started affinity groups in Houston back in 2005 – and they were hugely successful in the region. They provided a safe space for people to share their experiences and build a network with other Partners who work in different areas of the business in various jobs and levels of leadership. H-E-B is growing, so having a forum for making connections is helpful. Our vision was always to see them rolled out to the entire company. When I moved into my current role, I met Meagan Balzer, who runs the My H-E-B Life program. Meagan has a passion for affinity groups and desired to launch them across the company. We talked for hours about how to bring that vision to life, and I’m happy to share that soon after that discussion, we launched PRGs (Partner Resource Groups) company-wide. It’s hard to believe that was just two years ago! I’m so proud of how the PRGs have helped foster a sense of belonging for our Partners and enabled them to create real and authentic connections within our organization.

Congratulations on the recent announcement that H-E-B was recognized as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity in 2023! That’s huge news — What’s next for you?

Thank you – it was a total team effort, and I am honored to lead the team who drives and integrates Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging efforts into our talent processes. It makes me proud that we get to make a difference at H-E-B while helping us reach our goal to Be a Better Employer.

As for what’s next, my mindset has always been to stay in a state of continual learning and open-mindedness while aiming to be excellent in whatever role I am in. It has paid off for me because I have loved the entire journey! Today, I love where I’m at. In August of 2022, I started my doctoral program at Baylor and am working towards a Doctor of Education with an emphasis on learning and organizational change. I’m eager to help the organization continue to grow and adapt as we focus on hiring good people, developing them, and helping them achieve a long and fulfilling career at H-E-B.

What advice would you give others about working for H-E-B?

Truly, you can do anything you want at H-E-B if you have a strong work ethic, the desire to make it happen, and pursue excellence in your current work. Don’t let anyone limit you, and don’t put limits on yourself! Be a lifelong learner and keep your mind open to new opportunities that may not be what you had in mind — there are so many career opportunities at H-E-B!