Making Work Human: Vanessa Riley on People-Centric Leadership in Construction
In the latest episode of A Human Element, host Adam Higgins speaks with Vanessa Riley, Chief People Officer at Richard Crookes Construction (RCC), about the human side of organisational success. Across her career spanning FMCG, telco, manufacturing, and now construction, Vanessa has learned that even the best strategies and operational models fall short without people at the centre.
The conversation goes beyond HR processes and workplace policies. Vanessa reframes leadership as a deliberate, human-centred practice — one that prioritises understanding, engagement, and care over transactional routines or rigid structures.
Transformation Isn’t Just About Strategy or Projects
Vanessa’s journey into construction brought her face-to-face with a uniquely challenging environment: geographically dispersed teams, rotating project leaders, and employees whose career decisions often hinge on the projects themselves rather than the people they report to.
“People are people,” Vanessa says. “At the heart of everything we do, we are simply human beings.”
During COVID, RCC made a strategic choice that many organisations overlooked: invest in people during the downturn. While competitors reduced staff and cut costs, RCC focused on culture, relationships, and development. “We chose to invest on the downturn so that we could win on the upturn — and it’s paid off,” Vanessa explains.
For senior leaders, the lesson is clear: engagement and purpose aren’t just nice-to-haves — they are differentiators that deliver results when markets recover.
Leadership That Puts Humans First
Vanessa’s leadership philosophy is simple but profound: “I’m human first, leader second, HR practitioner third.” She believes sustainable leadership begins with empathy, listening, and building trust, even in high-pressure, masculine, and transactional industries like construction.
This human-first mindset has reshaped RCC’s culture. Gone is the “leader lottery,” where employees’ experiences depended on the luck of who they were assigned. Instead, Vanessa and her team created consistency across projects, embedding strong leadership practices and ensuring every employee experiences support, recognition, and opportunity.
“You can see it in the feedback from our people,” she says. “Consistency makes a huge difference — it turns unpredictable experiences into trust and engagement.”
Employee Experience Drives Customer Experience
RCC’s results highlight a critical insight for executives: employee experience (EX) and customer experience (CX) are inseparable. “More than 60% of our business is repeat clients,” Vanessa notes. “That’s because our people create the experience.”
From subcontractors to full-time staff, when employees feel valued, empowered, and supported, clients notice. By intentionally designing the employee journey — through leadership, development, recognition, and meaningful work — RCC has built a competitive advantage that’s difficult to replicate.
Flexibility, Resilience, and Wellbeing
Construction is a high-risk industry for mental health challenges. Vanessa approached this not with superficial perks, but with a systems-thinking lens. The result is initiatives like RCC’s flexibility menu, which allows teams to design work patterns that fit their lives — whether it’s sports commitments, family responsibilities, or personal routines.
“This isn’t just about working from home,” Vanessa says. “It’s about giving people control over their work, removing guilt, and helping them thrive in a challenging environment.”
By aligning job control, workload, and wellbeing, RCC reduces stress and fatigue, building resilience that benefits both employees and the business.
Making Work Less Transactional
Vanessa also challenged the traditional culture of construction — an industry often described as proud, safety-focused, and passionate, yet transactional and surface-level. She encouraged open conversations, vulnerability, and real human connection.
“The goal is to make work more human,” Vanessa explains. “It sounds simple, but it takes deliberate effort. When you operate from the perspective that humans matter — not just as workers, but as people — you start to break through transactional behaviours and build engagement.”
This approach doesn’t just improve morale; it improves performance, retention, and the long-term sustainability of the business.
Lessons for Senior Leaders
Vanessa’s experience offers practical takeaways for executives navigating complex environments:
- Invest in people during downturns: Supporting employees through challenging periods creates long-term advantage.
- Prioritise human-first leadership: Empathy and active listening are as critical as strategy or technology.
- Embed consistency across teams: Predictable leadership and culture reduce risk and build trust.
- Link EX to CX: Engaged employees drive better client outcomes.
- Design flexible, resilient systems: Tailor work experiences to individual needs to improve wellbeing and performance.
Final Thoughts: Humans at the Heart
Vanessa’s insights remind leaders that operational excellence isn’t just about processes, projects, or profitability — it’s about people. By embedding a human-first philosophy, organisations can unlock engagement, loyalty, and performance that endures, even in complex or challenging industries.
In a world of rapid change, technological disruption, and high-pressure environments, the human element remains the true differentiator. Leaders who care, listen, and create clarity can transform not only their teams, but the outcomes they deliver.
Want to hear more from Vanessa Riley?
Listen to the full episode of A Human Element on Spotify or YouTube, where she explores human-first leadership, culture transformation, and designing workplaces where people — and performance — come first.