The Faces Behind Luxy Hair: Rachel, HR People & Culture Senior Manager

The one that keeps the Luxy Hair team happy and thriving, Rachel says she had never had long, luscious hair and always admired the power of hair extensions and the incredible difference they can make for someone who struggles with hair loss or low confidence due to their hair.

Luxy Hair stood out to Rachel not only because of the product quality, but because of the classic, sophisticated marketing, and incredible customer service. (Aw, we're blushing!) Needless to say, when Rachel saw that Luxy Hair was hiring a People & Culture Coordinator, she says she knew she would be proud to work for a leader in ethical practices and empowering others to look and feel their best.

What’s so important about this role is getting to lead and shape Luxy’s culture and make Luxy Hair a truly special and great place to work. With that honor also comes the responsibility of asking difficult questions & finding ways to push Luxy forward; especially when we talk about strategies, policies, and actions around diversity, inclusion, community investment, environmental impact and other areas where our organization might need to make strides to be an industry leader or set a new standard.

What does a typical day at the office look like for you?

With Luxy HQ located in Toronto (where most offices have been shut down since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic) my day to day work routine has always been remote, but I’m fortunate to have a small office space in my condo where I am working out of.

Most days I get started early with a cup of tea in hand by answering emails or sharing team updates like upcoming meetings, birthdays, work anniversary or other key news in our team Slack channel! After that I’ll set some time aside to work on projects, administrative tasks, answer emails & Slack messages. My day usually consists of one or two Zoom meetings (things like team gratitude meetings, planning upcoming projects, or 1:1 meetings with team members supporting them through a variety of questions & collaborating on tasks). I usually try to fit in a walk or a run on my lunch break too—a fresh air and sunlight break always help the afternoons fly by!

What do most people think your job is? What do you actually do?

I think when a lot of people hear the title “People & Culture” they think “office fun person” or “party planner”. While I do love fun, and parties (we had an awesome virtual holiday party this year) my role is so much more than that! I support many traditional HR tasks like Payroll, Recruitment, Onboarding/Offboarding, Performance Management, Training & Development and more!

What has been your career trajectory so far? Why did you decide to work at Luxy?

After my undergrad, I dove straight into a role working with Corporate Partners in one of Canada’s most renowned non-profit organizations. I worked there for 4 years and grew throughout roles on the Corporate Partnerships team, Events Department, and finally landed in HR managing a volunteer portfolio of over 1000+ community members and leading the Intern, Summer Students & Co-op portfolio. After returning to school, I was looking to work for a company that still had a lot of meaning and value behind what they did, but was outside of the non-profit sector.

I was drawn to Luxy Hair because of their phenomenal eCommerce success, but what truly made it a dream company for me was the company's emphasis on values. The Luxy Hair core values are so unique and truly drive the culture of the organization & all team members who work here.

What are you most excited about when the world is normal again?

Travel, face to face time with friends and loved ones, hugs, volunteering!

Do you have a morning or night routine? Tell us about it

In the morning, I get up and head to the washroom right away! I start with my skincare and NEVER skip SPF in the morning. Once my skin, makeup and hair is done for the day, I have a simple breakfast and tea while I watch the news. I usually watch CBC’s “The National” broadcast from the evening prior as I really like to stay up to date on Canadian & international news and I think it’s so important to support local broadcasting!

What was the best idea you ever had?

Leaving a great job and going back to school for a business diploma in my mid-twenties. I was very fortunate to have friends and family that supported me through this, but I feel it’s so easy to land somewhere after your undergrad or high school and get comfortable. I think once you're in the routine of life that people often forget to think about, 'does what I’m doing actually make me happy?'

I was working for a company I loved, but I wasn’t satisfied with my daily work & future career opportunities. Leaving a respectable full-time job in the middle of a global pandemic was scary, but I had to bet on myself and believe in what I was capable of. I took the time to prioritize myself, my learning and my future and at the end of it, it landed me here at Luxy Hair and I’ve never been happier!

What was the furthest you’ve ever been from home?

Agropoli, Italy! I was lucky enough to compete in a Soccer tournament with my recreational team when I was in high school. I am not an amazing player, but we just had a decent team and a great coach. It was such a once in a lifetime opportunity and so cool to say I competed internationally in a sport, even though I’m not really that athletic!