Saima Malik
Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Chief Human Resources Officer, The Building People
This year at The Building People, Saima Malik crafted an HR strategy that is innovative, modern and forward thinking. The company is committed to creatively addressing all aspects of its people. By leveraging partnerships with employees, customers and vendors, The Building People is thoughtfully nurturing talent through its six guiding principles that drive the company forward.
The company’s metrics clearly demonstrate its success. In 2024, it maintained an impressive employee retention rate of 89%, well above the industry average, increased its referral program by 200% thanks to its strong culture, and consistently exceeded engagement benchmarks.
Malik’s job is made easier when the company’s leaders prioritize employees, culture and the overall employee experience. The company’s guiding principles form the foundation of its culture, evident in the positive engagement survey results and the high number of successful referrals.
“‘Just enjoy it!’ This is a personal quote I thought about almost 10 years ago as it related to my personal life, but soon after, I realized that I could apply it to all aspects of my life including my professional life,” Malik said. “I encourage everyone to pause, and ‘just enjoy it’ and see what happens!”
Why Watch
By partnering with PI, the team has introduced a fresh strategy for attracting, engaging and retaining top talent. Each HR team member is a certified PI partner, fully committed to this approach. Using PI, the team focuses on employees’ behaviors and drives to find the best position fit, optimize work potential, build career development plans and more.
“Saima’s leadership and focus set the tone for our emerging and thriving small business at the right time,” said Lawrence Melton, CEO of The Building People. “With our continued rapid growth, her ability to increase recruitment through creative incentives has allowed us to bring in highly talented candidates in record time. Conversely, we’ve continued to see our retention rates continue to increase to over 90%.”
Fun fact: Malik is passionate about lifelong learning, especially in self-help and personal growth. She can talk for hours with anyone about these topics.