As we scale our business and add to our team, we hear some questions often: \u201cWhat\u2019s the environment like?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAm I going to enjoy working there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are your core values?\u201d<\/p>\n
Company culture is about the way an organization treats its employees, clients and wider community. What defines a company culture as positive or otherwise is the biggest hurdle, because each individual employee has a different idea of what they would like to see in their company\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n
Chris Bryson, Unata’s founder and CEO, saw this challenge coming from a mile away and acted on it when he made his 17th hire\u2014Stephanie Gossage, Manager of Culture. On top of office communications, HR administration and event planning, Gossage\u2019s main role in the office is to be present and have a pulse on the environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s my job to make sure I\u2019m available and accessible within the office.\u00a0 It\u2019s one thing to have lots of events but it\u2019s another to have someone who\u2019s fully dedicated to listen in on what\u2019s actually going on in the office and make changes accordingly,\u201d Gossage said.<\/p>\n
The biggest question that Gossage faces is the \u201chow.”\u00a0 How do you make culture a focal point of your organization, instead of an afterthought?\u00a0 How do you ensure your cultural brand impacts every employee in a positive way?<\/p>\n
There are three ways Gossage leads that charge for us.<\/p>\n
Be Good. Be Bright. Be One.<\/p>\n
These words are painted on the wall in our Wellington Street office space but they\u2019re also ingrained in everything we do. While it may seem simple, it took extensive conversations to identify these three pillars to our culture. In the end, what we want to make clear is we\u2019re a company for people with a strong moral compass, with bright and innovative ideas who actively collaborate with one another to achieve goals as a group.<\/p>\n
Establishing these values early in our company\u2019s existence was arguably the most important part. The process began by identifying the traits we want in our targeted talent pool. We wanted self starters, curious hard workers and creative thinkers. We wanted intelligence, integrity and team-first mindsets.<\/p>\n
This list grew so large that Bryson, Gossage and our leadership team knew we couldn\u2019t paint a massive list of words on our wall.\u00a0 At the end of the day, what do these traits have in common and how can they be simplified?<\/p>\n
Taking this list and simplifying it has allowed our team to attract today\u2019s workforce\u2014the innovation is in the simple, no-nonsense way we\u2019ve portrayed everything we stand for.<\/p>\n
As a technology company focused on innovating and disrupting the grocery shopping experience, it only made sense for Gossage to utilize different technologies and analytics to take this culture-first mentality to the next level.<\/p>\n
An example of one of these tools is Officevibe \u2013 created by the Montreal-based startup by the same name.\u00a0 This tool sends quick surveys out via Slack, which easily integrates into our day-to-day.\u00a0 Once the surveys have been completed, Officevibe provides analysis based on their own algorithm. \u201cYou can split it up by team and really drill down to see where issues are happening and address them that way,\u201d Gossage mentioned.<\/p>\n
Having a large group of individuals make up the team, Gossage\u2019s biggest challenge is ensuring her efforts motivate everyone in the office.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe event stuff is great, like lunch and learns or bringing in a yoga instructor, but that doesn\u2019t motivate everyone. Some people have families and don\u2019t want to do stuff after work. Some just want to come to work, do their job and go home which is totally fine. So how do you make sure everyone feels supported? That\u2019s my biggest challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having the ability to push out and receive analysis from the team in an efficient manner is one of the ways she\u2019s able to stay ahead of that challenge.<\/p>\n
We see individuals and corporations preach \u201ccorporate culture\u201d every day on Twitter, LinkedIn and in job postings. The most important way we ensure every employee sees this as a real part of our organization is by making it an obvious priority.<\/p>\n
When the team gathers in the Penthouse for meetings, we ensure key components of the organization have a platform to provide updates, ask questions and announce exciting ventures. We\u2019ll hear from Bryson, the engineering team and finance in these meetings. Most important, Gossage gives a culture presentation right in the middle of all of it. When we sit down to discuss the most important and urgent aspects of our business, culture is included\u2014every single time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt shows the team this isn\u2019t a reaction, it\u2019s part of the strategy.\u00a0 It\u2019s part of the every day, it\u2019s in our DNA,\u201d Gossage remarked with excitement. \u201cPeople always preach culture but we live it.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked why establishing culture at employee #17 has worked so well, Gossage cited the fact that culture should not be a reactionary aspect in your company.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s worked so well because we\u2019ve taken it really seriously,\u201d Gossage added. \u201cPutting these systems in place ahead of time was key.\u00a0 It\u2019s not in response to something bad that\u2019s happened, it\u2019s about getting it right from the start.\u201d<\/p>\n
Investing in a Culture Manager early is not something you see very often. But for us, it\u2019s already paying dividends.<\/p>\n