Our Staff’s Favorite Employee-Focused Practices

While the Great Resignation may be showing signs of slowing down, the revolution it inspired in employee-employer relationships isn’t going away. Leaders who want to engage and retain their staff will need to continue to build workplace cultures where people are seen, valued and prioritized.

The Emergenetics® eBook Design an Employee-Centric Workplace describes tactics that executives as well as Human Resources and Learning & Development professionals can implement to create a compelling environment. To expand on those ideas, the team at Emergenetics shared some of their favorite practices that the company employs across the globe to make sure staff know they are appreciated.

Take some inspiration from our team as you construct a people-centric workplace!

Encouraging Work-Life Balance

Responsible Time Off

Our employees have unlimited paid time off (PTO), no matter their position or tenure. When someone needs a day or week out of the office, they simply coordinate with their manager and colleagues to ensure coverage. Everyone can take all the time they need and want for vacation, appointments or whatever other life commitments come up.

The concept of responsible time off definitely speaks to my Attributes by not being “boxed in” and trusting I’ll get my work, tasks and job completed with quality.
– Debbie Brown, Director, Research, Learning & Development

Whenever there is something stressful or important going on in my life outside of work, my manager always encourages me to sign off early and take care of it. It’s something that I have not experienced in any other workplace. – Alex Rice, Client Experience Coordinator

Blue Sky Fridays

Following the trend of a four-day work week, these Fridays, which are in addition to the other PTO benefits, encourage individuals to take (at least) seven three-day weekends each year.

Blue Sky Fridays are such a thoughtful gift. – Sue Davis, Executive Assistant

Everyone loves Blue Sky Fridays! The initiative gives the team a chance to rest, spend some time with their loved ones, or do something they want to do. Our day-to-day can sometimes be so intense, so everyone welcomes the shorter week. – Lini Lingam, Managing Director

Supporting Health & Wellbeing

Wellness Stipend

Every employee has access to a wellness stipend, which provides cash reimbursements for health-related expenses such as a gym membership, fitness equipment and more.

Our wellness stipend is awesome because it helps me pay for things that I may normally skip out on, like my rock-climbing pass or my Peloton membership. It’s a great perk that ultimately helps me with stress management! – Sarah Bernatis, Relationship Manager

Walking Meetings

Inspired by Founder Dr. Geil Browning, who always encouraged staff to stay on the move, walking meetings are a common activity when teams are working together in person.

Walking meetings are such a benefit, giving us an opportunity to get outside in nature and have a different environment to generate new ideas. – Sinead Devlin, Managing Director

Just Do It June

A month-long celebration encourages staff to get outside and share photos of their adventures on a global chat channel.

I loved Just Do it June! It was so fun to see all the amazing and interesting activities my colleagues do outside of work. I’ve learned more about the people I work with through this activity! – Bill Zubek, Director, Learning & Development

I LOVED our Just do it June hiking meet-up! On my own, I’m not sure I would have gotten up at 6 a.m. for a hike, and it was such a great way to start my week. It was lovely to catch up with some of my remote coworkers that I don’t get to see as often. – Sarah Bernatis, Relationship Manager

Promoting Learning & Development

Collegial Coaching

Our team in Singapore has had success with growth-centered conversations by pairing up staff so they can get in the habit of giving and receiving coaching.

The collegial coaching sessions are an excellent opportunity to learn about our brilliances and blind spots while having a candid conversation in a safe space. – Lini Lingam, Managing Director

Owning Growth Opportunities

The leaders at Emergenetics recognize the importance of ongoing development. In addition to curated internal initiatives, employees are given latitude to expand their capabilities in ways that interest them.

I really like that each team has a professional development budget and the chance to decide where we want to spend it. It gives me more control over my own learning. – Jenn Denfield, Marketing Director

We recently introduced MEfocus time, a dedicated work time every Friday during which team members can develop new skills, ideate about new strategies, brainstorm improvements to existing processes, or engage in passion projects. – Lini Lingam, Managing Director

Creating Meaningful Connections

Check-Ins & Reflections

Most company meetings start with a short set of check-in questions to give attendees a chance to share how they are doing and answer a prompt about themselves to help coworkers get to know one another. At the end of larger gatherings, attendees are also asked to reflect on their experiences.

I love how every voice is heard in our check-in questions and reflections at each meeting! – Sue Davis, Executive Assistant

The reflections give us an opportunity to hear what each person is taking away from the conversation and inspire more discoveries about one another and the subject matter. – Sharon Taylor, Director, Quality, Learning & Development

Team Building Events

The people at Emergenetics make it a priority to spend time connecting and building relationships through regular gatherings such as happy hours, gaming experiences or lunch n’ learns.

I sometimes help our culture committee come up with activities by creating virtual boardgames or custom cocktails for events. I love the opportunity to be creative and offer something new and fun. I like how my outside hobbies can be utilized for team building. – Mary Cook, Business Analyst

Assuming Positive Intent

Staff make a commitment to assume that the feedback, comments and actions of others all stem from a positive place and are backed with good intentions. Adopting this mindset allows teammates to promote understanding and empathy.

When we Assume Positive Intent (API), it allows us to be mindful, take a pause, check our biases and assumptions, and importantly, allows us to change an emotional reaction into a cognitive response. To those who are tech-inclined, it’s also a nice analogy as APIs in the tech world are what allows different systems or applications to speak to one another. – Colin Yeow, Director

Honoring Individuals

Peer-to-Peer Recognition

Our personnel tend to be more engaged when they are recognized for their work, and our employees have found creative ways to encourage these celebrations through chat channels.

The Thank You for Being a Friend Teams channel has been a great way to give our colleagues a pat on the back virtually, and it gives us a chance to learn about the different projects our coworkers are having success in. – Jenn Denfield, Marketing Director

Meeting Each Person Where They’re At

Before group and one-on-one meetings, employees are encouraged to review the Emergenetics Profiles of their coworkers, so they can communicate with them in a way that resonates with their preferences. In addition, team members are mindful to apply the Attributes to boost performance and engagement.

Using the Emergenetics+ app and our Group Reports is so helpful! By paying attention to the percentile scores, or energy each person gets from different Attributes, we make sure we’re considering and addressing the needs of the person or team we’re working with. – Marie Unger, CEO

I appreciate that we offer various ways to provide feedback to accommodate our colleagues’ Expressiveness preferences. We’ve also set up meeting spaces in the office that are named to reflect the work environment of each room, such as Data Depot and Collaboration Station, so that individuals can reserve the right place for their interests. From my preferences, I love that whimsy is included in most everything we do together. – Sharon Taylor, Director, Quality, Learning & Development

Anniversaries

Each year on their work anniversaries, people are recognized for their contributions to the organization with a post on social media and through internal celebrations.

This year, a tree is being planted in honor of each year that the person has worked at Emergenetics. I love the idea that as our efforts take root in the company, we’re also planting roots outside of it to support our environment. – Jenn Denfield, Marketing Director

After their first year at the company, we share shout-outs on a chat channel to celebrate their contributions, and every five years, we present a long-service award to recognize team members’ continued efforts. – Lini Lingam, Managing Director

These are just some of the many things that Emergenetics team members love about the employee experience here. As you’re reading this blog, it’s likely that some of these elements will sound more appealing to you than others. That’s also why it’s so important to offer a variety of practices, as everyone will gravitate toward different culture initiatives based on their Emergenetics’ preferences.

If you are still hungry for more ideas to create an employee-centric workplace, be sure to download our eBook.

Or, fill out the form below to speak with our staff about how Emergenetics can help you create an engaging, people-centric environment.

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