The employee experience at Vendere Group is something we have crafted very carefully over the years, our aim being to make sure everyone can strike a balance between their time at work and the time they spend on other pursuits. This is what makes our employer brand different from other tech companies — and gives us an edge when it comes to attracting and retaining top talent.
Optimizing the employee experience has become a very important concept in today’s workplace. More than ever before, it is critical to recruiting the best and the brightest, and to overcoming the challenges of a dwindling workforce. In Quebec, this labour shortage was already a problem for the tech sector before the pandemic struck. COVID-19 has only exacerbated the situation. So we thought it was high time we took a more in-depth look at the employee experience at Group Vendere to show how important it is to everyone throughout our organization.
Vendere Groupe: A great place to work (it really is!)
Let’s start by giving a better idea of what exactly it is we mean when we use the term “employer brand.” An employer brand is the image a company projects to current and prospective employees. And it goes far beyond a written set of intangible ideals. It’s about the core values we put into practice across the organization, day in and day out. The ones that resonate with our people and that they are happy to embrace and share. In today’s marketplace, the things that used to be sought-after perks — job stability, salary, certain types of benefits — are now taken for granted. What really attracts candidates these days are more value-added factors, like remote or hybrid working arrangements, free meals and on-site daycare for exemple.
We get it. Which is why at Vendere Group, we have gone to bat for our employees. In the past few years, we have switched over to a remote working model for all our operations and development staff, except for those who prefer to work out of our downtown site. We decided to keep our head office for those who need a workspace or for tasks of a collaborative nature, and it’s turned out to be a happy medium for everyone. We’ve also implemented summer hours, with Friday afternoons off, so that everyone can enjoy an extended weekend from late June to early September.
We understand the importance of being able to get away from work for longer periods, too, which is why all our new recruits are entitled to three weeks of annual vacation, plus seven extra days during the holiday season at the end of the year. In so doing, we hope to differentiate ourselves from other tech employers, with less enticing vacation policies.
Every month, our employees receive our internal newsletter (the title of which, Grandi Notizie, is a wink to the Italian inspiration behind our company name), containing updates on the company, birthdays, upcoming events, team recommendations (books, movies, music, things to do, places to visit and more) and a “Did You Know” section.
In addition, every other week, employees can attend lunch-and-learn sessions on a variety of themes related to work, the industry, the company and more. (And psst! Both the learn AND the lunch are on us.)
Last but certainly not least, an employee portal has been developed to showcase important information about the various services available to staff, company policies, helpful tools, upcoming activities and surveys, along with a space where employees are welcome to provide feedback and make suggestions.
Team-building activities are a big part of our corporate culture. They are essential to the team spirit that makes our organizational engine purr. Given that most of our employees work from home, we recognize how important it is to find ways to cultivate a feeling of belonging and strengthen individual bonds. Which is why we organize group outings like laser tag and cooking classes. We’ve also gone the sticky fingers route with a maple-rrific meal during sugaring off season and laughed until we cried at a local comedy club. And we’re just getting started! Employee suggestions are always welcome.
Another area we feel is important to focus on is individual health and wellness. Every three months, we challenge our employees to get more active by working out, meditating, doing breathing exercises, eating well and more. And doing it as a group makes it fun and motivational for everyone.
We examined the current and prospective employee experience using a series of state-of-the-art tools and used this information to identify all the “win-win” factors that we can build on to attract new talent and keep everyone happy. The results drove home that this new approach has a lot to offer a CRM-focused organization like ours.
We are very proud of our employer brand here at Vendere Group. But we know that we need to keep working at it and listening to our people if we are to continue to satisfy their needs. And that’s a commitment we will take very seriously, now and going forward.
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