Employer branding
Culture Jam with AT&T, FreshBooks and BambooHR
Glassdoor Team
Glassdoor Team | Author & Career Expert at Glassdoor | Aug 12, 2016
Research continues to prove that a positive company culture and engaged employees are better for business. But how do the best companies engage their employees in an authentic manner as they evolve and grow? We recently joined one Fortune 50 company and two fast-growing startups for an enlivening discussion on culture and employee engagement.
Kirsten Davidson, Glassdoor’s Head of Employer Brand, moderated the discussion by posing provocative questions to a team of experts that included Ben Peterson, CEO, BambooHR; Nora Beatty, HR Business Partner, FreshBooks; and Jennifer Terry-Tharp, Executive Director of Employment Branding, Marketing and Technology, AT&T. Below we share a sample of questions and the responses from our panelists.
How do you encourage culture and employee engagement at your company?
AT&T has the enviable position of 139 years of history behind it, with a long-standing culture of innovation and diversity. Jennifer Terry-Tharp shared that rather than just talking about their values, they encourage actual stories from employees on their website, social media and Glassdoor. “Candidates want a personal view of what it’s like in your company and your workgroup,” she said.
At BambooHR, culture is guarded aggressively, and CEO Ben Peterson sets the tone. With an overall intention of creating a place where people can come and grow, Peterson and his team have created clearly defined principles for BambooHR employees in a brand book. He emphasized that industry best practices are not necessarily your company’s core principles, so it’s important that every company define core principles for itself.
Nora Beatty often finds herself in an advisory role at FreshBooks, and encourages everyone to put try to consider the other person’s perspective when there is a problem. “I would rather think about what’s the right thing for this person at this moment,” she said, rather than be tempted by canned answers, templates or pre-existing policies.
Who owns culture?
“Everybody owns culture,” was Terry-Tharp’s quick answer. That said, she believes there needs to be stewards of culture—and that’s usually senior leadership and an HR. Beatty agreed that “FreshBookers own our culture,” and that “we don’t do it top down or bottom up.” For example, FreshBooks has created a supportive culture in which employees can lift each other up if someone’s having a bad day, and managers are encouraged to inquire when they notice that someone seems down and hasn’t talked about it.
Peterson agreed that stewardship is a good concept, mentioning his concerns about the culture carrying through in a time of rapid growth. Consistency of communication is key, as well as continually reinforcing their cultural markers, like their “Oops email” that allows employees to admit mistakes in a friendly, supportive way.
How does culture affect hiring choices?
At FreshBooks, one of the founders meets every candidate who’s under serious consideration, interviewing primarily for company culture fit rather than skills. At A&T, Terry-Tharp likened the screening process to dating, or a “Choose Your Own Adventure” type of journey. “Different things are important to different people at different points in their career and in their lives,” she said. AT&T uses assessments to get to know candidates, and sends candidates Glassdoor reviews so that by the time someone accepts an offer, “we know we’re a good fit for each other.”
How do you measure employee engagement and culture?
FreshBooks uses an annual survey with 29 rating questions and three open ended questions. This annual survey fosters engagement by letting employees know their voices are heard, and allows the company to identify what’s going well, what needs improvement and any blindspots.
Like FreshBooks, AT&T conducts an employee engagement survey, but every other year. Twice a year, the company issues a two-question poll survey that asks about willingness to recommend AT&T as a place to work and willingness to buy its products and services.
BambooHR uses its own software, which includes a performance module that encourages conversations between managers and employees. One question for managers they use to get a qualitative measure of employee engagement is “What would you do if this person got an offer to work somewhere else?” Peterson shared that they also look at Net Promoter Score and Glassdoor reviews with a keen eye out for any toxicity. “By the time it hits Glassdoor, it’s too late,” he said, noting the company’s emphasis on open communication.
What do Millennials entering the workforce mean for your employment strategy?
All three experts agreed with Peterson’s perspective, “what’s good for millennials is good for everyone,” specifically growth and opportunities. Regardless of age, everyone in the company should be able to map to the company’s principles.
Beatty shared that sometimes Millennials articulate their needs differently, and often need to be shown a clear path to career growth. Once they know what the path is and how long it takes to get there, “that crazy urge to get promoted again five days after a promotion goes away.” She recommended “taking them seriously, not dismissing them, and trying to understand the heart of what they are asking for” as a successful way to manage Millennials.
What advice would you give someone who is just starting to pay attention to company culture and employee engagement?
“Listen twice as much as you talk,” Terry-Tharp recommended, to home in on the opportunities and monitor non-company outlets (such as Glassdoor).
Beatty also emphasized information gathering, through surveys and conversations, to find out what they are missing and what they are loving. “Once you start your efforts,” she said, “avoid being too prescriptive,” by emphasizing behaviors rather than cliches like “integrity.”
Peterson advised against being a copycat, saying, “culture has to be authentic to you.” Clearly defined principles unique to your organization will get your further than best practices recommended by someone else. “Everyone knows when it’s BS,” he concluded.
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