Creating a Happy Workplace
“What do you do for work?” is a familiar question that we’ve all had the opportunity to answer on more than one occasion. I am also certain that you’ve answered this question differently depending on who you’re talking to. Speaking with someone in your field at a conference brings out industry jargon, chatting to a friend’s partner over happy hour drinks tests your ‘elevator pitch’, whereas having a conversation with a potential job candidate likely draws out language that paints your role in a bright, fun light.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how to describe what I do for work, and I’ve realised that the reason I wake up to go to ProQuest everyday is to create a happy workplace. We can probably all agree that it’s nearly impossible to know what it will really be like to work somewhere from the interview process alone, so I’d like to share my insider perspective of what it’s like to work at ProQuest, and what we are doing to create a happy workplace for all of our employees.
Meaningful work.
I’ll start with this one because without it, all of the perks in the world won’t keep your employees happy. As a company, our core purpose is to bring our customers’ vision to life through the efficient delivery of innovative and transformative technology. With each project that we sign on to deliver, everyone on the team learns what the customer is going through and their pain points, and how our work implementing Salesforce solutions will enhance their business processes. Our team views each job as more than just an IT project; it is a journey where the end result is a business that will be even more successful in their industry by leveraging the power of technology.
Clear career path.
At ProQuest, we want to see all of our employees grow and advance in their career. Rather than conducting performance reviews once or twice a year, our CEO meets with each ProQuestor every three months to review key career milestones reached and targets that have been met. With each of these meetings, we discuss next career steps and how we can help them get there. We love having the opportunity to potentially promote or reward our employees on a quarterly basis.
Continuous learning.
Whenever I have my recruiter hat on, a common theme I hear of why someone is looking for a new role is that they are not learning anything new in their current position. At ProQuest, we pride ourselves on continuous learning. Every Wednesday we order lunch to the office and a team member presents and shares their knowledge on a topic with the entire company. We also encourage our employees to sign up for relevant certifications and training that will broaden their skillset and help push them along in their career path.
Having fun.
Of course, part of creating a happy workplace (and my favorite part of the job!) is making sure we all have fun together. Team pub lunches and office potlucks are a regular occurrence here. As Friday afternoon rolls around, we crack open the beers and have a go at the ping pong table. I’ve recently introduced ‘Avocado Toast Fridays’ and ‘Smoothie Mornings’ to break in our new office blender. We all put our problem solving caps on recently when we took the afternoon off, broke the team up into groups, and tried to escape from one of three panic rooms. Our company picnic is on the calendar, and we are excited to watch our CEO and Sales Director go head to head in bubble soccer. Volunteering our time at OzHarvest at Christmastime was a special event that combined charity and team building as we cooked up a storm for local organisations and sat down together to try each other’s recipes.
Creating a happy workplace is what I love to do, and I hope you understand a little more clearly just how we are doing it at ProQuest.
If you want to join our happy workplace, we are currently hiring so check out our open roles and reach out to me!
