Empowering Voices, Fostering Growth: The Employee Board's Role in Shaping SmartRecruiters' Future

Elodie: Our culture and people is one of the top company priorities and this is based on our four core values, CEO of your job, As One, Impact and Smarter with our leadership team dedicated to making SmartRecruiters a rave-worthy workplace. How well we do is measured by engagement through Your Voice Surveys and by external organizations like Comparably, where we recently ranked 18th in Best Company Culture. 

The Employee Board, created at the end of 2022, has a very strong impact towards this priority. Selected among dozens of volunteers, across all teams and all levels of the organization, the Board members represent the voice of Smartians (aka our employees), interact directly with the leadership team and spearhead initiatives that put our people first.  

From your perspective in People Engagement, Learning, and Development, what unique opportunities does the Employee Board offer for leadership growth and enhancing an individual’s career progression?

Anita: Leadership comes in a variety of forms.  It isn’t just about being a manager with direct reports - it’s really about the ability to influence, motivate and enable others to contribute to our company’s success.  Raising your hand to be part of the Employee Board puts you in a position of leadership by representing your peers, collaborating with our executive leadership and playing a role in influencing some of our strategic initiatives and decisions. 

Combined with the coaching our Employee Board members receive from Executive Leaders, it’s a fabulous year-long opportunity to develop leadership capabilities together with your peers through meaningful projects and key business initiatives. 

Could you share how the Employee Board empowers employees to have a real impact on company-wide initiatives and decisions?

Elodie: Recognizing individual and collective achievements is something that we sometimes overlook. The Employee Board has been very strong on making sure this is top of mind. The Board implemented a quarterly recognition program and revived the annual Golden Bulbs, where individuals and teams receive the public acknowledgement and the rewards they deserve. 

The Employee Board has also ensured that the feedback from Employees is communicated, anonymously if deemed necessary, and that answers are provided by the leadership team. A strong impact on trust and transparency has been seen. They achieved that by promoting the idea of a way for employees to ask questions anonymously, by moderating the Ask Us Anything sessions during townhalls and by leading listening sessions. 

What are the key skills and experiences that members might gain from being part of the Employee Board, in terms of personal and professional development?

Anita: There are so many different skills and experiences that members can gain through their term that they can carry forward to other opportunities and situations.

From learning about and collaborating with other departments and functions in the business, to leading or providing feedback on projects that have impact on our employee experience and company results, to building business and strategic acumen alongside our senior leaders, to identifying how to use influence to inform and lead change - it’s a fabulous opportunity to stretch and grow!

Stepping to speak on behalf of the Employee Board in executive meetings, internal listening sessions and company wide events also builds impactful communication, presentation and facilitation skills. Not to mention seeing how key People and strategic initiatives and decisions come together.  How many companies provide this real-world emerging leadership development opportunity?!

Based on your involvement in supporting the Employee Board, what advice would you give to potential candidates about the value and impact of joining?

Elodie: The Employee Board can be what the members want it to be. How better can we as individuals make a difference for the whole team? So making Smars an even greater place to work at for Smartians (As One) is the first value for the members. 

Being part of the Board also expands visibility of the members outside of their immediate teams and to the leadership team, through monthly meetings and 1:1 calls with one member of the leadership team. Way to grow your career, be the CEO of your future job! 

Specific to Fiscal Year 25 starting on Feb 1st 2024, we will work closely with the Employee Board to expand the virtual Reverse Recruiting initiative outside the borders of the company by involving customers and partners. Talk about Impact! 

Can you elaborate on how the Employee Board serves as a platform for fostering a more inclusive and collaborative company culture? 

Anita: We seek out very intentionally representation from across our business - including different functions, regions and experiences.  This helps to build a diverse and capable team that can build on shared experiences and collaborate together on projects where we want input from across our diverse employee base. This also helps us learn as a business those areas or topics where our perspectives and experiences are different.

The Employee Board is one key way we live our As One value - by bringing together and developing a talented and diverse team that works together on behalf of all Smartians, and takes their learnings and experiences back to their core teams.