What you will be taught on this podcast episode
Rewards and recognition are key instruments for constructing an moral office tradition. Leveraging these creates a optimistic suggestions loop and reinforces said objectives and requirements. However what does efficiently engaging workers by means of rewards and recognition constructions seem like in apply? How can these efforts catalyze values in motion? On this episode of the Principled Podcast, Dr. Arieana Thompson, moral tradition advisor at LRN, discusses rewards and recognition constructions with Alyssa Menard-Szacilo, a world strategic buyer success supervisor at Alteryx. Hear in as the 2 discover how efficient rewards and recognition constructions foster moral tradition and encourage values-aligned behaviors within the office.
The place to stream
Make sure to subscribe to the Principled Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
Visitor: Alyssa Menard-Szacilo
Alyssa Menard-Szacilo is an achieved international buyer success supervisor at Alteryx with in depth expertise in knowledge analytics and buyer expertise. She holds a grasp’s diploma in sociology from the College of Colorado and a bachelor’s diploma in psychology and prison justice from Norwich College.
Alyssa has performed a key position in driving buyer engagement and delivering measurable worth to purchasers. She is dedicated to serving to others succeed and is very regarded by her colleagues and friends. Within the final yr Alyssa has acquired the Rookie of the Quarter and the World Newcomer of the 12 months awards.
Total, Alyssa is a extremely expert and devoted international buyer success supervisor, dedicated to delivering distinctive outcomes for purchasers and serving to organizations obtain their objectives. She brings a novel mixture of experience, expertise, and fervour to each undertaking she undertakes, making her a invaluable asset to her purchasers.
Host: Arieana Thompson, PhD
Dr. Arieana Thompson believes in positively reworking the modern-day office by means of thought-provoking, evidence-based insights.
Arieana is an issue skilled in govt management, succession administration, ethics and compliance (E&C), wellness cultures, and worker development. Arieana has expertise advising in inner and exterior settings {and professional} talking. Arieana is a Licensed Optimistic Intelligence Coach (CPQC), serving to leaders and people to domesticate self-awareness, harness pure strengths, and scale back stress.
As a scientist-practitioner, Arieana researches and publishes well-being, tradition, and management thought items in business and peer-reviewed educational journals. These publications allow executives to create and maintain values-led, worthwhile, and artistic firms.
Principled Podcast transcription
Intro: Welcome to the Principled Podcast dropped at you by LRN. The Principled Podcast brings collectively the collective knowledge on ethics, enterprise and compliance, transformative tales of management and galvanizing office tradition. Hear in to find invaluable methods from our neighborhood of enterprise leaders and office change makers.
Dr. Arieana Thompson: Rewards and recognition are key instruments for constructing an moral office tradition. Leveraging these creates a optimistic suggestions loop and reinforces said objectives and requirements. Reward constructions are formally established in efficiency administration techniques, however recognition could possibly be delivered both formally or informally. Taken collectively, rewards and recognition can empower and inspire workers, and drive each job satisfaction and efficiency. How will we efficiently have interaction workers and encourage principled efficiency by means of efficient rewards and recognition constructions? What does this seem like in apply? How can these efforts catalyze values in motion?
Howdy, and welcome to a different episode of LRN’s Principled Podcast. I am your host, Dr. Arieana Thompson, Moral Advisor, LRN. At present I am joined by Alyssa Menard-Szacilo, a World Strategic Buyer Success Supervisor at Alteryx. We will be speaking about rewards and recognition and the way it fosters moral tradition and conjures up values aligned behaviors within the office. Alteryx could be thought of a frontrunner on this area, not too long ago named as an Superior Firm in AI 2022 by DBTA and one of the vital progressive firms in knowledge science by Quick Firm. Alyssa, thanks for approaching the Principled Podcast.
Alyssa Menard-Szacilo: Thanks. I am so pleased to be right here with you at this time.
Dr. Arieana Thompson: We’re pleased to have you ever. First, I would love to assist listeners perceive a bit of extra about Alteryx. May you describe Alteryx’s mission, values and tradition in your individual phrases?
Alyssa Menard-Szacilo: Yeah, completely. At Alteryx, our purpose is de facto to allow everybody to ship breakthrough outcomes with analytics automation by empowering information employees to change into citizen knowledge scientists. At Alteryx, our core values are buyer first, accountability, equality, integrity, and empowerment. At Alteryx, our clients are all the time the very first thing we take into consideration when making selections and keep prime of thoughts in all the things we do. We select to carry ourselves accountable to the best requirements and work with integrity. We create a tradition of equality and work to empower ourselves and people round us to reach something they set their minds to. And we attempt to have a blast alongside the best way. Alteryx has succeeded in creating a primary in school tradition for each workers and clients by residing and dealing by means of our core values each day.
Dr. Arieana Thompson: Wow. That looks like a fantastic place to work. And out of your LinkedIn publish and the discussions we have had, I’ve been impressed with how Alteryx acknowledges and rewards its workforce. Do you thoughts describing a number of the ways in which Alteryx helps and empowers workers?
Alyssa Menard-Szacilo: Yeah. At Alteryx we even have a fairly strong reward and acknowledged program, so I will simply listing by means of a few the various things that we do. Most likely will not be capable to cowl all the things, however we do have a extremely sturdy program. A couple of of the issues that Alteryx does to help our workers is our worker useful resource teams. We even have 9 worker useful resource teams, and people cowl quite a lot of completely different areas and permits folks to actually create connections and community throughout the group, throughout completely different enterprise items, and with individuals who you might or could not often work together with. We even have our All-Stars Recognition Program, which is a peer-to-peer nominated program the place you’ll be able to assign factors to folks throughout the group for wonderful work or going above and past. And that is one in all my favourite packages as a result of it actually offers us a possibility to focus on the good issues that others have carried out, and it would not need to be inside your group, so it permits for recognition throughout the whole firm.
We even have our Excellence Awards and our quarterly MVP Awards. These awards are particular to, once more, efficiency has gone above and past reflecting our core values or delivering one thing particular for patrons or a brand new course of internally. These are peer nominated and supervisor chosen. Along with these awards, we even have vacation celebrations, so for instance, being a digital worker, I am not shut sufficient to an workplace to really take part within the onsite vacation celebrations. For Dia de Los Muertos, they really despatched us a craft package the place we may be a part of a digital name and we may enhance our sugar skulls and collaborate with different folks throughout the group in addition to issues like e-book golf equipment the place they will ship you a e-book after which you’ll be able to bounce onto the e-book membership conferences to take part with others, and actually begin to develop these connections.
We additionally get well being stipends from Alteryx, which permit us to help our bodily well being. And for psychological well being, they supply us psychological well being days or versatile day without work, in order that we actually have the area that we have to handle our thoughts and our bodies. And lastly, I would like to say our Alteryx for Good Program. This can be a pay it ahead. That is going to be our volunteer alternatives. Alteryx supplies us with 20 hours of paid day without work annually to volunteer. It may be by means of Alteryx or it may be inside our communities, actually giving us the autonomy to help our communities wherever we see match. Plenty of completely different ways in which Alteryx acknowledges and rewards its workforce.
Dr. Arieana Thompson: Thanks, Alyssa, for this description of all of the completely different packages, it strikes me that Alteryx has all kinds of ways in which they’re partaking workers. For some motive, I particularly love the Dia de Los Muertos instance the place they’re taking the time and have the intentionality to mail you a sugar cranium after which get on a gaggle session. I feel that simply reveals in a single small instance how the corporate goes above and past. How do these packages make you’re feeling as an worker? Do you imagine that these efforts will help excessive worker retention charges for you and your colleagues?
Alyssa Menard-Szacilo: I do, Arieana. It is attention-grabbing from my viewpoint as a distant worker, I feel that typically once I’m contemplating the alternatives for engagement, particularly cross collaboratively past my very own enterprise unit, Alteryx supplies extra alternatives than maybe I’ve had in different roles once I was really onsite. And so the whole group from our govt management, they actually embraced this reward and acknowledged tradition, which creates an setting of gratitude. Earlier than working at Alteryx, I would by no means been in a office that genuinely cared about me, Alyssa as a person. And so working at Alteryx actually modified that for me. And as an worker, I really feel that Alteryx genuinely values me and my colleagues due to how a lot effort they put into making a enjoyable and supportive tradition for us.
A technique we do that is, in every of our all-hands, we have a good time main milestones like work anniversaries and our quarterly MVP Awards that I discussed. Our leaders take the time to have a good time each small and huge accomplishments, they usually actually create visibility for these successes. One instance I would like to level out is, a gaggle of girls not too long ago signed as much as take part as founding mentors in a brand new Energy Up! Ladies’s Mentorship program for buyer success. And our CS director seen on LinkedIn and he really known as it out to have a good time that on an all-hands assembly. He highlighted the worth of mentorship and thanked these ladies for his or her participation, although this wasn’t a particular occasion that was being hosted by Alteryx.
Dr. Arieana Thompson: That is wonderful.
Alyssa Menard-Szacilo: Yeah. It has been actually enjoyable working and seeing how a lot of an affect a majority of these initiatives and this tradition enhance the work expertise. I feel that to your query round worker intention charges, for me personally, and that is my view solely, however I really like working for Alteryx and I really like all of the issues they do to interact us and to help us, and as effectively to provide us alternatives to help one another. For instance, with our quarterly MVP Awards, these are peer nominated awards for particular person contributors who embody our core values. And every quarter we nominate friends. Normally there’s 4 or 5 completely different classes, and one of many winners is randomly chosen to shadow our VP of buyer success for a day. And once more, this provides our management extra visibility to the arduous work of everybody on the workforce, and it helps us have a good time wins collectively.
And one of many issues that is fairly cool is that even when I am not the one who’s successful an award, I am all the time pleased for the one that is. And once more, it actually lends itself to that tradition of gratitude, the place we’re all the time on the lookout for the most effective in one another and we’re actually excited to help one another. A majority of these initiatives actually do assist retention. When your work is acknowledged and it is celebrated, it is tremendous motivating. It makes you wish to sustain the nice work, and particularly when it is inclusive of each peer-to-peer and management recognition. And once more, I can not communicate for anybody however myself, however once I obtain one in all these rewards, it actually motivates me to proceed and to stick with the corporate. It is one of many issues that makes our tradition rock stable and we’re all pleased to be part of it.
Dr. Arieana Thompson: Completely. I really like how a lot your organization is emphasizing the peer-to-peer components right here, and it in all probability helps to tone again on aggressive nature that it may be for award packages, so simply within the office basically and create collaboration and everybody’s on their very own work journey and also you get to help one another in it.
Alyssa Menard-Szacilo: Yeah, completely.
Dr. Arieana Thompson: What about on a management stage? How do your leaders reinforce firm values by means of casual recognition? Would you say that how a job is finished is acknowledged simply as a lot as the result that is achieved?
Alyssa Menard-Szacilo: Yeah, that is a fantastic query, Arieana. One of many issues that our leaders do is all the time on any name that we’ve got, any workforce name, we all the time begin with our firm values, and we went over these at first of the decision right here. However these are actually essential and we attempt to maintain these entrance of thoughts, in order that as we’re doing this stuff, we’re all the time attempting to stay by means of our values. A few of the ways in which our management actually create consciousness by means of this, particularly by means of casual recognition, is throughout the shopper success group. Every workforce supervisor does a weekly worker highlight. This can be a fairly casual recognition program, however the supervisor does an worker highlight for somebody on their workforce highlighting a number of the good issues that they’ve carried out. And this is not one thing that is essentially going to get you a kind of MVP Awards or a kind of Excellence awards, however simply highlighting the work we do on a day-to-day. And so they ship that to their supervisor and so forth, and that goes all the best way as much as the chief buyer officer.
And so in these spotlights, managers can spotlight the success of a person who’s carried out one thing that embodies our core values or in the event that they’ve gone above and past of their position or maybe helps our buyer first values or develop an progressive means of doing one thing. And whereas it is a extra casual strategy of recognition, it actually supplies visibility into the work that individuals are doing, all the best way as much as that chief buyer officer. That basically supplies ongoing casual suggestions about what’s taking place within the area. Now, our management workforce additionally values a job effectively carried out, in fact, particularly when it drives affect for the corporate. However greater than that, they’re always seeking to the workforce to assist establish how we are able to innovate to create new and scalable sources that can drive success for us and our clients.
One of many nice issues about working in buyer success is the number of backgrounds and distinctive experiences our workforce members convey to the desk. We have got folks with backgrounds like knowledge science, engineering, audit, advertising, gross sales, and lots of others that I can not listing right here. However with this, everybody has a unique set of superpowers or expertise, and this actually helps make it in order that we are able to lean on one another and crowdsource specialty information that can assist us assist our clients. On condition that all of us have completely different ability units and completely different information base, when somebody does a fantastic job constructing one thing like a brand new course of or making a useful resource that could possibly be leveraged by others on the workforce, we even have a deliberate strategy of elevating it up by means of management and sharing that. And that is by means of a program we name our Account Innovation Program. This program offers everybody a voice irrespective of their title or stage of seniority.
In case you’ve been with an organization for in the future or 10 years, you’ll be able to nonetheless submit your concepts by means of our Account Innovation Program, and we encourage anybody to submit an concept that might enhance a course of or develop content material that will have a huge impact for the whole workforce. And as soon as that concept is permitted, we arrange enablement periods the place different members of the workforce can come study that new course of or get a deep dive into that collateral. Normally, in the event you’re the one that comes up with the thought, then you’ll lead the enablement session in your friends. And this actually creates alternatives for peer-to-peer management and once more, reinforces this casual strategy of recognition.
Dr. Arieana Thompson: That is a tremendous instance, Alyssa. I really like how it is a course of through which Alteryx helps innovation. And it additionally actually helps this idea of variety, fairness, and inclusion as a spread of individuals with many alternative backgrounds are included of any title or seniority. And anybody can give you an concept and if it is a good suggestion, the corporate’s going to take motion in direction of it. That is unbelievable. I really like to listen to that. However switching gears a bit of bit, I am additionally concerned about your efficiency administration system. Would you say that the folks you see getting promoted are position fashions of moral habits?
Alyssa Menard-Szacilo: Yeah. That is a fantastic query. In my expertise, each time I’ve seen somebody get promoted and my tenure right here, I am all the time in settlement with administration’s choice. The people who’re promoted typically have acquired a number of peer nominations for a number of the awards we have already mentioned, they usually persistently exhibit Alteryx’s core values in ways in which everybody can see. Due to the varieties of visibility and transparency and the celebrations of small and large wins, it is by no means a shock when somebody’s promoted. From my viewpoint, each time I’ve seen promotions amongst my friends or within the management workforce, I am all the time like, “Oh yeah, that is smart.” As a result of the best way our workforce elevates folks’s achievements and contributions in our day-to-day enterprise, the people who find themselves being promoted are people who you aspire to be like and are actually position fashions of Alteryx’s core values.
Dr. Arieana Thompson: That is nice. All too typically we see organizations that solely present suggestions or recognition in the yearly efficiency administration check-ins, and also you won’t have a way of what different folks within the group are doing, what sort of contributions they’re making, why they could be a great candidate for promotion. I feel it is unbelievable that Alteryx is creating by means of these completely different rewards and recognition packages, this sense of, “Oh yeah, in fact that particular person’s getting promoted.” That is actually wholesome for the tradition. It permits you to help the opposite particular person, but additionally it helps create some profession growth pathways you could envision in your thoughts as you see folks residing out the values after which getting promoted accordingly.
Alyssa Menard-Szacilo: Yeah, completely.
Dr. Arieana Thompson: Do you’re feeling that the rewards and recognition you obtain helps the next stage of motivation and efficiency? And in the event you needed to guess, what are the tangible outcomes of those worker investments?
Alyssa Menard-Szacilo: Yeah. I will communicate for myself right here, however I positively really feel extra motivated when my arduous work is acknowledged. All of us attempt to put our greatest foot ahead, however when that occurs, it actually can have an effect. I have been very lucky to obtain just a few of the awards that we have mentioned, and as a recipient of those awards, it actually makes me really feel seen and appreciated. And particularly the peer nominated awards, it is all the time good when a frontrunner acknowledges you, however while you’re acknowledged by your friends, it has a bit of bit extra, I might say, a bit of bit extra of an affect. As a result of we work with our clients, however we get to work with one another too. And having that help makes an enormous distinction. I additionally hope and imagine that others at Alteryx really feel the identical means. We actually have a robust one workforce strategy at Alteryx. And to me, even when I am not the recipient of one in all these awards, I am nonetheless motivated to carry out at a excessive stage once I see different members of my workforce receiving acceptable recognition.
One thing my supervisor says to us is, “I do not count on perfection, however I do count on excellence.” And this reward and acknowledged tradition that we’ve got, it actually helps that. We work arduous to help our clients and one another alongside the best way, and nice work is acknowledged and it makes an enormous distinction. I would additionally say if I had been to guess, the largest tangible asset for Alteryx as an employer is worker retention. And once I say retention, I am not speaking about simply retention for the sake of retention, however actually retention of top quality, pleased, and engaged and motivated workers. In our position the place we work straight with clients, this makes an enormous distinction and it is contagious. What I imply by that’s, our clients have a greater expertise total due to the standard of workers Alteryx retains.
One other tangible affect that I see is how we are able to help our clients. As part of buyer success, we help the onboarding, enablement, adoption and excellence of shoppers who use our software program. And as part of this, we are able to share these experiences that we’ve got at Alteryx with our clients to assist them develop their very own reward and acknowledged packages. We have really seen this be very profitable throughout different organizations and have a huge impact with the organizations that we work with. Lastly, whereas maybe tough to measure quantitatively, this reward and acknowledge tradition offers us the power to develop belief and respect for our colleagues. And in my expertise, while you belief and respect the folks that you just work with, you are keen to go the additional mile for the workforce. And we actually are a workforce right here at Alteryx.
Dr. Arieana Thompson: Alyssa, I really like the way you describe this complete rewards and recognition program and construction that Alteryx has and the way you discuss to the way it helps efficiency, but additionally simply happiness. I feel that we’re seeing a pattern in our office cultures the place we’re recognizing the significance of protecting our workers pleased and the way that touches all areas of the enterprise, together with buyer interplay. However you then’re additionally taking it that step additional by modeling a majority of these packages along with your clients to allow them to see the way it’s working for you, and likewise be taught out of your private developments and what has labored effectively and never, in order that’s unbelievable. Based mostly on these experiences, what greatest practices would you advocate to different firms that wish to enhance on this space?
Alyssa Menard-Szacilo: Yeah, completely. I feel there’s really just a few issues that basically drive the largest affect. Three issues come to thoughts instantly, and once more, that is simply my opinion right here, however the very first thing is de facto creating that tradition of gratitude. Secondly, help from govt management, I feel you have to have that prime down strategy. After which that peer recognition is the third facet, which is that backside up strategy. Actually having all three of these working collectively to help the tradition. To start with, the making a tradition of gratitude by means of reward and acknowledged packages, it brings out the most effective in folks. Constructing that mindset of gratitude, it generates a continuing motivation for the staff. For instance, once I’m working with any person they usually do one thing actually nice, my first response is, “Let’s elevate this.” And I will go proper into the All-Stars dashboard and publish a recognition.
That recognition will get seen by their supervisor, and it is also posted for the entire firm to see. For me, once I get these notifications that say, “You have acquired a recognition,” it inevitably brings a smile to my face and makes me wish to maintain doing superior work that has an affect. Along with that, these initiatives do actually have to be supported by govt management and given visibility all the best way down the chain to the person contributor. I might advocate that these packages be arrange in a means that they are inclusive of all workers from new hires to senior workers, to assist inspire workers and drive larger ranges of worker engagement. And lastly, that peer-to-peer facet of that, peer-to-peer packages actually permit colleagues to acknowledge the good work of their teammates. And by giving your workers a voice and a method to have a good time one another by means of peer recognition, we’re all the time on the lookout for the most effective in one another.
Additionally, typically managers could not have visibility into a number of the day-to-day issues that their workers are doing, and that peer-to-peer recognition is an effective way for managers to listen to about it. And we have really seen, or I’ve seen not too long ago on my workforce the place that is seeping out past our group. We simply had any person not too long ago who did a superb job internet hosting an analytics occasion, and one in all her friends posted it on LinkedIn. And as an alternative of simply placing the feather in her hat, she really put collectively a playbook that can embody steps within the course of, communication templates, timelines, key hyperlinks and sources, in order that if sooner or later another person needs to do it, then they will have a information.
We’re beginning to see this tradition seeping exterior of our group, not solely with buyer interactions, however even by means of social media posts like LinkedIn. We additionally see issues like the place one other one in all my colleagues was not too long ago awarded what we name the Hotshot Quarterly MVP Award, and she or he informed me that it was a extremely large deal to her, simply because the individuals who had gotten this award earlier than her had been position fashions and mentors. And that left her feeling honored to be acknowledged and to learn the way a lot her workforce valued her contributions sufficient to appoint her. And she or he’s nonetheless doing nice work with a optimistic perspective. We simply see that these three elements, making a tradition of gratitude, help from govt management and that peer-to-peer recognition cumulate into a extremely wonderful worker expertise.
Dr. Arieana Thompson: Glorious. Thanks a lot for these actionable ideas for organizations. I really like the best way that you just describe it because the tradition, the management, and the peer-to-peer creating that system of interactions on the group stage that basically engages everybody, units the tone for expectations, however with that motivation and inspiration of supporting one another and recognizing one another, after which even seeing how that may go outward and we are able to see that recognition occurring with purchasers and individuals who you are interfacing with. That is actually unbelievable. Moreover, all the things that you just’re saying really aligns with the analysis that we have carried out right here at LRN. In keeping with LRN’s Benchmark of Moral Tradition, which we revealed final yr, probably the most moral firms outperform others by 40% throughout key enterprise metrics, together with worker loyalty, buyer satisfaction, innovation, adaptability, and enterprise development. I completely love listening to how your group validates and exemplifies these findings.
Alyssa Menard-Szacilo: Thanks. It is fairly unbelievable to work for a company that helps us individually and helps us supporting one another. It makes work actually extra rewarding and it makes our colleagues extra like family and friends.
Dr. Arieana Thompson: Completely. Effectively, I feel we may discuss rewards and recognition all day, however we’re out of time. Alyssa, thanks a lot for becoming a member of me on this episode.
Alyssa Menard-Szacilo: Thanks for having me on at this time, Arieana, it was nice to speak to you.
Dr. Arieana Thompson: Sure, agreed. My identify is Dr. Arieana Thompson, and I wish to thanks all for listening to the Principled Podcast by LRN.
Outro: We hope you loved this episode. The Principled Podcast is dropped at you by LRN. At LRN, our mission is to encourage precept efficiency in international organizations by serving to them foster successful moral cultures, rooted in sustainable values. Please go to us at LRN.com to be taught extra. And in the event you loved this episode, subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or wherever you hear. And do not forget to depart us a evaluation.
Make sure to subscribe to the Principled Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
