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I have at all times been in favor of the horizontal development of the company. Whenever it gave the impression of a clever decision, I didn’t hesitate to promote people or adjust their responsibilities to maximize their strengths and passions.
One particular instance was an exceptional success when I promoted our CMO to CPO.
Sintija had began working at DeskTime three years earlier. She had ten years of experience in marketing and copywriting, which made her an ideal candidate for the CMO position. She then revealed that she would really like to work in human resources one day.
The note was accepted.
Marketing mind for HR
It was a tumultuous time for our team, which doubled in size in a relatively short time frame. We had no clear direction or distinct roles. Additionally, we struggled with low productivity.
Previously, our HR processes focused mainly on clerical tasks and document management, with the HR specialist focusing mainly on recruitment and legal formalities. But that wasn’t enough – we wanted an HR specialist who could take HR beyond easy administrative duties.
Sintija got here with a vision to optimize HR processes and change group dynamics. She knew the industry like the back of her hand, from market conditions to technical specifics, and was able to answer all the questions of recent recruits. In addition, she possessed essential interpersonal skills reminiscent of diplomacy, energetic listening, empathy and a humorousness – things that will disarm even the hardest programmer.
For these reasons, I was confident that he could be the right person for the newly created CPO position. In addition, taking this position brought 4 other advantages – which I didn’t expect. All of them were related to her marketing experience, which she used to improve HR processes in the company.
1. Using marketing skills to attract top talent
Presenting and selling ideas and products are key pillars of promoting. It seems that these components also work well when applied to human resources. As with marketing, the HR department must function as the face of the company.
When you have a marketing specialist dedicated to talent acquisition, you kill two birds with one stone. This person knows how to attract recent talents, how to “package” our company’s advantages and where to distribute job advertisements. In our case, we also profit from Sintija’s willingness to appear at public events, podcasts, etc. and be one of the faces of the company.
2. Onboarding time cut in half
Much like customer churn in marketing, high worker turnover means dissatisfaction.
An experienced marketer understands that the first steps in contact with a product or service influence the churn rate. Onboarding is like a marketing funnel; the first 3 months are crucial for worker satisfaction. During the first months, recent recruits should feel welcome and fully integrated.
Sintija leveraged its marketing experience, and as a result, our organization saw an increase in worker satisfaction and retention rates, accompanied by a significant decrease in turnover. Some of the changes to our implementation process that contributed to these positive results include:
- Comprehensive documentation (from software technical issues to parking arrangements),
- Monthly checks to discover early problems with recent recruits,
- Buddy system providing personalized support,
- Introducing a team with communication styles (DiSC).
Given the rigorous and expensive selection process our recruits undergo, it is in our greatest interest to ensure their satisfaction and detect any issues early. By being attentive to seemingly small details, we managed to streamline the onboarding process, shortening its time from six to three months and hoping to shorten it even further.
3. Better “employee experience”
Another metric that plays a key role in an effective marketing funnel and reducing churn rates is good user experience (UX). By treating employees as “users” and their work experience as user experience, we try to make their work experience as seamless and enjoyable as possible, somewhat than taking their work for granted.
An example of this variation is our revamped onboarding process. We’ve broken it down into easy-to-follow steps, starting with an informational email a week before your first day on the job. This phased approach prevents information overload, ensuring recent employees feel supported and confident as they start their journey inside the company.
As employees acclimate, they gain access to comprehensive documentation regarding our platform and company processes, allowing them to effectively navigate their roles and company processes.
Finally, the proper positioning of business processes is of great importance. Take, for example, our approach to company-wide meetings. Inspired by Sintija’s vision, we modified their name to “symposia”. This “rebranding” (combined with the appeal of wine and snacks) resulted in significantly higher attendance and engagement rates compared to traditional meetings or sessions.
4. New tools improve HR processes
Marketing is often more advanced than HR in terms of technology applications and automation. Sintija’s marketing experience has allowed it to recognize opportunities for automation and the adoption of recent tools that may save hours of time spent on manual labor.
For example, to improve the candidate experience, we automated the recruiting process with regular drip emails. These emails keep candidates updated on progress and upcoming steps, ensuring a smooth journey.
Even though we were a data-driven company, we lacked comprehensive worker data to effectively assess team dynamics. Sintija has introduced Employee Net Promoter Score (ENPS) surveys, providing insight into the sentiment of our employees. This move eliminated the guesswork, allowing us to make informed decisions based on collective opinions somewhat than individual cases.