Maintaining employee engagement amidst rapid growth
A positive corporate culture and high levels of employee engagement are easy to achieve when a company is small or just starting out – everyone knows each other, people generally agree on the company’s goals and priorities, every new recruit is thoroughly vetted, and it is easy for the leadership team to stay on top of burgeoning issues because they are in direct communication with all levels of the organization.
As a company grows and matures, however, it can be difficult to maintain the same standards and cohesiveness. Employees may no longer feel like they can make as much impact or gain recognition for their efforts; hiring practices may slacken in the urgent need to fill open positions; management may lose touch with the day-to-day issues faced by both employees and customers; and the overall focus on company values may just get lost.
Sage Intacct, a leader in cloud financial management software, has an award-winning corporate culture that has remained strong despite several years of rapid growth – development that was partially fueled through an acquisition by UK-based Sage last year for $850 million.
Sage Intacct has always had a strong management team, with several members repeatedly earning industry recognition and leadership awards. Rob Reid, CEO of Intacct prior to its acquisition by Sage and now EVP and Managing Director of Sage Intacct, won a Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award honoring Top CEOs in 2018 – his second time making this prestigious list.
Reid, who still famously meets with each qualified candidate as part of the hiring process, discussed his leadership style in an interview with The New York Times. “If you create an environment that inspires people in the good times and bad, good people will figure out the right strategy and will do the right things from an execution perspective,” Reid stated. “I used to think strategy, execution and culture were a three-legged stool. Now I realize that if you create the best culture, the other two will follow. So we really look for team-oriented and results-driven people who want to contribute and make a difference.”
One advantage of working for a growing company is that there are more opportunities for advancement and/or specialization. Sage Intacct provides ongoing training and career development opportunities to ensure that employees achieve their professional goals, and a good portion of their recruiting efforts are backfills for promotions. Sage Intacct has a high employee retention rate, a notable achievement in the competitive Silicon Valley job market.
Despite its growth, Sage Intacct hasn’t lost its focus on its core values. These values – which are posted quite visibly on the company’s recruiting site, so potential candidates know up front what is valued and expected – include a focus on doing the right thing, collaborating, speaking out, and maintaining a healthy work/life balance.
Unlike many growing companies that turn into departmental silos and segmented teams, Sage Intacct has managed to keep a strong focus on collaboration across teams and projects. By maintaining a commitment to hiring the right people, they have fostered a collaborative environment where employees feel valued and stay engaged. There are also a growing number of social events and volunteer programs available to help build team camaraderie, as well as the opportunity for employees to form
their own networking groups. A few recent groups that were formed based on employee interest include the LGBTQ Networking Group, Sage Intacct Running Group, and Knitters for Charity.
Sage Intacct’s outstanding culture is widely recognized, with the company regularly winning best workplace awards. The company was included in the Bay Area News Group’s Top Workplaces in the Bay Area for 2018 list, marking the eighth consecutive year that Sage Intacct has garnered this award. Earlier this year, Fortune magazine and consulting firm Great Places to Work named Sage Intacct as one of the 2018 Best Workplaces in the Bay Area for the third consecutive year.
Additional awards include Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation by NABR, Best Small & Medium Workplaces by Fortune and Great Places to Work, Best Workplaces for Diversity, and Best Place to Work in North America.