How to promote humanity and wellbeing in software development – The philosophy of human sustainability, part 1

The pandemic posed new challenges to coping at work – that is why the theories of human sustainability seem to be critical today. At the same time, their practical implementation in working life seems to be a challenge for many companies. Too often, we see examples where the momentary interest of the business, the short-term interest of the customer, or the self-interest of the decision maker, override human sustainability. At work – as in software development – the work is entirely based on people, attitude and knowledge, you cannot ignore these facts if you want to succeed.

In this two-part blog series, we show examples of how Compile solves people’s everyday issues, ensuring that everyone is a winner. Solutions
We put people first, not by maximizing revenue streams or short-term gain.

This is the first part of the Human Sustainability blog series, where we discuss how employees can be supported in the following situations:

  • Challenges in interpersonal relations
  • Pandemic and coping
  • Faults or “errors”

Challenges in interpersonal relations

Relationships can often have big challenges, and the biggest one, of course, is the end of a relationship, which can involve many other people, such as children. In these situations, we support our employees by giving them the necessary amount of time off, as well as by clearing space and time also on the customer’s side, so that the situation can be brought under control and life returns to normal. A person is vulnerable in these situations, and even in the first conversation, important things to note is that your job is not in danger and we can get through this – there will be time to work when all of this is over. In these situations we do not read the collective agreement in an attempt to maximize the company’s earnings, but together with the employee, look at the best plan for moving forward that suits both sides. This way, both we and our customer get a totally committed, high performing professional for the next few years.

Pandemic and coping

The pandemic has highlighted the problems of coping at work, and we are sensitive to the employees’ possible need to take a little break and recharge their batteries (such as over a long weekend, or by taking a couple of weeks off). In addition, the physical wellbeing and framework must be in order for the employees. For instance, we have acquired a virtual exercise program for our employees, which allows sedentary employees to choose and engage in break exercise at a time that is convenient for them. Similarly, we support home ergonomic solutions with equipment and accessories that employees have been able to borrow freely from the office during the pandemic.

Faults or “errors”

“You only avoid making mistakes if you never do anything” is an excellent adage in our opinion. There will always be mistakes when working and we have always emphasised openness and honesty in our culture. Correcting an error quickly is always in the best interests of all parties – the eye stays on the ball, projects do not accumulate discontent, and the employee’s daily work is easier when they don’t have to wrestle with a hidden burden. We deal with any arising grievances and mistakes together, we think of the best ways to move forward and, if the situation allows, we share information with colleagues. We have received excellent feedback from our customers about the way we operate, and more than one customer has said that we stand out in the market with our active approach.

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the eNPS calculation is based on the Employee Net Promoter Score formula developed by Fred Reichheld, which was originally used to study the customer experience and customer satisfaction of companies. Lately, it has also been used to research employee satisfaction (e as in employee + NPS).

This is how the calculation is performed.

We ask our employees once a year, “How likely are you to recommend your workplace to friends or acquaintances on a scale of 0 to 10?” Then we ask for clarification with an open question: “Why did you submit this score?”.

Those who submit a score of 9 or 10 are called promoters. Those who submit a score from 0 to 6 are called detractors.

The eNPS result is calculated by subtracting the relative percentage of detractors from the relative percentage of promoters. Other answers are allocated a score of 0.

The calculation results can be anything from -100 to +100. Results between +10 and +30 are considered to be good, and results above +50 are considered to be excellent.