Love working here?

Recommending your employer, or not, has definitely become a ‘thing’.

Recent research indicates that nearly half of all referral hires have greater job satisfaction and stay longer at companies than those who join via other means.

We spoke to people across RELX, whose teams achieved high advocacy scores in our recent employee opinion survey, to gain some insights into what it takes for an employee to recommend their employer.

Insight #1: Create a culture of winning

“Ours is a successful business and we just keep getting better,” said David Bayliss, VP technology at Risk & Business Analytics in the US. “Importantly, my team knows that the work that it does is a key driver of that success. Members of my team know they are working in a great place because we win.”

Ken Fogarty, group treasurer for RELX in the UK agrees: “I believe that seeing small wins on a frequent basis creates a sense of accomplishment, contributes to winning attitudes and allows people to see the value they provide to the larger organisation.”

Insight #2: Give employees a clear sense of purpose

Anna Dycheva, CEO of Reed Exhibitions Russia, based in Moscow said: “It’s important that people understand what we do as a business, so we talk a lot with our teams to explain decisions, brief them on strategy and update them on how projects are progressing.”

Anna Dycheva, CEO, Reed Exhibitions Russia

Anna Dycheva, CEO, Reed Exhibitions Russia

“I’m fortunate to work in a team where most, if not all, of my people identify with the mission and purpose of the organisation, and I believe that has a lot to do with driving advocacy,” said Vijay Raghavan, CTO at Risk & Business Analytics in the US. “We tie our engineering objectives each year to the larger organisational purpose. This serves to give us a sense of fulfilment when we meet those objectives.”

Vijay Raghavan, CTO, Risk & Business Analytics

Vijay Raghavan, CTO, Risk & Business Analytics

For Anita Chandraprakash, EVP global operations for STM in the Netherlands, this is also true: “A positive relationship with manager, peers and colleagues combined with meaningful work that makes an impact on customers are key drivers of advocacy in my team.”

Mark Johnson, VP data services at Risk & Business Analytics in the US, also believes that a clear sense of purpose and context is important: “We work hard to ensure that people understand the importance of their role and how their work contributes to our customers’ success. We routinely highlight the positive societal impact of our mission. Enabling our people to understand how they fit into the value chain and the importance of their contribution drive meaning, purpose, commitment and pride.”

And a final thought from Katherine Lunn, head of talent development at RELX: “I think it’s all about our people feeling that they are able to make good use of their skills and experiences in their roles to help drive greater value for our organisation and our employees.”

Insight #3: One team. Zero politics. Open communication

David Bayliss again: “We win as a team; or we all die trying. At the end of the third quarter if some are ahead on their targets and others behind, we switch people around to get everything covered. If someone gets sick, they are given the time they need; the rest of us cover.”

David Bayliss, VP technology, Risk & Business Analytics

David Bayliss, VP technology, Risk & Business Analytics

Team dynamics are also important for Anna Dycheva: “We coach our managers to listen to their direct reports and be in constant communication with them so that we know employees’ needs and can respond to them in a timely manner.”

And it’s the same story from Mark Johnson: “Engaging with your team requires taking the time to listen. We all want to be heard.”

Insight #4: Provide stability and flexibility

Stability can seem rare in today’s organisations, but David Bayliss has a unique perspective on the tech community: “We have the size, success and momentum that means we can charge aggressively at a target, we can work in cutting edge areas and we can guarantee that a pay check happens at the end of the month. Start-ups only get you the first two.”

“Flexible work practices and achieving a sensible work-life balance are very important,” said Anita Chandraprakash.

And back in Russia with Anna Dycheva it’s the same story: “One of the main reasons we achieve high levels of advocacy is the stability and reliability of the company.”

Insight #5: Hiring the best, builds diversity

Diversity is an important factor according to Ken Fogarty: “As a team, we have diversity in terms of backgrounds, knowledge and skills. Knowing that there are subject matter experts sitting a desk or a phone call away, who are always willing to help, makes us more effective.”

While David Bayliss focuses on hiring the best: “If you do the metrics, I have a very diverse team. An improving gender balance, all ages, gathered from all over the map. However, that is a by-product of having hired the very best I could find; independent of anything else.”

Insight #6: Respect, appreciation and recognition

For Anna Dycheva this is a central thread: “Our work is very challenging, so as a company we aim always to create safe, clear and fair work conditions for our people. We stay open and honest, treat employees with respect, maintain clarity of the compensation opportunities and truly care about our people feeling heard.”

Carolyn Young, customer experience lead in Legal agrees. “For me, it’s all about treating employees as beating hearts, not numbers. Spending time learning what makes every employee tick and tailoring work relationships to each person - treating others as I would wish to be treated. People in my team tell me that everyone has a mutual respect and understanding for one another and that helps drive advocacy.”

Ken Fogarty also identifies respect as a key factor: “Within our department there is a great deal of respect for one other. While people have clearly defined roles, everyone recognises that to be truly effective, they need help from their peers from time to time. Colleagues are always willing to stop what they are doing to help someone because they know that their actions will be reciprocated. And, no one is afraid to voice their viewpoint.”

Anita Chandraprakash agrees: “A strong company culture, based on inclusiveness and respect is key. And, it’s very important to have policies and practices in place that demonstrate how we value our people and provide the recognition that they deserve.”

Insight #7: Help your people grow

“We also do a lot to help our people grow in their professional skills and career as well as progress in their personal advancement. We create and deliver internal and external development activities, recognising the efforts people make to grow while supporting them through the process,” said Anna Dycheva.

Robby Curtis, VP content development in Risk & Business Analytics in the US agrees: “We leverage in-house talent development tools to work one to one with employees to capture career aspirations, assess readiness and map out individual development plans. Using that data, we conduct quarterly people reviews throughout the year where, as leaders, we hold each other accountable to the investments we are making in our people.”

And a last word from David Bayliss: “Next year is always harder. At the start of each year we set performance targets that require personal growth from each person. We all know what we are building and we all chip in to help the individuals grow with it.”

Insight #8: Let your people give back to their community

Rick Dols, managing director in the Philippines says: “Our employee engagement activities are key to our professional, fun and engaging work environment. Our workforce is composed largely of millennial employees so our activities are structured to provide them with a number of opportunities for their professional growth, development, improved health and personal well-being. These activities include training programs, team building events, sports festivals and Circles in which employees come together to pursue their similar interests through community and societal activities."

"In addition, RE Cares provides a very effective means for our team members to channel their desire to make a difference in the communities where we live and work as well as broader society. The power of our engagement activities and RE Cares have been instrumental in driving advocacy among our team members.”