Theresa Williams has been in human resources for 25 years, always at small companies, always in technology. “It’s a very specific type of culture that you find in smaller companies,” says Williams, vice-president of people and culture for Ottawa-based IT professional services firm Eclipsys Solutions Inc. “There’s something very special about it.”
Culture was really put to the test during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Williams was not disappointed. “In times of stress, your true values show,” she says. “You can’t hide behind policies or great employee handbooks. It’s about the people.”
Eclipsys was having a record year, and there was no concern about productivity suffering when remote work began. Instead, the company focused on ensuring people had the tools they needed to be effective and feel supported. “People were juggling children and families, lockdowns and trying to work,” she says. “We said, ‘You can log off at any time. Tell us what you need.’ We trusted and supported everyone.”
The company zeroed in on engagement. Through Slack, employees have access to business channels as well as lighter ones, focused on wellness and staying connected. “Management would kick off initiatives and programs and then the momentum just took off,” Williams says.
Deep into COVID-19, for example, the company started a kudos channel, where employees were asked to recognize their peers. “We kicked it off, and it’s never stopped,” she adds. “That program was just for one month, a year ago. Now every week, someone will still write great things about one of their colleagues.”
Employee suggestions are also embraced. In one instance, an employee inquired about the possibility of working Canadian statutory holidays in exchange for taking personally important days off.
As a result, Eclipsys implemented a company-wide program allowing any employee to celebrate holidays or events that were meaningful to its culturally diverse team and their families. “The employees love that we did that,” says Williams. “When we hear feedback, it warms my heart.”
Management also doubled down on mental health benefits, increasing its vacation policy allowance, implementing an employee assistance program and substantially increasing coverage for therapy – from $500 to $5,000 for employees and their families.
Senior cloud architect René Antúnez, who recently immigrated to Canada to join Eclipsys, ran a 30-minute virtual session on stress and the impact play has on it. “One of the things I like most in this culture is we have the opportunity to not only speak technically but to be quite open about mental health and well-being,” he says.
The opportunities for professional development are endless. “It’s common in interviews to be asked, ‘Do you have a training budget?’ and that is a fair question, but I always say no,” says Williams. “We don’t limit in that way. We give employees the time they need to learn and then also provide bonuses for developing themselves.”
That ability to grow profes- sionally as well as personally was another draw for Antúnez, who enjoys writing technical blogs and giving presentations at conferences – especially when travel is involved. “That allows me to network and, on the technical side, it keeps me up to date,” he says.
Antúnez was one of the first people Eclipsys sponsored to move from another country, and the process was full of challenges thanks to the pandemic. But he felt, and still feels, completely supported and values the trust Eclipsys puts in its staff to do their jobs. “I never feel like I’m micromanaged,” he says. “I feel that I’m able to do what I want to do, as long as we meet the company’s goals.”
