Take Teradata, an information technology company, for example. It recently relocated its headquarters from Dayton, Ohio, to a 316,000-square-foot office in San Diego to be near UC San Diego, where it recruits data scientists. So far this year, Teradata has hired about 320 employees in various positions for its San Diego office and plans to hire about 200 more workers for the local office
And to retain those employees, it provides training to help them move up professionally at Teradata
“I am firm believer in looking internally than going outside,” said Martyn Etherington, chief marketing officer. “It sends a clear message to the team that there’s career advancement” opportunities
But he added that how it hires and retains employees is a “multifaceted approach.”
WORK-LIFE BALANCE
That’s why next year Teradata will offer at least two new things to address the work-life balance
So employees don’t have to take time off work or away from family to go to the doctor, Teradata will allow them to address basic health needs at the office, say during lunch, when its new onsite wellness center opens next year. It will be staffed by a nurse who can take same-day appointments to treat common illnesses and injuries, provide physicals and vaccinations and draw blood work. It may even have a limited pharmacy available next year.
Also Teradata, following in the footsteps of progressive high-tech companies, will offer paternity leave that provides up to eight weeks of paid time off
Takeda Pharmaceuticals, which has a local presence, responded to employee requests about work-life balance by offering year-round summer hours of four nine-hour days and half-days on Fridays
At The Classical Academies, an Escondido organization of public charter schools, the motto is family comes first
“I don’t want you to miss that doctor appointment for your wife,” said Cameron Curry, its executive director. “I don’t want you to miss that soccer game with your daughter. Just let us know in advance. If you’re not allowed to go to those things, that’s going to affect productivity
COMPANY CAMARADERIE
Beyond work flexibility that allows workers to juggle family life, companies also find it important to create a place where employees enjoy one another so they want to come to work
Look at TaylorMade Golf Company, a Carlsbad golf gear business. It uses Halloween to create company camaraderie. Employees take the Halloween competition very seriously. Last year’s theme was decades. One team chose 1990s, built a Blockbuster store and dressed up as Blockbuster employees as well as characters from movies in that decade. Another team chose 1970s, built a Price is Right stage and dressed up as Bob Barker, Barker’s beauties and contestants. Other departments recreated a speakeasy for the 1920s and Woodstock for the 1960s
“At the end of day, you want to enjoy people that surround you so many hours in a day,” said Laura Garrett, senior vice president of global human resources at TaylorMade. “We have events that bring people together
Ue.co, a San Diego-based insurtech company, holds an annual scavenger hunt. Employees have an hour to complete as many tasks as possible, including jumping into pools with all their clothes on and taking shots of hot sauce while dressed up in costumes that in the past have included Harry Potter characters, tourists and dinosaurs
The scavenger hunt is a “highly anticipated event,” said Laura Donaldson, marketing manager
The fun doesn’t stop there. Ue.co also has a Best Office Prank award. That’s led to filling the chief technology officer’s office with sand to turn it into a beach and the release of hundreds of crickets into the office
PROMOTION TRAINING
While Ue.co enjoys a good laugh, it also works hard. It along with Classical Academies and Teradata all offer training programs that could lead to promotions
Ue.co has a six-month long leadership development program that employees can apply for. Among the lessons taught are conflict resolution and leveraging skills. In its first program, two out of three workers were promoted
The program shows that Ue.co is “investing in their future,” said Alicia Fitzpatrick, human resource business partner
At Classical Academies, employees with more than three years of experience can apply for its leadership institute. For example, when a principal position opens up, the company turns to the leadership institute first for possible candidates
At the institute, they learn how to engage with workers and executive presence through the clothes you wear and tone of your voice. They travel to Sacramento to meet with folks at the California Department of Education and advocacy groups to get legislation updates
The institute’s goal is “to inspire them to do great things,” Curry said. “It can be here. But even if that something is outside of our organization, I love to get them on the right path
At Teradata, it not only tries to promote from within but it provides the training to help employees achieve that. It offers digital, classroom and tailored technical training for workers that could lead to a promotion within the company
“We invest in training,” Etherington said. “We encourage employees to be continuous learners
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