In celebration of International Women’s History month this past March, I had the opportunity to sit down with members of Personify’s mom group, PersoniMoms. PersoniMoms was created as a resource for new moms and has been such a good support network and community that it has grown and become a valuable group for all moms to share stories, offer support and encouragement, give recommendations and advice to one another and of course share cute pictures of their kiddos. This group is just one of the many awesome ways Personify continues to foster an inclusive, growth-minded and supportive culture, and it’s one of the multiple reasons women choose to start and further their career here. 

A few of the group’s members – Kristen (SMB Account Executive), Ashley (Customer Success Team Lead), Mary (Brand and Communications Manager) and Jasmine (Manager, People Operations) – took the time to share a little more about what this supportive bond through work means to them.

Why do you think someone would want a group like this at work? 

I came from an industry where there were a lot of men; there were few women and even less women with children, as many left prior to motherhood. When I joined Personify, my direct manager and a number of colleagues on my team were all in the same stage of life. When I was accepting the role, I told my boss that knowing there was a moms group was a big motivator for me: women with children have a level of empathy and support they can provide that others can’t. You don’t have to explain why you are tired, frustrated or having a hard day. They understand it’s because of sleep regression, a sick child, teething or just the insane amount of effort it takes to get a toddler dressed. – Mary, Brand and Communications Manager

Why did you choose Personify, and why do you stay?

My previous job was at a start-up that was acquired by a big corporation. Someone in my network was already working here and recommended I apply. Based on all of the amazing things she shared about the culture and my interview experience with the People Operations team, I knew this was the place for me. I was 12 weeks pregnant when I interviewed (15 weeks when I joined), and my future manager was extremely supportive, knowing I’d be going out on maternity leave just five months into joining. She went so far as to share information on maternity leave and benefits before interviewing, knowing that would be important to my decision. The upfront support of my manager, and knowing this group of moms existed, was incredibly welcoming. I’m now back from maternity leave, and I wake up looking forward to working with my team. With the flexibility and support of my team and this group, I feel engaged in my role and confident in the balance I have with my mom-life. After leaving a big corporation, it’s so nice to feel like I’ve found a work family in Personify. – Jasmine, Manager, People Operations

One of the great things about Personify is the culture we had pre-Covid has continued to flourish while we are all remote. Being part of the moms group was an added layer of connection to work and the world outside my home when we weren’t really seeing anyone. There was, and continues to be, a blend of work and personal conversations and celebrations. The friendships, personal life announcements and professional milestone celebrations have just moved online, but we are always there to cheer each other on. – Kristen, SMB Account Executive

Do you have any mentors or role models who are successful at work and as moms? 

My direct boss, Laura Sanders, and I have worked together for six years. I saw her transition into motherhood and working; her daughter is 15 mos older than my oldest. It’s beneficial for me to ask her questions and hear her insights. At the same time, she’s a Director on the leadership team, so I can see that it’s possible to balance everything and to play an impactful role at Personify. – Kristen

My manager, Kathy Marshall, is a mom of 12-year-old twins and an incredible HR business leader. Not only is she super focused on being an HR female executive and making Personify an even better place to work, but she also still finds the time to do fun activities with her kids. She always tells me that “kids come first.” It’s a great feeling to have that support and flexibility when I need it and to know you can accomplish great things in business while being a mom. – Jasmine

What advice have you received as someone building a career and balancing parenthood that’s made a difference?

“You are replaceable at work but not at home.” I’ve been at jobs where I was burnt out; but now, my priority is my family. The culture at Personify doesn’t make me feel guilty for that, and as a result, when I’m working, I’m all in. – Ashley, Customer Success Team Lead

“You can’t pour from an empty cup.” Whether going for a walk or taking a few moments to collect myself, I refill my cup before I start my day or turn back to my family in the evening. In my one-on-one meetings with my boss, there’s a scale to weigh in on how I feel. That’s vital for everyone during these trying times but even more so for moms as we are carrying so much. In addition, we have things like company-wide wellness days where we are asked to prioritize ourselves. It’s a huge commitment for a company like ours to offer that, and I know we all appreciate it. – Kristen

“Do what works best for you as a mom and always put your child first.” I’ve been more productive and happier at work following these mantras and this is always my advice to other mamas now. – Jasmine

Was there a turning point or “aha” moment in your career- if so- what was it? 

When I left my previous job, I knew I’d achieved everything I wanted to in that industry. But, the cost was working a lot of nights and weekends. That’s time you can’t get back. My daughter learned to walk at an arena during a basketball tournament that I was producing. When I was home when the pandemic started, I realized I would miss out on more milestones. So, I found a role and a company where I could make an impact, feel challenged and still be here for all the crucial moments. Working at Personify, I can be both the attentive mom I want to be and a contributing professional. I appreciate the support to do that. – Mary

Why would you encourage someone to join the group?

We are all part of other mom groups outside of work, on social media or in our neighborhoods. There is a lot of politics and judgment. But, we genuinely don’t see that here. It’s just a lot of celebrating and no holds barred support. There’s more diversity with an employee group with people located all over, bringing different backgrounds and opinions. There is obviously the shared experience of motherhood; there’s the common company culture that solidifies our bond. – Ashley

Personify deeply appreciates and promotes the contributions of the women on and leading their teams. It’s just one of the many ways we live our values and support our teams. If you are looking for an opportunity to transition your career or re-enter the workforce, we’re hiring for a number of remote and hybrid opportunities. You can explore them on our Career page here. Or, follow us on LinkedIn to stay in touch with what’s going on.

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Talent lives everywhere. As the Chief People Officer, I am incredibly appreciative that my fellow colleagues on the Personify leadership team understand the value added, the positive impact on employee experience and the competitive advantage of providing remote-first employment opportunities to talented individuals throughout the United States and parts of Canada.

The best employees for open jobs at Personify may not live within driving distance to our offices in Austin, Washington-Baltimore, Atlanta or Toronto. The day that we solidified our remote-first policy and no longer limited our incredible team to a handful of zip codes, we grew into an employer that listens to hear, understands and values employee work-life integration.

What I’m about to share was likely surprising just three short, but also very long years ago. As the Chief People Officer, I have only met 25 colleagues in-person. Some days it still surprises me too. However, our team, the PersoniFam, continues to find inventive ways to build connections with each other and to create a welcoming, transparent culture through the screen. We rarely meet at the Keurig in the break room to chat, but we do send a colleague their favorite Starbuck’s drink every so often or a gift card on their birthday, because we can’t all go out to lunch.

Remote-first isn’t always an easy decision and may not be the best fit for every organization. One of the most important challenges to creating a remote-first culture is getting your leadership team on board. When discussing permanently allowing members of the PersoniFam to work from home, the decision was easy. If we could make our employees’ days and work lives that much easier, because working through a pandemic is not easy, we wanted to provide that support. No more commutes. Don’t worry about coming into the office when your little one is exposed or perhaps a family member is ill.

If your leadership team is on the fence about adopting an official remote-first policy, here are some questions that we asked ourselves that may help guide a similar conversation for your organization:

Do we primarily serve our clients or partners in-person?

Personify is a SaaS technology company, and our employees establish relationships and serve our partners primarily through a digital space. While our team has missed being able to consult and connect with clients in-person over the past two years, we’ve focused on providing rich digital experiences that make up for that lack of face-to-face interaction and have been able to provide more of these opportunities without the need for travel.

Do our company values and guiding principles support a Remote-first consideration?

Not just one but four of our company values directly impacted our decision to adopt and promote a remote-first culture. Transparency is fundamental to trust, teamwork and understanding. Our commitment to equity means that we value fairness and strive for diversity and inclusion. Equity guided the decision to not ask specific groups to work in the office, while others could work from home. Simplicity means that we work harder to make things easier for our clients and our employees. Lastly, we practice accountability by saying what we do and doing what we say, both internally and externally. Transparency, equity, simplicity and accountability were the guiding principles that we referenced to formalize our commitment to a remote-first culture.

If our organization can’t truly adopt a remote-first culture, is remote-friendly an option? Wait, but what’s the difference?

A remote-first culture is one that supports employees working from home as often or as little as they choose. A remote-first company also provides the technological and cultural resources to allow all remote employees to feel included.

A remote-friendly culture is one that supports employees working from home on occasion to allow for more flexibility to one’s schedule, but business and meetings are primarily conducted in an office setting.

If your organization shut down its office at any point during the COVID-19 pandemic and asked personnel to conduct business from home, logistically, there should not be obstacles that prohibit at least a remote-friendly culture.

How do our employees feel?

Gather honest feedback in one-on-one settings, exit interviews or by conducting a company-wide attitudinal survey. Employees want to feel heard. If attempting to survey, be careful not to create an unrealistic expectation. If you know it’s not a real option, don’t present it as such.

During our monthly company-wide meetings, we allow our employees to submit anonymous questions to be answered by our CEO and leadership team. A common question throughout early 2021 was ‘will we be required to return to the office?’ We knew the topic was important and top of mind for many. Therefore, as a leadership team, we decided to address the question well before our planned return to office date arrived, a date that never came, as we determined a remote-first culture was the best fit for our employees and our values.

How can we create an authentic, relatable culture when everyone is working remotely?

By using technology to your advantage! Explore a company-wide communication and collaboration software like Slack or an online community where employees can chat about work, share resources but even more importantly, their interests. Our company-wide Slack team has over 300 diverse channels for sharing ideas, hobbies and laughs! There is a space for everyone’s interests with channels for parents, pets, plants, new moms, LGBTQIA, cooking and anime. It’s all employee-led and employee-created. Allow your employees to create and build an authentic communication platform that works for them!

If you worry that your organization won’t be able to provide the same face-to-face support your clients once had, explore an online community. When in-person interactions aren’t possible or happen less frequently, online communities can help clients and employees stay engaged. We use our Client Community to provide connection, resources and a collaboration space for clients to interact with each other, as well as with staff.

Promote camera-on meetings for more genuine discussion. More authenticity is created when speaking with someone’s face, even if it’s through a computer screen. As a leader, camera-on meetings are helpful for gauging employee sentiment, attitudes, understanding, frustrations and tone.

Establish a Culture Team. Create and promote a Culture Team with volunteers from across your organization to help with ideas, morale, insights and to be incredible champions for building a culture that spans departments, locations and time zones – all through a digital space.

A remote-first culture is just one of the many benefits that we provide to create an incredible employee experience at Personify including unlimited PTO, company-wide wellness days, paid parental leave and more! If you want to be part of a company that promotes a remote-first culture and understands the importance of a healthy work-life integration now more than ever, we’re hiring for a number of roles. You can learn more and express your interest on our Careers page.

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