Your company’s values are your first impression. They’re important not just for your hiring process, but also for clients, partners, and visitors alike. This is what our team thought about when they got together to create and implement our own company values.
What really helped shape these values was having every team lead involved in the process, brainstorming what it means to be part of TransitScreen. Each person came prepared to discuss the two current employees who they thought best exemplified what’s great about working here, allowing them to have a productive discussion from the beginning. Here’s what they came up with!
Practice Empathy
Whether it’s an interaction with a coworker, vendor, or customer, we leave our egos at the door, consider the point of view, and how our actions will impact the other person.
Empathy isn’t just practiced on our Customer Success team. No company gets by without everyone doing their part, especially as a startup. That means it’s important to be cognizant of other people’s time and responsibilities. If the shoe were on the other foot, wouldn’t you want the same?
This also applies to how we approach product design and marketing; by really trying to understand who our customers are and how they think, we can better align our services to help solve real problems.
Embrace Failure
What we learn from mistakes outweighs any potential risks. Instead of following a rigid routine, we try new ideas and question existing processes.
Nothing’s ever perfect, right? Encouraging your employees to try new things is all part of working in a collaborative and innovative workspace. The flip side is that you’re not always going to have the perfect idea the first time around. Embracing that failure allows you to keep an open mind about what you learned along the way.
Instead of abandoning a project just because it didn’t work out, you can think about what went well and what changes can made immediately or down the road. As long as you learned something, it was worth trying.
Be Authentic
Bringing your true personality to the office is what will allow us all to continue to love coming to work. Be your real self — that is why you’re part of the team!
Your skillset isn’t the only thing that gets you a job. People hire people that they want to work with and vice versa. You get excited about a team or a new hire because you could both see yourselves working together and that means being exactly who you are (as as it it sounds, it’s true).
Everyone isn’t going to be each other’s best friends, but you can create an office where everyone feels accepted and excited to come to work. Doing this not only establishes a positive work environment where employees feel supported, but it also allows for a more creative and diverse workplace.
Stay Passionate
We are committed to our mission and passionate about what we do every day. We don’t have a clock-in, clock-out mentality — being a TransitScreen employee is part of who we are.
Surprisingly, salaries aren’t the main cause behind employee turnover — according to a Payscale study, it’s actually finding meaning in your work. At TransitScreen, there are multiple personalities under one roof, but we all have one thing in common: We’re passionate about our company goals. While we may listen to different music, enjoy different hobbies, and have different go-to drinks at company happy hours, we’re all here to change the way people look at transportation.
Employees who are passionate about their work or the company mission are going to put that effort into their day-to-day. Not only will you be able to foster high performers, but you’ll be helping your staff’s overall job satisfaction and retain existing employees.
Curiosity Counts
There is always more to learn, personally and professionally. Having a forward-thinking mindset is what keeps up growing as a company and as individuals.
Here’s the thing about a startup: You’re more or less figuring it out as you go. That means that if nobody’s asking questions, nobody’s learning! It’s good to question why something is being done a certain way to make sure no stone is left unturned.
Never assume someone’s already thought about something, so speak up about an idea you think might sound a little crazy. That’s exactly what makes our company work as well as it does.
Where our values really count
These values can be seen everyday at TransitScreen, because they were made with our employees’ work ethic and personalities in mind. Your team is your company’s lifeline, so it’s necessary to have them at the forefront of your values. Doing so will generate success not only among your company, but also on an individual level.
