2017 Dwellworks Annual Report

for aspiring leaders around the globe and have a library of online courses for self-paced personal development. These are utilized differently by associates, but it’s important to us that they are available in all locations. We have also facilitated many cross-functional training opportunities, with dozens of associates making lateral moves from one service line to another and from one office to another. “Due to a natural curiosity about each other, cross-training and the sharing of best practices and cultural perspectives is nurtured across the global organization,” said Elizabeth Clayton, HR Business Partner, EMEA and APAC. The Dwellworks Experience provided to our external customers, predicated on listening to client

need, is the same philosophy that we practice internally. This may be different from the global HR teams of other businesses, where it can be more common to focus on practices and globally consistent enforcement. In contrast, we strive for an inclusive environment where cultural nuances are respected. We know and apply local laws and follow local customs, aligning those with our overarching guidelines. Our HR team recognizes their value is not in policing associates but in identifying high-performance talent, providing that talent with tools to manage their success and cultivating a business culture of trust and sharing to keep associates engaged and performing at the highest levels.

How Culture Translates into Successful Employees

Building a Global Team

1 Understand talent practices: Thoroughly research employment law, customs and practices, and invest in identifying the best talent that fits your company’s global and local corporate culture. Your potential for success is infinitely greater when you have the right people. 2 Embrace differences: Engage local leaders when rolling out new policies and trust their guidance on anticipated employee acceptance of policy. To ensure valuable buy-in, recognize that sometimes the policy launch may be swift, and other times it may require a measured approach, or it may not be suitable at all. Maintaining a balance of what is universal and where you can allow for local flavor is key. 3 Solicit suggestions and act on feedback: Do not assume you know what all employees want. Listen to employee requests, learn what will make their environment more enjoyable and engaging, and then identify a few wins to put into action!

As a core part of the Dwellworks culture, associates are encouraged to interact with each other, with HR and with the leadership team. That interaction is fostered through community engagement at the local level by associate-led cross-functional committees. Committee initiatives focus around four specific categories: Wellness, Fun, Sustainability and Philanthropy. Our associates appreciate that Dwellworks empowers the committees to choose how they prefer to connect with their co-workers and their local community. The committees have proven to be an excellent way to unite “Dwellworkians” far and wide by upholding corporate initiatives with a local flair. Committee members give their time and talent; in exchange, they develop meaningful relationships across the company and gain both valuable leadership and business experiences apart from their current job function. As a bonus, Dwellworks is able to identify the diverse skills throughout our organization. We are proud of the creative ideas that are brought to life through meaningful community contributions by our enthusiastic committees.

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