Why Teamleader employees can't stop smiling (a semi-scientific study)

We decided it was high time to do some research into this peculiar phenomenon. So we assembled an unsurpassed team of employee behaviour experts (okay, it was just our three colleagues at HR). Here’s what they found.

Our research team first conducted a so-called eNPS survey: a survey to measure employee satisfaction.

Simply put, it all boils down to one question, which we ask each employee: how likely is it that you would recommend Teamleader as a place to work? That explains why eNPS - which stands for employee Net Promotor Score - is also called the “happiness or loyalty index”.

Respondents are divided into three groups:

• Promoters: anyone who gives a score of 9 or 10. Promoters are proud to work at Teamleader and are most likely to actively recommend the organisation as a workplace.
• Passives: anyone who gives a score of 7 or 8. These employees are satisfied, but they don’t show it overtly.
• Detractors: anyone who gives a score of 1 to 6. These employees are more inclined to discredit the organisation.

To know how well the company scores in terms of employee satisfaction, you subtract the % of detractors from the % of promoters. The passives are left out of the calculation.

Generally, a score between 10 and 30 is considered good. A score of more than 30 is excellent with +80 or higher being best-in-class. Anything less than -10 is worrying (yes, a negative eNPS score is possible).

At Teamleader we are proud to say that today we have an eNPS score of 70!

We could have stopped our research here. We could have settled for this high eNPS score as an explanation for the everlasting smile of Teamleader employees. But we didn't. Why is the eNPS score so high in the first place? We decided to dig deeper into Teamleader employees' psyche to identify the underlying drivers of employee satisfaction.

The first driver of employee satisfaction (and, consequently, the constant smile) we identified was the Teamleader company culture.

We asked ourselves: what makes Teamleader unique as a place to work? Or put another way: what exactly makes Teamleader Teamleader? Of course, this is something only our colleagues can really explain. Only they know what working at Teamleader is really like. So we asked them that very question. These are just some of the responses we got:

Although not that simple to define, the unique Teamleader culture becomes most tangible at our bi-annual get-togethers with the entire company (or Fold-Ups as we like to call them). We celebrate our successes (we even have our very own employee awards). At the same time, we’re transparent about our mistakes and we draw lessons from them. We discuss exciting new projects and strategies, but we also take the time to get to know each other better on a personal level. Challenging and casual, now that’s typically Teamleader.

A second driver we singled out was employee experience. Just like any other employees, people at Teamleader value career opportunities, well-being, work environment, etc.

At Teamleader, we believe that positive employee experiences start with proper employee onboarding. We think this is a very important step to make new colleagues feel welcome and engaged. That’s why a lot of time and energy is invested in our ‘onboarding week’. On the one hand, we introduce newcomers to their immediate colleagues, but at the same time, we show them what keeps other departments busy. It’s a great way for them to ease into their new role, new team and new workplace.

After that, people who work at Teamleader very quickly experience that we are a fast-paced company with a mix of experience and young talent where personal development is encouraged, work-life balance is respected (gotta love flexible working hours) and honest feedback is valued. Employees are appreciated for their hard work, critical spirit and sense of initiative.

The third and last driver of employee satisfaction we distilled was benefits. In addition to some rather 'common' benefits (including meal vouchers, hospitalisation insurance, a phone subscription and a laptop), Teamleader employees are pampered with:

• In-house chefs who prepare lunch and dinner every day. And oh yes, lunch is free every Friday.
• Every Friday is Cava Friday. That’s right, a weekly after-work with drinks on the house!
• Perks: every employee has a very own perks budget, which can be used for personal work-related purchases (say hi to your noise-cancelling headphones), personal training (don’t mind attending that inspirational business conference) and team-building activities (what’s better than a virtual reality experience followed by a fancy three-course dinner?)
• Teamleader Movement Program: an opportunity to work out together with colleagues. A healthy mind in a healthy body, am I right?
• Very cool Teamleader-branded merchandising, like sweaters, t-shirts, sports jerseys, drinking bottles, keepcups, earplugs, socks, bow ties, mouth masks (Admittedly, we might have taken it a little too far.)

In truth, our research may have some minor flaws from a scientific point of view. Still, we can safely conclude that it’s the mix of these three drivers (culture, experiences and benefits) which explains why it’s impossible to wipe the smile off the face of a Teamleader employee. The Teamleader culture is, without a doubt, the strongest driver. Because, let’s face it, tons of extras alone won’t make your employees stay. And these days, practically every company calls itself ‘dynamic’.

And in all honesty, work life at an ambitious scale-up isn’t always peaches and cream. Ambition goes hand in hand with constant change, and dealing with change is not easy. So no, our employees are not really smiling the entire time (How creepy would that be?). It was just a manner of speaking, a healthy exaggeration. An eNPS score can go up to 100. With a score of 70, there’s still room for improvement (there always is). And when it comes to employee satisfaction, the sky's the limit.

We believe recurring eNPS surveys are a good way of monitoring employee satisfaction. We organise these surveys every six months and, each time, we aim to improve the result. And we believe we can do that by further strengthening that sense of togetherness and purpose. We will continue to build that unique Teamleader culture. A company culture with which all employees identify and which they are proud to promote. Until we reach that mythical 100 eNPS score.

Anyway, interested in joining us? Go check our vacancies.