In part two of an interview with CasinoBeats, Didier Perez walks us through some of the company’s HR practices and how GAMING1 has navigated a range of challenges associated with building a solid workplace culture, especially since the pandemic. You can read part one of Didier’s interview here.
Five pillars
There are five key principles that shape GAMING1’s workplace culture, Perez began. The values – team spirit, integrity, passion, performance and pleasure – are what defines GAMING1’s company values.
For Perez, these values are something that he wants to showcase in every element of the company’s day-to-day operations.
He said: “I believe that these five values really identify us as a company and show what we stand for. Our office space is state-of-the-art and offers a dynamic, fun place where there’s lots of teamwork and collaboration going on.”
Creating a set of overarching values is no easy task. As Perez explained in part one, GAMING1 is a mix of different companies that have been brought under one brand umbrella. As you can imagine, this could have the potential to create some differences in opinion on how the company should operate.
Instead, Perez noted that this amalgamation of different ideas has led to a “really great environment that is inclusive for everyone”.
He added: “We don’t have a hierarchical structure here at GAMING1, which I believe promotes transparency and helps foster conversations across all the different teams and departments. For the size of the organisation, this is something I’m very proud of.”
Rather than adopting a traditional hierarchical structure, Perez told CasinoBeats that managers and heads of departments at GAMING1 are offered training which aims to empower employees and provide them with the tools to progress in their careers.
“What we are trying to do here at GAMING1 is training our managers to be flexible when delegating tasks. If you ask your team to carry out a task but do so in an overly prescriptive way, you run the risk of micromanaging which will ultimately end up frustrating your team. Everyone works differently – if the output is as expected, or even better, then why does it matter how they’ve done it.
“By encouraging our managers to trust the individuals within their team and giving them space to work, it actually improves productivity. This is also where creativity and innovation comes in.
“I believe that this approach will really help differentiate us from our competitors and will play a significant part in how we contribute to a better world. If we do things differently, we might not just be helping our employees but this might have a knock on effect on the wider community.”
Movin’ on up
In addition to management training, Perez explained that GAMING1 has chosen to adopt a principle of internal mobility – the idea that employees can progress through the company and pursue new interests.
As a HR strategy, internal mobility can have numerous benefits for employee retention. And for Perez, this is critical.
He said: “You have to be able to create that emotional connection with your workforce, and having those opportunities to progress is what builds loyalty.
“When people leave a company, it may be due to the lack of opportunity for progression, stagnation of pay, or because they have lost interest in what they are doing. So if you don’t provide the ability to progress internally, and even to pursue new roles in different departments, then we are going to lose individuals that are valuable to our organisation. Mobility is critical.”
At GAMING1, the company makes sure to advertise any positions internally to give its existing employees the opportunity to apply first. Should the applicant not be suitable for the position, they will receive extensive feedback.
This approach, Perez told CasinoBeats, has proven to be successful so far with more than 40 employees progressing on to new roles within the organisation. This is also reflected in the management structure, with 42% of managers coming from operational roles.
Perez continued: “When we have someone progress into a management role, we offer extensive training to ensure they are suited to the new position. Just because you are good at a role doesn’t always mean that you will be a great manager – it is difficult to be able to transfer that knowledge to a wider team. We want our employees to be successful so we offer this training to help them progress.
“During the recruitment process, something that is very important to us is to ensure that our roles are not overly prescriptive. We don’t want to exclude people who perhaps might have transferable skills.
“We also make sure that when advertising a role, we don’t make it gender rigid. There have been studies done where women may be hesitant to apply for a role if they feel like they don’t fill 100 per cent of the criteria – but by having the right job descriptions and keeping them open, we can encourage more women to apply for our roles.”
In recent years, GAMING1 has also prioritised its relationships with local universities and technical colleges. You might be wondering why, but for Perez, working with educational institutions is a critical part of recruitment.
He told CasinoBeats that these types of relationships can give companies, particularly those involved in the technology space, the opportunity to interact with talented students who may go on to pursue careers in the gambling industry.
“You also want to make sure that the best students at these educational institutions know the name of your company so that when they are looking for future employment, that engagement is already there.
“We have initiatives with various different universities, not just the University of Liège. This isn’t organised through GAMING1, but instead is done through the holding company The Ardent Group. The group has been supporting and fostering these types of relationships for many years now and will continue to do so for many years to come.”
Cultural shift
One of the biggest challenges that many companies face in 2023 is the curation of a solid workplace culture. This has been particularly apparent since the global pandemic, which has had a considerable impact on working practices.
As we all know, much of the world had to make a very rapid transition to working from home. And in many cases, remote or hybrid work has become the new normal. But what does this shift in working dynamics mean for the development of a workplace community?
For Perez, the shift to remote and hybrid working has actually had many advantages. “Since the pandemic, everything has changed and that separation between work and private life has become so blurred. With that in mind, we do need to be flexible with working arrangements – as long as you get your work done, we should have that degree of flexibility,” he continued.
“Technology has helped us advance in a way that works for everyone. It has helped us navigate what has been a very abrupt change because that shift to remote working really took us all by surprise. If you weigh the pros and cons, the big positive is that work-life balance is considerably better.
“It allows us to focus more on productivity and results rather than the number of hours you spend in the office. There is much more value placed on the output rather than simply focusing on the input.”
This isn’t to say that there aren’t advantages to office-based working, Perez added. For the CHRO, having a centralised office for employees is important for collaboration, ideation and creativity.
At a time when many people are used to working from home, Perez suggested that employers need to make the office an attractive place to work – and that working arrangements must be flexible should you wish for your employees to stick around.
Perez continued: “We, as human beings, are very emotional. We need that contact. It isn’t just about how long you spend sitting at your desk though – a lot can be achieved through those conversations whilst making a coffee, or the chats you might have in the cafeteria.
“But when you work from home, a lot of those moments are lost. The challenge we face is how we can create communities using the tools available to us, whether it’s Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Outlook 365, whatever that might be.
“At GAMING1, what we are working on is creating a workplace that is as attractive as possible. We want to create an office space that fosters that sense of community and collaboration.”
Some of the ways that GAMING1 creates a more attractive workplace is by providing food and refreshments for all staff, regular group lunches, break-out areas where people can socialise and even a laundry service. To top that off, the office also features a brewery for after-work drinks. (Take note, SBC!)
“On a Friday afternoon at the end of the day, we all try to get together to enjoy a few beers – we used to meet at 4:30PM but that time is gradually creeping earlier and earlier! But what it means is people come in and mingle with one another. More and more people are coming in on a Friday now,” the CHRO added.
Diverse by default
One topic that has dominated the conversations at industry conferences in recent years is the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. DEI for short.
Creating a workplace that promotes diversity sounds very easy on paper, but in practice, it can sometimes prove to be more challenging. How do you create a diverse workplace that is inclusive to everyone?
For Perez, it’s inclusion that is the most important pillar for any workplace. He explained: “I prefer to talk about inclusion, because when you have an inclusive workforce, you are diverse by default.
“Many people seem to take the word ‘diversity’ to mean gender balance, but it is so much more than that. You can measure diversity in terms of religious beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, age, ableism, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic background.
“There are so many factors. But the real diversity here is the diversity of thought. It is true that if you are part of a minority, you are often forced to think differently because society is often dictated by the majority view.
“Having diversity targets can be a very good thing, but there is so much more to it than that. I think that there is plenty beneath the surface that is important to capture. We train everyone at GAMING1 to be inclusive.”
This focus on inclusion is evident throughout the structure of GAMING1, with the company home to more than 16 different nationalities. Approximately 30 per cent of its employees and 24 per cent of management are women – somewhat higher than the industry average.
It all comes back to that non-hierarchical structure that we mentioned at the beginning. By operating with a more ‘flat’ structure, Perez believes that it is much easier to create a more inclusive workforce.
He concluded “This diversity transcends the different departments and positions within the company, from the C-suite to the new employees. I think that because we don’t have a hierarchy really helps this too – everyone is able to engage in discussions around diversity and inclusion. Dare I say this attitude is a part of our DNA.
“I’ve been at GAMING1 for over six months now and it has been a very refreshing change. I have absolutely loved working for this company; I have made many new friends and am constantly learning something new. But there is room to improve the industry.
“People sometimes assume that because this is the gaming industry, we don’t care about other people, or that it’s simply a way of profiting off people. But what we are providing is entertainment and, more importantly, a safe way to enjoy gambling.
“We are an organisation that wants to raise the standards and enact change. I feel very proud to be working in the gaming industry because I am helping make the industry a better place.”
You can read part one of the interview HERE
