Sandra Zeinlinger, Director of Group Employee Services at Greentube, talks to CasinoBeats about the supplier’s HR strategy. Zeinlinger touches on how Greentube ensures that its talent feels empowered through flexibility, a positive work culture and training programs, as well as how Greentube is aiming to be a best-in-class employer through its DEI initiatives.
CasinoBeats: What is Greentube’s strategy for attracting and retaining top industry talent?
Sandra Zeinlinger: Our company’s strategy for attracting and retaining top industry talent focuses on fostering a strong company culture. We invest in professional development through training programs, mentorship opportunities and internal promotions to support our employees’ growth. Additionally, we prioritise employee engagement through regular feedback and offer flexible work arrangements to promote work-life balance.
CB: What is the recipe for success when creating a company culture for not only a successful business performance, but one in which staff feel motivated and driven to work?
SZ: The key to creating an attractive company culture is to consider several crucial elements.
It begins with hiring the right people who not only have the necessary skills and experience but also align with the company’s values. A strong cultural fit ensures that employees are engaged and committed to the organisation’s goals.
Also, fostering open communication is essential. Creating channels for employees to share opinions, provide feedback, and participate in decision-making foster empowerment while identifying areas for improvement and innovation.
Investing in employee development and growth opportunities is vital as well. Providing structured, tailor-made training, leadership and mentorship programs, and clear career opportunities reflect a commitment to employees’ professional growth.
Promoting a work-life balance and supporting well-being initiatives contribute to motivated and healthy employees. Offering flexible work agreements and health measures impacts employee satisfaction and productivity significantly. Finally, celebrating successes, recognising achievements, and fostering belonging through team-building activities and employee events strengthen camaraderie and collaboration.
CB: Since the pandemic, there has been an ever-increasing focus on flexibility as individuals find new priorities and ways of working. What flexibilities does Greentube offer, and do you find being more flexible is not only good for morale but more commercially productive in the long-term?
SZ: At our company, flexibility is a cornerstone of our employee-centric approach to work. We understand that everyone has unique needs and responsibilities outside of their professional role. That’s why we offer a flexitime agreement, allowing employees to tailor their working hours within a set core time frame that aligns with both business needs and personal preferences. This flexibility extends beyond the traditional office setting, as we offer opportunities for employees to work from home and abroad in line with our company guidelines.
Understanding the significance of work-life balance, we offer part-time roles and various leave options, including maternity, paternity and educational leaves, tailored to individual circumstances. These measures do not only impact employee satisfaction but also contribute to overall productivity.
CB: How important is it for Greentube to provide training to staff to promote internally? Does this help to reinforce the company culture rather than hiring externally for most roles?
SZ: Training is an integral part of Greentube culture, and we are committed to ensuring that each employee has the tools to make the most of themselves. Our dedicated Group Learning and Development team ensures that we offer a wide range of training which is in line with the requirements of our employees and the business. We offer a training catalogue that is tailor-made for Greentube employees, created with trusted external training partners, and based on real-life examples and processes in the daily lives of our Greentube employees.
Besides this, starting this year, we will have a structured approach when it comes to the personal development plans of our people by directly connecting them with their yearly performance goals. Our leadership programs particularly support our employees as they progress through their careers, providing a range of sessions to improve their leadership skills, adapted for new managers, senior managers, and C-Level. This underlines our investment in our people and our commitment to their growth.
CB: Diversity is increasingly important for businesses globally as they seek expertise from all walks of life. What is Greentube’s DEI policy and how do you ensure that opportunities are given to diverse groups?
SZ: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are fundamental at Greentube, and we strive to foster these principles every day. Our goal is to cultivate an inclusive environment where everyone, regardless of their background, feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives and skills.
We have implemented several initiatives to ensure opportunities are accessible to everyone. Our recruitment process is designed to attract talents, providing unbiased job descriptions, diverse sourcing strategies, and inclusive interview practices. We also offer unconscious bias training for our managers to promote fair evaluations.
Furthermore, we are committed to supporting the career development and growth of all employees, regardless of their background. Our leadership development program is inclusive, and we support employees from diverse backgrounds to participate and grow within the organisation. Starting this year, we have included a permanent item in our learning catalogue – Practical Diversity and Unconscious Bias – to raise awareness and further educate our people about this topic.
Ultimately, we believe that a culture of inclusion fosters innovation, enhances decision-making, and contributes to our overall organisational success.
CB: Nothing is ever 100% perfect and things can always be improved so what processes and policies are you looking to improve on further for the rest of 2024 from an HR perspective?
SZ: Continuous improvement is ingrained in our DNA. We consistently review what’s working well and identify areas for improvement by maintaining an open communication with our employees, managers, and our C-Level executives to align with both business needs and employee satisfaction. Every year, we participate in the Great Place to Work certification process, which involves an employee survey and cultural audit. We evaluate the survey feedback closely with our managers and agree on improvement measures. This strategy has been successful, as our ranking among the top five best employers in Austria last year shows.
Furthermore, this year we’re focussing on our HR Reporting and KPI tracking processes. We’re also advancing our HR digitalisation efforts, including exploring the potential of AI in HR. From the Learning & Development side, we introduced the concept of a Learning Partner which resulted in creating unique development programs, promoting an internal learning culture, and further strengthening partnerships between HR and management. All our initiatives and approaches reflect our dedication to the satisfaction and retention of our employees, innovation and efficiency.