Designing Work to Fit People with Julie Jeannotte, Officevibe

Employee engagement is at the core of what keeps people motivated, productive, and happy at work. But unlocking what keeps people engaged is easier said than done. That’s why Julie Jeannotte, senior researcher at Officevibe by GSoft, is on a journey to create a product that measures and responds to engagement. Using pulse surveys and curated conversation starters, Officevibe is measuring human nature with science and creating a space for real talk at all levels of the workplace. 

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Clarification: At 15:02, Julie says “60%” of Officevibe’s clients are enterprise companies. Officevibe actually serves 60 enterprise clients total. The vast majority of companies that use Officevibe are small or mid-size, with teams between 0 to 100 employees.  

Takeaways

  • In people ops, asking questions is what matters most. But how you ask will determine what you uncover.
  • When employees are more engaged, they’re more productive & innovative.
  • Recognition and sense of purpose are drivers of engagement that people ops products can harness.

Things To Listen For

  • [1:30] Introducing Julie Jeannotte and her experiences in HR and people ops 
  • [5:00] How product thinking and agility found its way into the HR industry
  • [7:00] The people ops mantra: finding ways to “put employees first” 
  • [7:30] Considering people ops as an approach vs. a business function
  • [8:00] Why people ops products need to introduce more than cosmetic changes, like fun title changes (“chief happiness officer”) 
  • [9:00] The original people ops definition from Laszlo Bock: helping employees be “productive, healthier, and happier” 
  • [10:30] How Officevibe shapes employee experiences through pulse surveys 
  • [11:00] How Officevibe’s parent company, GSoft, embraces a “fail, adapt, learn, build, and grow” philosophy
  • [12:00] Why Officevibe’s product features strive to build “cultures of feedback” 
  • [16:00] The science behind Officevibe’s pulse surveys, illustrated by a tree  
  • [19:30] Without good relationships, engagement efforts in product fall apart 
  • [26:30] Expectations in the employee-employer contract are changing