We often read about how companies hire employees to fit into their company culture. But today, let’s flip that perspective and learn more about what employees value in a corporate culture. Hear from Christie Lin, Customer Success Coordinator based in Toronto, about her and her teammates' experiences with becoming a part of the EcoVadis culture and helping it continue to evolve.
For so many people, the values, culture and atmosphere of their workplace can greatly influence how happy they are with their job. Do they believe in their company’s mission? Do they like what they do? Do they feel appreciated and respected by their peers? And, if none of these questions can be answered with a confident “yes,” is it worth staying at that job? These are the questions that more and more employees have been asking themselves in recent years and especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
As someone entering the workforce for the first time, I have been very lucky to find myself working at a company like EcoVadis. I was able to join a company that not only prioritizes sustainability but also the well-being of its employees, both of which were characteristics I strongly desired for my first job. I do find myself wondering though: What is it like to work somewhere where people don’t share the same values as me? To get an idea, I turned to other members of the EcoVadis team who have gained this perspective over their careers.
Speaking to Jasmine Frendo, Sustainability Ratings Team Leader, she said that she, too, was grateful for Ecovadis’ employee-focused culture. “EcoVadis was able to meet key elements of what I was looking for in a workplace that other jobs could not. Looking back now, past jobs were isolating, had little workplace energy at times, and had male-dominated hierarchical structures, which made it hard for me to see a clear career path within the job.” She continues, “From my first day at EcoVadis, however, I felt supported and welcomed in such a genuine way. With the constant support of different business units, management and HR, I can see myself staying with EcoVadis for a long time.”
This kind of sentiment was not unique to Jasmine. Other members of the company have also remarked on how empowering it has been to work with a supportive and engaged team. “It is energizing to work alongside passionate, like-minded and talented people who are all working on what I believe is the most important issue for humanity to address: sustainability,” explains Sally Rochford, Account Manager.
Even newer members of the team feel similarly. Fran Pistoia, a Customer Success Coordinator who joined in January, states: "I decided to switch industries so that I could have my personal and professional values aligned. EcoVadis lets me do that and encourages me to be my true self every day at work, which makes me feel confident and empowered to not only positively impact colleagues and clients but also drive change in the world we all live in."
It is thanks to factors like these, as well as the company’s constant efforts to promote diversity, career mobility, and remote working flexibility, that EcoVadis was recognized as a Great Place to Work by Great Places to Work Canada last year. Just a few months later, EcoVadis also made the Best Workplaces for Women 2022 list.
As for people who may have had come from a field outside of sustainability or who came across EcoVadis by chance, what did they think of the company when they first joined? What kind of impact has working here had on them?
For Beata Borowska, People Experience Expert, finding a role at EcoVadis was an unexpected but welcome surprise. “When I was looking for a job in 2016, I was targeting tech companies in general, searching for one that would be innovative and impactful. While scrolling through job ads, I ended up coming across EcoVadis and decided I really wanted to interview with them after learning about the company’s mission. Long story short, I got the job and realized my gut feeling was right as soon as I met the EcoVadis team in the Warsaw office. I continue to learn loads from EcoVadis sustainability experts every day, which, apart from broadening my knowledge, has also changed many of my lifestyle choices.”
Francisco Ruiz Sanchez, Customer Onboarding Manager, had a similar story. “For me, it was important to have a job with an underlying purpose, to work somewhere where using my skills not only made me feel fulfilled as a professional but also enabled me to have a good impact on society. When I made the switch from a five-year career in finance to sustainability, I knew EcoVadis would be the perfect place to learn from the best professionals in the industry and collaborate on building the success story that we are seeing the company become today.”
In fact, it seems that many view working at EcoVadis as an excellent opportunity for growth and learning, as Alexis Huang Cheng, one of our newer IT Associates, has also been able to learn about sustainability during his time here. "I have learned that sustainability is a very important aspect not only for large companies but also for small-sized and medium-sized businesses,” he says. “Sustainability is a key factor that now influences every business decision for many businesses around the world."
So, did I make the right choice in deciding to work at EcoVadis? Absolutely! Does it seem like a lot of other EcoVadians feel the same way? Undeniably. EcoVadis has made it a point to not only be a sustainability and ethics-focused company for our customers, but also a progressive company and workplace that treats its employees with respect. Whether it be a site for growth opportunities, a place for aligning values or just a company that ensures that everyone feels appreciated, working here has made it clear that EcoVadis strives to give its employees more than just a job.
Find out more about life at EcoVadis and how the company supports its employees. Visit www.ecovadis.com/careers and www.linkedin.com/showcase/life-at-ecovadis.
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