Opportunity

When Amy Rossi was hired to lead the people function at cybersecurity firm Expel, she thought long and hard about what to name the department. “Human Resources” felt dated and stigmatized. It also didn’t capture the journey aspect of employment. Amy viewed her role as creating critical moments in that journey, so “Employee Experience” made more sense. Now three years old and growing fast, Expel is faced with scaling EX.

Action

Amy uses her own four M’s to guide growth: Managers can make or break work, so she built a learning-and-development function early on to start developing great managers the moment they join the company. Mantras help communicate what’s important. “We take care of our employees” is one that leadership takes to heart. They even support employees who decide to leave Expel, sometimes helping them find a role outside the company. Measurement helps Amy’s team track progress and spot problems. They periodically pulse employees via the company’s instant messaging platform and share the collective results with employees monthly. Machinery is about investing in the right tools, processes, and systems to support growth.

Outcome

Although in its infancy, Expel’s management program identified 12 manager habits that will be taught and reinforced over time. The company’s mantras have simplified internal messaging, helping turn employees into company ambassadors. The pulsing and quarterly measurement have helped the team spot areas that would have otherwise been overlooked, such as when Expel’s mission was getting lost amidst all the fast-paced communication and day-to-day work.