Opportunity

Despite Forrester’s strong culture and passionate workforce, the company had limited insight into what was driving employee engagement. Chief People Officer Sherri Kottmann used Glint to better measure the full scope of the employee experience, providing her team with a more immediate and precise level of understanding. The team discovered hidden barriers to engagement, one of which was employees’ disappointment with the company’s parental leave policy in the US. What had been anecdotal evidence became quantifiable feedback.

Action

Based on the Glint survey and bolstered by new market data, Sherri made a stronger case to enhance the company’s parental leave policy. The survey also revealed issues around the leave experience – before, during, and after the arrival of a child. In collaboration with a group of employees, Sherri’s team journey-mapped the parental leave experience and discovered pockets of confusion and guilt among employees going on leave, colleagues covering for a leave, and managers administering leave. The team then involved employees in developing structured guidance for the future.

Outcome

The company enhanced its leave policy with more time off and better pay, and standardized what a good parental leave experience looks like. Employees felt heard, involved, and proud to work for a company that cared for people at a personal and emotional milestone. Forrester aspires to replicate the approach – sharing ownership of both data and solutions with employees – to improve other employee experiences.