Everything at Hycom revolves around its people. Its more than 300 consultants, designers, and programmers use their skills and experience to develop innovative solutions for clients.

Lucyna Dziewa, consulting director at Hycom, confirms, “As a services company, our people are our greatest asset. Qualified programmers, for example, are in high demand in the labor market. Keeping hold of the talent we have is really important. Losing employees would not only be a big financial hit but also impact morale. We have to take good care of our people by providing a great working environment and supporting their health and well-being. To do that, we need to listen to our employees.�

Following the “Listen, Understand, Act� Approach

To better understand how its people feel and tap into their mood, Hycom was about to launch an employee listening program based on Â鶹ԭ´´ Qualtrics Employee Benefits Optimizer, Â鶹ԭ´´ Qualtrics Employee Engagement, and Â鶹ԭ´´ Qualtrics Employee Lifecycle when the COVID-19 pandemic hit – bringing with it a new work reality.

In response, Hycom incorporated surveys from the Qualtrics Remote Work Pulse solution into the employee listening program to check in with employees on a daily basis. The company went from developing its initial idea to implementing the first changes based on employee feedback in just five days.

“Qualtrics Remote Work Pulse enabled us to move extremely fast,� recalls Dziewa. “The survey results were eye-opening. They revealed several pain points of which we hadn’t previously been aware. Armed with these insights, we could take immediate action to resolve the issues.�

For example, the survey revealed that employees wanted COVID-19-related board communications to have a more personal tone and address their concerns about business disruption and job security.

“We changed the communications right away to be much more friendly and informal, and we set up a company-wide video chat session with the CEO each week,� says Dziewa. “In the results of our next survey, we saw that employee satisfaction with board communications increased to 96 percent almost immediately. It demonstrated the power of our ‘Listen, Understand, Act’ approach.�

Hycom also relaxed remote policies and introduced flexible schedules for employees with children based on employee feedback to relive pressure and reduce stress levels. As a result, 96 percent of employees agree that Hycom gives them the flexibility to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Embarking On an Exciting Journey

Looking ahead, Experience Management solutions from Â鶹ԭ´´ and Qualtrics will help Hycom determine which variables drive positive employee attitudes in key areas, such as job satisfaction and willingness to stay at Hycom. A better understanding of people’s emotions will make it easier for Hycom to pinpoint which issues really motivate its employees, what ideas they have, and how best to act on those issues.

“Employees love the surveys,� says Dziewa. “They’re very engaged and very interested to know what feedback we’ve received from their colleagues.�

Hycom is also working on developing a solid understanding of employees’ expectations and experiences and defining distinct employee “personas� to represent different personalities within its workforce as a base for improvement initiative road mapping. This will support the creation of targeted interactions with employees and more personalized people management.

Dziewa concludes, “We’re only just at the beginning of our journey with Experience Management solutions from Â鶹ԭ´´ and Qualtrics, but the solutions fit perfectly into our wider employee listening program. It’s only by taking employee feedback on board that we can build a better working environment and give our people the support they need to do their jobs well and be happy at work.â€�