Since 2013, the United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Happiness as a way to recognise its importance in the lives of people. Every person, business and government is invited to join the celebration. To mark the occasion, Movingdots' leadership reveals how they promote happiness in the workplace.
Donato Genovese, co-CEO, strives to make sure that our values, which bind together the Movingdots brand and our corporate culture, are implemented. "One of the first things we did when rebranding Movingdots was to craft the most genuine values, which, along with our mission and vision, would define our company's positive impact on the world. Building those dynamics is undeniably no mean feat and it requires our leaders to embed them throughout the organisation. It is something that our partners, customers and suppliers recognise in our value proposition and that our employees take pride of".
Andras Kelemen, co-CEO, encourages an agile approach in teamwork. "Our product development processes are in line with the principles of agility. Our team of knowledgeable professionals is organised into several smaller teams containing cross-functional experts in all relevant topics and keeping a constant pace. Therefore, effective teamwork is critical to agile projects. A skilled, unified and entrusted team is a successful and happy team. And that includes our customers and shareholders".
Armando Boccardo, Head of Human Resources, is a domain expert, with over 15 years of experience that have lead him to one conviction. "An agile and open-minded HR model is the answer to many issues. Not only does it create levels of motivation in the company but it also brings to the fore ways to support business priorities and thus to boost progress on key initiatives through talent. I personally do the utmost to always be up to date in HR matters so that our colleagues can always find an answer to their questions". One of Armando's goals is to continuously add value to the customer experience. "Our colleagues are my internal clients. I always try to make sure I understand their needs and point of view. Moreover, I make sure that they are always able to reach me – at the quickest possible and most convenient time. Last but not the least, I think that it is extremely important to 'walk the walk' and be a role model for our team members".
Christoph Kappler, Chief Operating Officer, states: "I strongly believe one of the tasks of every leader has to be positively impacting happiness at work. And it starts with me making sure everybody has clarity about their role and the responsibilities within the entire organisation and across all functions. Clarity gives strength". Christoph believes that today's business environment calls for a new approach to leadership. "Communicating openly and directly, not only about business but also more casual topics of interest fosters a real, a close connection to everyone. This is important to me. As a leader, I put my 'ego' second and I enjoy the opportunity to share a personal anecdote with my colleagues. We often have a good laugh about it".
Andreas Oellien, Head of Operations & Application Management, states: “An essential basis for happiness is a healthy environment. At Movingdots, we try to promote the happiness of our colleagues by creating a pleasant and modern working atmosphere for all teams. For this purpose, we have, amongst other things, created a beautiful office where people feel at home. But, also in times of the pandemic and with distributed teams in different locations, we equally try to make working from home as comfortable as possible, by providing suitable services and infrastructure. In such a set-up, it is the duty of each team lead to ensure and promote space for casual conversations on a more social level too. This is enormously important to keep up the spirits under these circumstances”.
Dennis Wiemann, Head of Services & Integration, states: “Striving for compromise is a permanent requirement in our intercultural and distributed team across the globe. Fostering a culture in which people can speak up freely, listen to each other and give open and honest feedback is one of the keys to creating a happy and healthy working environment. Modern company culture means to meet each other in the middle, to value the work of others and to show respect. In our teams, we make sure to give the space that is needed to reflect on these topics, be it in team sessions, regular private conversations or spontaneously at any time if needed”.
Martin Webermann, Head of the App team, finds that his team consists exclusively of millennials of all ages. "One thing is clear, that knowledge of new technologies defines our culture. Whilst it empowers our lives, it also drives innovation in the workplace. With this in mind, we dedicate one slot per week to have a chat about the newest apps and technological trends. At Movingdots we use cutting-edge technology to enable safety and innovation in mobility. We are always happy to see how our enthusiasm results to award-winning solutions".
As we face a global pandemic together, we strive for finding positive ways to look after ourselves and each other. The timing couldn't be better. Now more than ever, we are in a position to finally be able to stop and consider the drivers of our happiness and of our sense of purpose. It might come as a surprise that a subject like 'happiness' is taught at Harvard Business School alongside accounting, finance, and other, more traditional MBA topics. However, there is a significant connection between overall life satisfaction and happiness at work. This is the area where companies can create social value, by improving employee happiness. In many ways, there is only one question any leader needs to ask: "How do I make my team members' lives easier?".
