In conversation with Joanne McLaughlin, Esri Ireland
Esri Ireland was named best place to work at the 2024 Tech Excellence Awards. In this interview we speak with head of marketing Joanne McLaughlin about the company’s culture and the importance of making employees feel valued.
You won ‘best place to work’ at this year’s Tech Excellence Awards, why do you think you won the award?
We take an innovative approach to employee wellbeing and development. We offer a wide range of programmes and benefits, and we cater to all the different areas of employee health, personal, and professional growth. We are also committed to enhancing employee wellbeing, promoting inclusivity, and embedding sustainability practices into our organisational culture.
By prioritising employee wellbeing and inclusivity, we’re not only fostering a positive work environment, we are also driving organisational success and resilience. We have created a roadmap that is driving positive change and enhancing the overall employee experience at Esri Ireland.
What steps have you taken to create a culture where staff feel valued?
We continuously refine our initiatives based on employee feedback. Through regular employee meetings, internal updates, and Teams channel posts and town hall updates, we make sure our workforce remains connected, informed, and aligned with our company’s vision and values. We believe this creates a positive environment where employees feel empowered and motivated to perform at their best.
Promoting diversity and inclusion is another core element of our company strategy. We are proud to embrace a diverse workforce – 41% of which are female. And our workforce is made up of 16 different nationalities.
For our employees we provide up to 140 corporate social responsibility (CSR) days per year so that they can give back to causes that they personally support in their local communities.
For the last eight years we have been recognised by Great Place to Work’s best small workplace list. We were also named on the best workplaces for health & wellbeing list and best workplaces in tech for 2024. Those accolades, in addition to winning the Tech Excellence award, underscore our commitment to building a culture that’s centred around employee wellbeing.
How would you describe the culture in Esri Ireland?
Our culture is one where our people are seen, feel valued, and are recognised not only for the work that they do, but also for who they are.
That positive culture is built around making the company a great place to work, and maintaining that as a focus. To achieve this we have developed our Make it Count 2021-2025 business strategy. Our focus on employee wellbeing is central to this plan, and it’s underpinned by growth aspiration statements of building trust; doing right by each other; learning & growth; embracing belonging; living green & giving back, and making a difference.
This is an ongoing movement for us at Esri Ireland. We will continue to put our employee and customer experience at the heart of our business, and we will continue to develop and support each other to help create a positive and sustainable impact on our lives and on the lives of others.
What do you think are the most important areas to focus on when it comes to creating a place where people like to work?
Creating a great place to work means putting people at the core of your company strategy. Through a number of initiatives focused on key areas, we ensure employees feel valued, supported, and empowered at work. Our Make it Count 2021-2025 business strategy emphasises prioritising employee wellbeing, learning and growth, employee assistance programmes (EAP), wellness days, flexible working, team gatherings for social connection, career coaching, and a coaching culture to support distributed leadership across the business with access to accredited executive coaches, promotion opportunities, and celebratory away days.
From a practical side, we are a fully remote workforce in the Republic of Ireland, with an office in Northern Ireland, and all of our company cars are electric. This ethos prioritises flexible working and a ‘green mindset’ while reducing commuting stress for our workforce.
What strategies do you have for retaining staff?
We’re forward-thinking in holistic employee welfare. Employees actively contribute feedback through our great place to work annual trust survey, which goes towards shaping the company’s culture of wellbeing and inclusivity. This input informs leadership about employee suggestions, needs and concerns, driving action plans that benefit both employees and the business. We also encourage a supportive atmosphere where employees feel comfortable addressing challenges.
All employees who join Esri Ireland are assigned a career coach who offers mentorship and guidance to help them advance along their career path. We believe in a sustainable approach to developing and growing our business by sourcing local talent. For this reason, the company doesn’t offshore or nearshore any of its work outside of the country, which we think maximises our contribution to the Irish and Northern Irish economies and the local communities where our employees live and work.
How does winning this award aid staff recruitment, and also staff retention?
This award is underpinned by our most important asset – our people – and demonstrates to existing and prospective employees our commitment to making Esri Ireland a great place to work. This mindset is now firmly embedded in our culture: it’s a barometer for how we’re doing and a framework for how we continue to invest in our people and our business. A healthier, more engaged workforce leads to higher retention rates, increased productivity, and improved business outcomes.
What does it mean to the company to win the Tech Excellence award?
Winning this award is a demonstration to our employees that they represent the lifeblood of our organisation, and that we are attentive to their needs. It cements our continued commitment to workplace wellbeing, empowering employees with a great company culture, and ensuring diversity and inclusion remain at the core of our organisation.
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