83
84
SOUND TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE
SOUND TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE | Q&A
Q&A |
? Due to history and society, we are in an industry that has only recently become more representative of the mix of gender and race in our country. Since we started, we have seen a lot more females and people of colour coming out of universities, so the number is naturally rising. But that does not mean that we can just rely on nature to bring about the change that we want to see. We have specific focus groups and training that help us actively grow leaders amongst the underrepresented groups. Growing this from the bottom up is our strategy, rather than looking to bring in quotas. This is because so many of our leadership team started at the bottom of the company, and we want that path to be open to all. We have always been and always will be a meritocracy. As an aside, diversity is not just about box-ticking – an open communication forum and plenty of “ask-me- anything” sessions encourage different opinions and diverse views to be shared and considered. Diversity in thinking, progression and removing bias is the important thing here. What are you doing about diversity The standards that we set our leaders are exceptionally high. We are a service company, so good leadership impacts both customer and employee experience. We provide lots of coaching for leaders (see the training section) – much of senior leadership’s time is spent giving this coaching because we believe that leadership is a craft. Of course, we don’t get it right all the time across 200 leaders of varying skills and experience. But our culture doesn’t tolerate unkind people, especially in leadership. You may end up working with a leader who is still learning and perfecting their craft (which of us is not?) but the stakes are too high for us to tolerate a toxic leader in the business. ? I’ve worked with some poorly skilled managers, what makes yours different ? There is a very long answer to this, and you’d be better off asking this in the interview! That said, we view leadership as a craft. Our leaders are given the time to look after their people, manage the sentiment of customers and colleagues and pave the way for team success. We believe that being a leader in this business is one of the toughest but most rewarding roles out there. How will I be led and what would be expected of me when I lead
? We have an Employee Assistance Programme and a network of doctors and psychologists at your call, which we pay for. Mostly though, you will be working with people who care, and have a great support network for whatever you’re facing – whether it be personal, financial or anything else. We also ask outright in our twice-yearly employee experience surveys – and if we see people struggling, we will do our best to support them. We’ve also made effort to surface these discussions, so people feel more comfortable talking about them in one-on-ones and in catchups – with leaders who are trained and look out for early warning signs. Awareness is promoted, and so is action. This is always a work in progress, but the health of our community is important to us. What do you do to look after my well-being ? We do not promote overtime but rather focus on sustainability. If there is a ton of overtime on a project, it means we are managing it badly and will endeavour to fix the root cause. We keep an eye on all overtime logs but usually hear about burnout issues long before that via the grapevine. For individuals burning out, we encourage leave, rotations to other projects or even a temporary spell on our First Order team to re-invigorate. How is burnout managed ? Unlike many traditional consultancies, Entelect is run by technologists, not salespeople. We don’t believe in treating people as interchangeable resources or placing them into stagnant environments just to fill roles. Our focus is on building high-performing teams, growing individuals, and delivering meaningful solutions. Entelectuals are encouraged to influence decisions, contribute ideas, challenge thinking, and take ownership from early in their careers. How is Entelect different from other consultancies ? We've embraced AI across our software development lifecycle, and we're constantly exploring how it can sharpen the way we build, test and deliver. But every client's relationship with AI is different, shaped by their own risk appetite, regulations and ways of working. Rather than prescribing a single approach, we position ourselves as guides, sharing best practice and lessons learned, while our clients lead on how AI is applied within their domains and projects. What's your stance on AI
? Technology, experience, and skills-fit are the most important criteria when determining which project a person would be assigned to. However, we also look at several other factors, such as which projects need people, the location of the project (so as not to force anyone into overly lengthy commutes if it’s a hybrid project) and any desires that person may have. For example, someone may really want to work in a particular business domain, or on a specific technology. We will try to make that happen, although, of course, it is dependent on opportunities available at the time. Teams are structured around the type of project, length of project, skills requirements, and employee growth opportunities. This means that wherever possible, we will not only place the best mix of people together to deliver effectively on a project, but also ensure that the people bring a mix of expertise to the team. How am I chosen for a project ? We have fought hard against the notion that everyone must move into leadership positions to progress. There is no benefit for a person, Entelect or our customers if someone is “Peter Principled.” There is huge value in having extremely senior craftspeople who are highly productive, can mentor a few others technically and can ensure that the team do things well. So, there is no salary cap if you want to stay as a senior craftsperson, and in our world, there are always new technologies, domains, tools, and process to carry on learning. Do I need to become a manager to grow ? This will be communicated back to you on an ongoing basis, through monthly catchups with your Team Lead and via the review process. You’ll be working with nice people though, so the informal channels are just as important! If you’re really kicking ass and taking names, you will be rewarded via the salary increase process, taking on greater responsibilities (if you want them) and plenty of kudos and commendations from leadership and customers. How do I know I am doing a great job
? The company may be bigger nowadays, but our senior leadership puts more time than ever into getting to know every person individually. It takes a great deal of effort, but our philosophy will always be that every Entelectual has some sort of direct relationship with at least one senior leader in the business. If you don’t believe that it’s possible, ask around! From here, all the bases of a family feeling can be fostered. Along with the fact that each team functions like its own little tribe means that you’ll always feel like part of the smaller and the wider communities. How am I seen as an individual and not just a "resource" ? We have embraced the world of hybrid work, but we still encourage enough get-together opportunities to build culture and relationships with team members and customers. Of course, many of our teams are distributed across the country, so we have a strong set of remote work principles that guide us to ensure culture is maintained regardless of where you’re working from. We also promote flexitime, so that our people can skip traffic, duck out to pick up the kids or be at home to let the plumber in. If you keep to your commitments and don’t miss meetings (virtual or in-person), you’re given a lot of freedom! How do I control when and where I work ? No problem. Part of working for a company like Entelect means that you can switch to a new project. This is great for you, but also for the business. It means that our people are always growing, our teams must actively avoid creating key-person dependencies and any knowledge remains in the business when someone rotates rather than resigns. We don’t have much in the way of legacy tech, but the bottom line is that if the project doesn’t float your boat, you can change. A rotation may take a few months due to handovers and trying to find a new team that's a better fit, but the process is easy. What if the project I am on doesn't stimulate me anymore or I don't enjoy it
PRESS START
| THE LORE OF ENTELECT
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online