E-commerce software firm Fluent Commerce delivered a first-class employee experience to teams – who responded by consistently going above and beyond. Here’s how.

‘Fair Dinkum.’ This is the core value of Sydney-based Fluent Commerce – and it surges throughout the e-commerce software firm.

“We want folks to bring their whole self to work,” says Alex Pusenjak, Global VP, People & Culture at Fluent Commerce. “Fair dinkum ties amazingly into what we do – we want to be our most authentic selves, and respect and inspire each other to produce our best work.”

The results are strong. Among Fluent Commerce’s 180 employees, spread across nine countries, 96 per cent say they directly know how their job contributes to the overall success of the business. Ninety-four per cent declare they’re proud to work for the company, while 97 per cent say they know their job contributes to the overall success of the business.

These impressive metrics have been gleaned from biannual employee surveys, in which participation rates typically top 95 per cent – an impressive figure in and of itself. It shows the strength of Fluent Commerce’s engagement, says Pusenjak – and it’s backed up by its business results.

“We’re a people-first organisation, and we’re in the order management space in the e-commerce tech sector. So we need to be strong in our products and sales – and we’ve made the top two quadrants in both Forrester and Gartner reports. But without amazing people, and a first-class employee experience, that wouldn’t be possible – we need to look after our greatest asset to achieve our great work.”

It’s this philosophy that led to Fluent Commerce winning Best Employee Experience Strategy at the 2023 AHRI Awards.

Here’s how its people team did it.

Data, data, data

Each Fluent Commerce biannual employee survey comprises 37 consistent questions, delving into multifaceted aspects of the workplace. The people team assess metrics not only against the previous survey, but also also industry benchmarks through HR analytics platform Lattice.

But their evaluation framework extends beyond engagement scores. Onboarding surveys take place after 45 days to ascertain a new starter’s impression – Pusenjak says every employee reports receiving accurate information provision and welcoming experiences. There are also bimonthly focus groups and stay interviews, as well as feedback on company-wide events.

“We need to look after our greatest asset to achieve our great work.” – Alex Pusenjak, Global VP, People & Culture, Fluent Commerce

This exhaustive data collection provides Pusenjak with a deep, rich source of insights that can be turned into actions. Crucially, these are shared internally. 

“Some organisations may receive results and take them into a closed room – employees never hear anything back,” says Pusenjak. “Instead, we push engagement results back to our people: these are areas we’re doing well, others where we have room for improvement. We’ll introduce focus groups where appropriate, and put an action plan in place.”

This goes beyond confirming which parts of the business are opening at full-tilt, says Pusenjak – insights can go into the minutiae. 

“If we see that, say, learning and development is an area of growth, we don’t just admire that. We take a look at the ‘how’: is it because of micro-learning, our recent mentoring initiatives, employees’ professional memberships? We want to be able to explain the data we receive.” 

Designing the employee experience

One challenge for Fluent Commerce is a natural knock-on effect of being an agile, hybrid company in a literal sense: although its team can work in person, there are no mandated in-office days. Instead, many of its employees work remotely, from Melbourne to Paris, London to Los Angeles.

Besides some early-morning and late-night calls, Pusenjak says the biggest challenge for colleagues scattered across time zones is that some occasionally miss face-to-face interactions.

In lieu of in-person working, Fluent Commerce’s people team have designed initiatives that strengthen connections between a global workforce. For example, there are ‘Journey to the Summit’ induction sessions for new starters to access senior management. Monthly people newsletters feature the latest ‘Kudos winner,’ as chosen by colleagues. Popular ‘Crunch ‘N’ Learn’ lessons are provided as part of the company’s approach to continuous learning, which also includes AHRI programs, networking events and webinars.

Many of these employee initiatives have been designed through the employee data and feedback process, says Pusenjak. 

“If these were just rolled out without thought, purpose and validation, I have no doubt they’d fail. But with focus groups and survey feedback, we’re able to provide a more tailored employee experience.”

Fluent Commerce’s catchy phrases are also backed up by real values, says Pusenjak.

“We not only have a career model framework with regards to certain levels, positions and how to grow, but we have our values defined through that framework. Rather than dictate our values to teams, we invite them to bring their values to our working life: that means flexibility is more than two days a week working from home, it’s a mindset that allows our folks the opportunity to work from anywhere in the world for up to four weeks, and be trusted.”

These values include diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Fluent Commerce change champions have launched initiatives that include the DEIB Forum, which meets regularly to discuss how to enhance the employee experience through fostering inclusivity. The company has also been endorsed by WORK180, which promotes companies committed to the careers of women, winning two DEIB awards in the process.

Pusenjak says designing an award-winning employee experience has been enabled by Fluent Commerce’s leadership team, one that’s embraced innovation and progressiveness since he joined the team in 2021. Going forward, he believes more organisations need to have their people more front of mind.

“It’s not about squeezing the lemon harder to get more out of your people. Instead, it’s taking a leap of faith, and attempting something more ambitious in your offering to them. It’s about being a people architect: the designer and brains not only with regards to team structures, but also engagement initiatives – you have to be groundbreaking to make a difference.”

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