For Simplus, the real ROI on hiring, retaining, and rewarding our valued employees isn’t limited to just filling job positions. While delivering successful project work and delighting our customers is core to our business objectives, the organization is also dedicated to its employees’ whole work experience. Included in this return, is the sharing of experiences that help our organization grow.

This view ranges from finding the right fit from a role perspective to developing skills that ensure job success within their present position or exploring new opportunities within the organization. This holistic approach not only fosters a healthy work environment, but it also demonstrates the partnership Simplus has with its employees.

The Learning & Development (L&D) Practice at Simplus was created to lead and champion the professional growth and development of the Simplus workforce to go beyond just the technical elements to include essential skills that elevate a consultant in this space. Our employees give 100 percent to their jobs, and their dedication reflects in our rapid growth over the past six years. In exchange, Simplus’ L&D practice partners across the organization to build a work culture that encourages constant learning and exposes employees to new opportunities and skills. Our strategy consists of three parts: It begins with a supportive culture, sustained through job satisfaction, then followed by skills-building. Here’s what this means. 

 

Build a supportive learning culture

“Happy to help” is a response you often hear throughout the virtual walls of the Simplus organization. Several times a day, someone will reach out to coworkers in need of assistance, and experts say that’s a good sign for the overall health of your workforce. 

“Positive, fully engaged employees are more willing to support fellow workers and to provide positive support and encouragement for group projects,” says Power Coach and corporate consultant Rhett Power. “And happy employees are more likely to ask for support if it is needed.” Fortunately, there is no shortage of talented people who are willing to jump on a call to offer their help and experience to someone in need. 

 

Measure job satisfaction

Many of our professionals are already committed to their own learning, but to know the company offers programs for learning new skills builds loyalty and increases employee satisfaction. 

“A satisfied employee is not just a retained employee but an ambassador for the brand, internally and externally,” says business writer Zarin Bathena. “She can help dispel the apprehensions of others and can defend the company in various fora. Happy employees are more loyal to the company and its objectives, they go the extra mile to achieve goals and take pride in their jobs, their teams and their achievements.”

Organizationally, we are opportunistic about when teams get together and inject learning opportunities into dedicated collaborative events and incorporate knowledge sharing into the business flow. This is all part of creating a learning culture that challenges engaged employees and ensures their efforts feel worthwhile. We have passionate instructors who travel to far parts of the world to collaborate on strategies for working with cultural differences as well as experts that develop and deliver curriculum on adjacent technologies like CLM. We also use process improvement initiatives as learning opportunities in key areas such as project management, business tool usage, and onboarding. 

Simplus knows the talent landscape is competitive, especially in the Salesforce ecosystem. We understand job contentment isn’t limited to a job position alone. Encouraging and celebrating learning and sharing is one way we drive job satisfaction. 

 

Develop skills

We often hear about the need to build job skills. But what does that look like in a work setting? At Simplus, in addition to ad hoc learning and teaching moments, we also have monthly Brown Bag sessions on technical and non-technical topics as well as Boot Camp Academies that allow for a more formal teaching/learning program. 

The academies especially exercise the give and take, with our SMEs sharing their experience and technical skills and cohort members soaking it all in with their own dedication and focus. This kind of learning and teaching is a part of our corporate fabric. It is woven into the culture and celebrated across our global organization. This behavior is encouraged through our values (Stewardship, Underdog Spirit, and Critical Thinking) and celebrated by the leadership. 

Those who are part of the Salesforce and Partner ecosystem know that certification achievement is essential at the individual and company level. At Simplus we reward those achievements as well as drive the notion that competency and the demonstration of knowledge and skill will set us apart and build that needed trust with our customers.

The learning and sharing that happens formally and informally across the global Simplus organization elevates our consultants to new levels of understanding and application. Senior people sharing their knowledge with emerging consultants as well as growing consultants offering new eyes to situations is the collaborative learning dynamic that is prevalent across the company. 

 

The investment in this practice area is a demonstration of the commitment Simplus has to its people. The vision of the L&D practice is “to empower the professionals throughout the Simplus workforce and enrich their expertise via the delivery of high-quality learning and development programs.” The beauty of this vision is that the culture itself is already in alignment and includes a workforce that is dedicated to protecting and expanding this powerful learning engine.