When I first joined Coalmarch and learned about HUPPSA, I was impressed with how much importance Coalmarch puts on individual growth and the company culture. It is an incredible feeling to know that I work at a company where I’m valued as an employee and as a person. We take pride in our motto and try to live by its meaning each day, both in and out of work. We strive to be Helpful, Upstanding, Passionate, Positive, Smart, and Authentic each day.

One aspect of HUPPSA that I love is how we continue to improve upon ourselves and the company through personal and professional development. I have always considered myself a “lifelong learner” and I love that this philosophy is instilled in our culture. Working in an environment where each person feels supported and encouraged to grow is so rare. It makes our company stronger because we all have each other as a support system, and we’re all working towards common goals together. We know that improving ourselves both personally and professionally is going to help the company as a whole, as well as ourselves.

So how does Coalmarch implement this philosophy in its culture? There are a few ways!

Train Insane or Remain the Same 

This saying is usually only heard when talking about something fitness-related, but I think it applies here as well. Coalmarch makes sure new employees are given the tools they need to succeed right off the bat. New employees are given books to read, training and certifications to complete, and specific job-related goals to achieve within their 90-day introductory period. Right from the start, you are expected to take the initiative and grow professionally.

This level of professional development helped me feel comfortable and capable of diving right into the work while setting the expectation that I will also be spending time learning the valuable information I’ll need to succeed. There is a balance between being a sponge & absorbing knowledge, and getting hands-on experience doing actual work that allows you to apply what you’re learning.

Coalmarch also values its employees as individuals outside of the office. We want our employees to be passionate - inside and outside of the office - because we know that passion translates to great work. Having passionate employees is one reason why work-life balance is so important to us. We implemented a 38-hour work week, giving our employees a bit more time to spend with their families or do whatever it is they are passionate about. Our employees do some cool things outside of work - we have bike enthusiasts, painters, climbers, foodies, a dog trainer, and more in our office. We appreciate having a diverse, unique group of people to work with each day.

Team Work Makes the Dream Work

Here at Coalmarch, we also participate in company-wide training that allow us to grow as a whole. Our most recent experience of working together to improve the company happened during our switch to Scrum - a new project management style. We started out by reading the book “Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time” by Jeff Sutherland to learn more about this new way of working. Then, we slowly started implementing the workflow through our software development team, while we also had company-wide training to help everyone better understand the concepts and the process overall. 

Finally, we jumped right in and started “scrum-ing” with the entire office! It was pretty incredible to watch everyone work together and grow throughout this process, and it’s something that we’ll continue to do going forward. Moving to this new workflow perfectly aligned with our mindset of continuous improvement and growth, because that is the basis of Scrum!

Lastly, we also have department-wide professional development focused on specific job-related skills, where each group reads a book, gets a certification, or participates in training related to their skillsets. These, again, help us gain new skills, improve our current abilities, and help us work together within our department.

HUPPSA For Life

It may sound silly, but I think HUPPSA is truly part of who we are individually and as a whole. It’s part of our hiring process, which allows us to continue evolving our culture and team with these values in mind. Personal and professional development is just one part of how we practice HUPPSA in our daily lives, both in and out of the office. Even if our career directions change, this mentality will stay with us. Making time for personal and professional development allows us to become more well-rounded individuals and be the best that we can be.

Being HUPPSA means a lot to us, and we hope it shines through in our work, our interactions with clients, and in our personal lives as well.

How does your company empower its employees to grow personally and professionally? Are there ways you can show your employees how much you value them? However you choose to enhance your company culture, your employees will respect and appreciate working at a place that helps them grow and become the best version of themselves.