Eclipsys Solutions encourages the progressive role of women in technology.Provided
Nearly two years ago, Nadra Al-Harthi gave an employment agency five pointers to help find the right fit for her next position. She likes to work independently, close to home with a close-knit group of people, and she wanted fair compensation and room for growth. Now she’s happily working as an accountant at Eclipsys Solutions Inc.
“It’s been an amazing journey from the start,” says Al-Harthi. “From the first interview, I was hopeful I would be hired. I’d found my people!”
Since 2009, Eclipsys has been working with more than 300 public and private sector organizations across North America to help clients optimize their investment in technology. Beginning with a focus on Oracle database and engineered systems, the company’s consulting practice now focuses primarily on moving their customers to the cloud.
“We are fortunate to be a small company that is stable and successful,” says Theresa Williams, vice-president, people and culture. “It starts with investing in our people.”
Williams says Eclipsys purposefully plans employee programs rather than reacting to situations as they come up. Having engaged and happy employees contributes to strong retention. Strong engagement and retention in turn creates high customer satisfaction.
“We are always asking how our teams are doing and what they need,” says Williams.
At this year’s annual strategy retreat, Eclipsys announced its newest employee program – unlimited vacation. Rather than getting a set number of paid vacation days per year, employees work out their vacation needs with their managers.
This year, Al-Harthi wants to visit family and, because it requires a 20-hour flight, she would like to take three weeks off in a row. “My manager said, ‘Let’s figure something out for you to go home.’”
Al-Harthi appreciates how Eclipsys accommodates and supports diverse cultures – from offering special programs to making sure a catered lunch takes everyone’s dietary needs into account. And rather than impose a strict schedule for statutory holidays, the company offers a holiday exchange program so employees can take time when they want it.
“In previous positions, I had to use vacation time to celebrate my holidays with family,” says Al-Harthi.
The company also supports and promotes women in technology. Now half of the executive team are women.
Williams describes Eclipsys as a learning organization where the culture encourages collaboration and support. Learning programs include regular Friday forums where the team presents on new technologies, or customer lessons learned, and more. The team also has frequent guest presentations, such as on wellness, emotional intelligence and goal setting.
The company supports attendance at seminars, workshops and other external events. A learning hub that promotes self-study, and formal learning such as technical certifications and exams are also key to the learning strategy.
“We incorporate time for development during the work day so employees don’t need to use personal time. This really sets us apart,” says Williams.
Eclipsys offers employees paid volunteer hours so they can contribute to the community, and this year it doubled the community sponsorship program to $10,000 per year. Employees make requests to this program to support causes such as children’s sports teams, creative arts and cultural events that support the community.
“It’s meaningful. People feel really good about doing good things for their community,” says Williams.
The company also takes time to celebrate, from town hall meetings where each senior manager reports on good news, to annual holiday parties and off-site strategy meetings.
“They go all out for us,” says Al-Harthi. “I feel valued. It makes me excited to come to work!”
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Advertising feature produced by Canada’s Top 100 Employers, a division of Mediacorp Canada Inc. The Globe and Mail’s editorial department was not involved.