By Becky Cantieri, Chief People Officer, Momentive
My time at SurveyMonkey spans a decade. When I look back on the experience, I’m endlessly impressed by the resilience of this team and what we’ve built together. Today, I’m thrilled to be a part of the company’s relaunch as Momentive (momentive.ai), an agile experience management company that puts humans at the center of everything we do.
I’m sure you have questions. Beginning with: it was a rough year, so why such a drastic change? Believe it or not, the decision didn’t happen with the flip of a switch. It came after two years of extensive research, and you guessed it: feedback. You can learn more about the rebrand in the latest from our CMO Leela Srinivasan.
As we open the new chapter of our story, I want to tell you what’s changing and what’s not and some lessons we’ve learned along the way.
Company culture is built, not handed out
It goes without saying that I’m incredibly proud of our mission to power the curious, which empowers us to shape what’s next. Internally, this comes down to eagerly gathering feedback from our employees. Across our organization, this means an extra level of detail and attention with our customers and every stakeholder we serve.
One year ago we were all confronted with the abrupt challenge of the coronavirus pandemic. I recall sending the first company-wide email and using the phrase: we are definitely in unfamiliar territory. Despite a hectic year, we listened, we acted, and we charted the path for future success. Given the products we offer to the market, the listening component should come as no surprise. While the name of the company is changing to Momentive, our company culture is decidedly not. Our vision and values are the same and curiosity is still at our core.
During a recent company-wide survey, we asked employees for their thoughts on what it’s like to work at SurveyMonkey. As it turns out, 93% of our 1,500+ employees are proud to work here. That sentiment moves beyond the name. Our employees are proud because they are doing meaningful work, showing up for each other, and bringing their authentic selves to the ‘office’ every day. Everything our employees love about working at this company will remain a part of our DNA.
As one person said in the survey: “We are really, really lucky.”
Through the survey, we shared stories about loving our colleagues, learning and growing in our career, and feeling supported through life’s challenges: a seamless return from parental leave, manager support after a devastating loss, team support through immigration struggles, and a standing ovation after a first day back after battling cancer. These moments are what make us look forward to coming to work every day. None of this is changing and our work together as Momentive will cement this spirit for years to come.
We power the brave and ambitious who make change happen now.
momentiveWhat’s next? We’re reimagining work
In 2020, we proved that we can adapt, work, and collaborate differently than we ever have before and deliver some of our best work as a team. We also learned that delivering our best work isn’t tied to our offices. It’s about clarity of mission, collaboration with colleagues, more equitable experiences, productive time to work, the grace to balance commitments, and taking care of one another. We’ve also learned one size does not fit all, and hybrid work is not without its challenges. Our path forward will involve investing in new tools and technology, rethinking meetings, preserving time for productive work, and prioritizing equitable experiences for our colleagues around the world.
With in-person interaction and social activity thankfully returning in many parts of the world, we’ve engaged the entire team on our Reimagine Work project. This evolved out of our series of COVID-19 leadership check-ins, which helped us understand the unique challenges of our global team throughout the pandemic period. Early results show that 81% of employees want to work from home at least 2 to 3 times per week. 84% feel having a choice in where they work positively impacts their work experience.
As we contemplate a return to our offices beginning in September of 2021, we're building a flexible work environment where employees can choose what works best for them. We’re calling it “Choice.” Choice, or a hybrid model of work, is the future of work. It leverages everything we’ve learned about remote work, placing our employees in the center of decision-making. The future workplace is the workplace of each and every one of us. The health, safety, and ability of our teams to be productive will continue to be our top priority. We’ll do so as we remain invested in supporting the evolving needs of our business and thoughtfully building a long-term plan for the future of work.
After a year that kept throwing punches, I hope you and your teams remember to stay curious—ask for feedback. Now as Momentive, we’re thrilled to help you shape what’s next.
