Company Profile - Datamine Limited

Company name: Datamine Ltd

Contact person: Paul O'Connor
Role: Director
Employees: 19
Established: 1995

1. What business are you in?

Datamine is New Zealand's leading marketing analytics company. We specialise in the extraction and analysis of customer database information. Our customer base is made up of many of New Zealand and Australia's leading corporates, predominantly in the telecommunications, insurance and financial services industry sectors.

2. Please summarise your company culture as outlined in the your Corporate values (or similar)

Datamine works hard to maintain it's close-knit, performance culture. We have a strong oral culture and we ensure that all staff have the opportunity to participate in planning and decision making. We believe this provides a culture that promotes innovation, partnership, excellence and whanau. Ultimately, it's about enjoying both the journey and the destination.

3. Why has your company chosen to pursue this type of culture?

When I started Datamine in 1995 I wanted a company without managers per say, and general 'corporate' norms. I wanted it to be a company that focused on getting the work done and providing our clients with excellent results, while at the same time allowing individuals to take ownership of their own progress.

Obviously it's developed a lot from there. In the early days there were four of us and we only had a Managing Director because we were required to by law! In 1998 we reached our first 'glass ceiling'. At this point we had very few processes and little in the way of formal policies - everything was done as a team. Realising that as we grow we need to constantly adjust, the challenge is to recognise what is holding us back and move forward by changing the way we do things.

'Letting go' or delegating has been a big change for long term staff. With 19 of us we can no longer afford to have everyone involved in every decision as we once did. Having said that, everyone is welcome to be involved in brainstorming solutions to any issue they feel they can contribute to.

Given our size we now have quite a few processes, but we try to keep these simple and user-friendly so that they're followed. The idea is to make it easier to consistently produce excellent results. And where possible we automate processes to minimise the time spent on less interesting tasks.

4. How does your corporate culture show itself through:

- the physical surroundings/work environment?
We have a casual dress code and an environment that supports a balanced 'work hard / play hard' ethic. Our new offices, in the former Brasserie Flipp restaurant, have been designed to provide a spacious and comfortable work environment, including a pool table for social occasions or when you need a break.

- employee work structure/hours?
Our core hours are 8am - 5pm with a break for lunch. But one of our key values is flexibility. This means you may work more or less than 40 hours a week - the focus is on getting the work done to an excellent standard while maintaining a balance between your work and personal life. Health is important to us and many people here take part in sporting activity. To make people feel they can exercise during the day we have a 'health' timesheet code that can be used as needed - whether it's for a run, a long walk or meditation.

- the organisation and availability of training and development?
Both Datamine and the individual drive training and development. If anyone wants to talk about further training or their development then they can do this at any time but it is specifically discussed at each person's quarterly performance review. We have an active performance management process. As part of this the staff member sets their goals for the coming quarter, six months, one year and two years. A development plan is then created, or revised, and agreed to with their manager to ensure the staff member is able to achieve their goals. The idea is to let the employee to be as proactive around their direction and performance as possible. In practice, the extent to which the performance review process is used depends a lot on the person. Some people love driving and determining their own direction and Datamine is happy to give them the reigns to do so. On the other hand, others are happier with a more laid back approach. In this situation there is usually less preparation and more time spent during the review meeting to determine training and development requirements.

- employee perks and benefits?
Most benefits are built into individual salary packages, but there are a few untraditional benefits that we've developed for all staff. Some of these include:

• lunch each day
• fortnightly, subsidised massages on-site
• monthly team outings
• personal use of our company vehicle (a 4 wheel drive truck)
• a day off for your birthday
• and duvet days - to recognise that some days we just need "time out"

- employee involvement in planning and decision making?
Each year the whole company goes away for two days for the specific purposes of business planning and team building. This gets everyone involved and helps make sure that we're all heading in the same direction. We also highly value open communication. At any given time everyone has a pretty good idea of what's going on within Datamine. If someone wants to get involved in a particular decision that needs to be made this is readily accommodated.

5. Do you believe or is there evidence to suggest that your current corporate culture has impacted on your employee retention rate?

Yes, definitely, our culture is defined by our staff. It's not about what you say your culture and values are, its about the way things are done day-in-day-out. That's not to say we don't try to maintain and develop what we see as our ideal culture. If you've helped to build the company and its culture you're far more likely to want to remain a part of it.

Late last year we all sat down together for the day and nutted out what we wanted our vision, mission and values to be. We already had some but they were too formal and staff had trouble remembering them, let alone being inspired by them.

Getting everyone involved in the development of our vision, mission and values means there's a part of all of us in them and this increases our commitment to them.

Believing in what your company does, where you're headed, and how your going to get there makes people happier at work. It just makes sense that this has a positive impact on retention.

6. Does your culture influence the recruitment process significantly? If so, how?

Without a doubt. We actively try to recruit staff who share our values and want to work here because they believe in what Datamine does - not just for the 'perks' of the job.

First, we hold an initial interview. Then we get the candidate to complete a couple of formal assessments, and hold another interview if needed. Finally we invite them to meet the whole team over lunch. It is only then that we decide whether or not to hire them.

It can be a bit of a daunting process for potential employees, and it takes time and commitment from existing staff. But it helps us make sure that we hire people with the right skills and attitude, and that's vital to the long term success of Datamine.