One of the biggest contributors to Adage’s success is our commitment to continuous improvement. We don’t simply rest on what we know, we actively pursue opportunities to grow and develop as individuals and as a company. This commitment is demonstrated in our core value of ‘Adapt and Evolve.’ In the following piece, we will share what ‘Adapt and Evolve’ means to us, and the various resources and tools we provide to our employees so they can continue their learning.
Diving into ‘Adapt and Evolve’
At Adage, we’re always learning, we take on challenges and we push ourselves to do better each time. This learning culture allows us to stay current with the ever-changing world of technology. As new industry trends or technologies emerge, we provide a handful of opportunities for learning because we realize there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach with growing people’s knowledge.
“It’s important to us to support our employees with the tools and resources they need to learn and grow throughout their careers,” said Victoria Sullivan, our Talent Operations Manager. “We understand that people have different goals and learn in different ways, so we aim to provide a variety of materials and different mediums to help our teams get what they need to succeed, whether they want to take a tutorial on the latest JavaScript framework, micro-learning videos to brush up on soft skills, or a deep dive into new subject matter.”
Let’s take a look at how we implement ‘Adapt and Evolve’ into our culture through accessible learning opportunities and comprehensive professional resources:
Online Learning Platforms
There are endless resources online to learn and find information. Adage provides access to several different platforms for our employees. Our employees can dive into Pluralsight, Safari books, Coursera, and recently LinkedIn Learning courses whenever to learn directly from the world’s top subject matter experts. Victoria Sullivan noted, “we recently added LinkedIn Learning for our employees because the breadth and depth of subject matters offered in a convenient, easy-to-find format. In our first few months employees have already watched over 2200 videos.”
Lunch and Learns
We don’t always need to look externally for subject matter experts (SMEs). We have a number of SMEs with different specialties who actively share their knowledge across our organization. One important benefit to being in a collaborative culture is we are able to teach and learn from each other. We regularly host Lunch and Learns as an informal yet interactive learning opportunity for all employees, no matter their department. Hosted by one or a group of SMEs, these presentations focus on emerging trends or relevant topics that are beneficial across the organization. In the past, we have hosted Lunch and Learns on Best Practices with Security, Quality Assurance, and Front End Development with Fractal Pattern Library Builder to name a few.
Certifications
Certifications are an important way for our employees to grow and display their expertise. Since there is extra time and commitment required for achieving certifications, we make the process smoother and easier for our employees by covering the cost of testing or materials, and offering group study sessions to those taking the same exams.
- As a Microsoft Partner, our employees hold several Microsoft certifications including: Microsoft Azure Administrator, Microsoft Technology Associate, and Microsoft Solution Develop: App Builder.
- Similarly for our Episerver partnership several employees are Episerver Certified Developers for CMS and Episerver Commerce Certified Developers.
- Our employees also hold certifications for:
- Google Analytics Advanced
- Certified Scrum Master
- Professional Scrum Master
- Marketo Certified Expert
- Professional in Human Resources
- Umbraco Certified Developer
- Fundamental Payroll Certification
- Predictive Index Practitioner
Conferences and Seminars
There are great benefits to immersive training, like attending a conference or seminar outside of our organization. We support and help send employees to conferences or training sessions that are related to their career growth. Attendance is driven by managers and employees, but we also hold a raffle each quarter where the winners are sent to a conference of their choice. What our employees learn is then brought back to the office, typically shared through public blog posts, Lunch and Learns, or included in documentation! Our employees have been to: Episerver Ascend, An Event Apart, TLCC, Smashing Magazine Conference, Agile Day, and Umbraco Training.
Book Clubs
There are so many books on professional development these days. We have made reading those books a more interactive experience with our Book Clubs. Each year, the books are recommended and chosen by employees, who then meet bi-weekly to discuss the material. The books can be on any topic as long as they are focused on professional growth. Our past choices have been: No Hard Feelings, Don’t Make Me Think and Triggers, and we’re currently reading How to be an Antiracist by Ibram Kendi.
Guru Groups
Our Guru Groups have become great options for employees interested in learning more complex topics as a group. Recently, we have held Guru Groups on Umbraco and Progressive Web Apps. The format for these meetings happens on a weekly basis, after work hours and typically lasts about 1 to 2 months. As you can see, we really try to dive deep into these subjects!
Lasting Impact of ‘Adapt and Evolve’
Adage’s commitment to staying up to date with the latest advancements is crucial to the work we do. When our employees are dedicated to expanding their knowledge, we can improve our solutions for clients and collaborate as a team to create bolder, more modern websites. As our business continues to grow, we will remain grounded by the fact that there will always be something new to learn.
Interested in a career at Adage? Check out our Careers Page.
