It’s this kind of inclusive environment, where employees know the company has their interests at heart, that has made Sybase Inc. into one of the most decorated corporate employers. Last year, the information-management company won 18 awards, racking up titles like Best Employer, Employer of Choice, and Best Human Resources Practices. “Because of the strong sense of ethics and integrity that our company is known for, we have candidates who apply to jobs at Sybase because they want to work for a company that cares,” says Nita White-Ivy, Sybase’s vice president of worldwide human resources. “Our employees are engaged because they know the company’s position and believe in it.”
Sybase, which works with 40,000 companies globally (including 50 of the world’s largest banks), helps streamline mobile messaging and database systems and has 3,500 employees worldwide. White-Ivy joined the company in 1998, with 30 years of HR experience at technology companies. While ensuring the quality of Sybase’s HR practices in all of its different global locations is a challenge, she has spent the past decade focusing on standardizing procedures and policies, implementing process controls, and creating a central HR mission to ensure that each office is striving for the same quality, in terms of both employees’ quality of life and customer satisfaction.
In order to carry out the former, Sybase has created a series of checkpoints that ensure its employees are satisfied with their environment and that the procedures in place are as efficient as possible. In addition to an annual employee survey, Sybase conducts an HR management survey that generates a lot of feedback. These surveys in turn help improve Sybase’s policies. “The best part of working with Sybase is that I am empowered to make decisions,” says Mark Wilson, senior vice president of corporate and field marketing. “I can see the impact I am making on the business.”
On a day-to-day basis, Sybase employees enjoy competitive benefits, including generous health- and life-insurance plans. Employees also have full-time gym access and access to a subsidized child-care center in the corporate headquarters for infants through preschoolers, which allows employees to check in on their children during the day.
While Sybase helps to make sure its employees can manage a work-life balance, it also makes sure that everyone has the opportunity to harness their talents and grow professionally. Leadership and professional-training courses are available to all employees, including many online courses that let the staff tailor professional development options to their needs. White-Ivy says the company encourages its employees to explore all of their talents, and doesn’t let anyone stagnate. “We don’t put people in a box,” she says. “The more scope and breadth of experience they get, the better they will be as an asset to the company.”
It’s an effort that’s not lost on employees. Kathy Glubetich, the senior director of human resources at Sybase, says the company is “like a family,” adding, “I feel like my management cares about me as a person, in addition to my career development and professional growth.”
