LiveRamp’s Scott Howe, CEO; Eric Nelson, Head of Global Workplace Experience; Khambrel Ward, Head of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging; and Lauren Dillard, Chief Communications Officer, contributed to this post.
While it’s too soon to say that the pandemic is behind us, we at LiveRamp have been putting thought into what the future of work will look like for all our employees globally. To guide us in our future of work efforts, we’re following three design principles: 1) Start with your beliefs, 2) decide what you’re solving for, and 3) build—and rebuild— with a product management mindset.
The future is uncertain and we are still learning, but by planning with these design principles in mind, we think we have a real chance to become better connected and more effective at growing our team, platform, and customers’ success. Using this framework as guidance, we’re excited to share what we are envisioning work at LiveRamp will be like in the coming months.
What we believe
Our perspective on the future of work comes from three sources: our values, the perspectives of our employees (LiveRampers), and the nature of the work we do with our customers. Together, these data sets make it clear that we are in the middle of a genuine workplace renaissance. Our opportunity—as with many organizations’—is massive: a chance to redefine and uplevel purpose, productivity, and belonging at work.
What (and who) we’re solving for
As we designed our future of work model, we clearly identified two key stakeholders: our 1,200 LiveRamp employees worldwide and our customers who count on us to make data safe and easy to use effectively. We also took into account community and environmental considerations, outlined most recently in our inaugural ESG Report. Gathering feedback from a myriad of methods—surveys, interviews, focus groups, and more—helped us clearly identify the principles we’re solving for with our future of work effort:
- Flexibility. One of our core values at LiveRamp is “we empower people.” We want to give each LiveRamper every opportunity to excel—part of which is providing more choices on how, when, and where they work. The types and degree of flexibility are customized by each function’s leadership, based on input from their team and customers.
- Predictability. Having certain aspects that remain predictable balances out and makes flexibility even more powerful. For team members, that predictability is knowing how, when, and where teammates are working. Customers can rely on the predictability on how our solutions work, how well they work, and who they can be in touch with at LiveRamp.
- Belonging. Having a sense of belonging with your colleagues and your surroundings is fundamental to being your best self. As LiveRamp becomes more global with our teams and customer base, it’s important that everything we create—from employee onboarding materials to client-facing products—is accessible and exceptional for all stakeholders.
- Getting stuff done (GSD). We’re distilling what we’ve learned about how we work best—what we’re calling internally “GSD@”—to stay connected and sustain our effort over time. We want each LiveRamper to feel empowered to be their best, which requires all of us to be open to new working norms, tools, and practices. Managers at LiveRamp play an essential part in this effort by maintaining open lines of communication with their teams on goals, collaboration norms, and wellness, while empowering their people to share feedback and exercise their best judgment on the details.
What we’re building
To realize our future of work plan, we’re making substantial changes to our work norms, practices, and spaces. Taking into account feedback we’ve received from employees—from surveys and in group and 1-to-1 conversations, we’re making adjustments for where and how LiveRampers work.
Location
In many cases, our physical offices will evolve to be more focused on collaboration, ideation, and social gatherings. Most of our employees (90%!) have told us they still want to come into an office regularly, so our global offices will remain relatively the same, with the addition of several new sites, including our new location in Phoenix, Arizona. Based on survey data, most LiveRampers live within commuting distance of a LiveRamp office and come into the office between 2-3 days per week. Specific office presence norms are being set at the team level, and each team will have access to a space reserved specifically for them for an average of three days a week.
LiveRampers also have the opportunity to apply to be permanently remote. Many of the roles we’re hiring for are also available for remote work. Those who choose to work from home at least two days a week can take part in our Ramp Remote program—our home office equipment and ergonomics program—to ensure LiveRampers are productive and healthy in their home offices.
Collaboration
No matter where LiveRampers choose to work, we should still feel connected to our teams and have the knowledge and tools to get stuff done. Our GSD@ program aggregates our newly created tools and resources to empower employees in global and distributed teams to operate in a more flexible model than ever before. GSD@ ensures that employees are part of a connected team with the same experiences and interactions with their teams, whether they choose to go into a physical office or work remotely.
As we begin to implement changes for the future of work, we recognize that this transition is an agile process and are always looking for ways to learn and improve. Having an open line of communication is key, and LiveRampers should reach out to our People & Culture team with questions and ideas. Amidst the uncertainty, we believe that we’re on the cusp of a truly new way of working—one that is more impactful and inclusive than ever.
To learn more about careers at LiveRamp, either in one of our offices or in your home office, visit www.liveramp.com/careers.
Read more on LinkedIn Pulse on how we’re reimagining the future of work at LiveRamp.