People first: UX&I recognized as a family-friendly employer
The Bertelsmann Foundation surveyed all UX&I employees as part of an audit on family-friendliness. A people-centered approach is not just a service, but a mindset throughout the entire company.
The “Family-Friendly Employer” seal of quality offers organizations an opportunity to have their employee-oriented and family-friendly HR policies reviewed and evaluated. At the heart of the assessment process is a survey of all employees, conducted through questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The process examines five areas: corporate and leadership culture, communication, work organization, support services, and strategy and sustainability.
A key evaluation criterion is that the organization fosters a culture based on good communication and trust, one that enables family-friendly measures. This also depends on a (collegial) leadership style that embeds these fundamental principles in day-to-day interactions.
At UX&I, one of the core values is a human-centered approach. “We didn’t want to start a traditional agency. From the very beginning, our goal was to build a consulting firm where people are at the center, that is, our clients, our employees, and their families,” says Tobias Schlei, Managing Director of UX&I. For the past year and a half, the entire team has been continuously working on a sociocratic organizational structure that lacks traditional hierarchies. UX&I’s circle-based organization thrives on participation and the fundamental principle of navigating tensions. Transparent principles also form the basis for collaboration and decision-making. Mutual respect is a top priority at UX&I. “Everyone takes responsibility for themselves, their work, and the team. After all, we all know best whether our vacation fits into the project schedule and where and how we can work most effectively,” says Nina Souris, Senior UX Lead. “We don’t do overtime here. And we also know that life doesn’t always go according to plan. Sometimes it’s better to work from home, and sometimes the kids have to come to the office with us. And it still works. Or maybe precisely because of that.” Support services at UX&I include, among other things, external coaching for problems and challenges at work and in personal life, psychological support during the COVID-19 pandemic, sabbaticals, supplemental occupational health insurance, company yoga, and flexible work hours that can be tailored to individual needs.
In collaboration with the Bertelsmann Foundation, measures were identified to make UX&I even more family-friendly. The company’s commitment to actively promoting work-life balance and a family-friendly corporate culture demonstrates how seriously it takes this issue.
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About UX&I
UX&I offers consulting, enablement, and implementation services in the field of user experience (UX). We focus on deep tech, enterprise software, and digital transformation. Our goal is to help people harness complex technology to serve users. In doing so, we bring together all relevant perspectives: human, business, and technology.
- Locations: Düsseldorf (Headquarters), Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt am Main, Munich
- Employees: 37
- Founded: 2014
- Clients: Ten of the fifteen largest German companies, among others, rely on our UX expertise
Contacts
Nina Souris
Senior UX mentor
Nina has been with UX&I from the very beginning and has been working as a UX consultant and information architect in digital product development for 20 years.
Tobias Schlei
Co-Founder
Tobias co-founded UX&I. He is dedicated to empowering people. His areas of focus also include organizational culture and structure.
