As the dreary funding winter continues to soar, at e27, we are kickstarting a new article series called: Line of Hire to understand an organisation’s culture and hiring philosophies to empower tech workers with the right growth tools and enable business owners to attract talent.

Zelia Leong is the Co-Founder of PraisePal. With a decade of experience in the tech industry, Leong also leads the team at PraisePal to help more companies align their culture and boost employee engagement across their global teams.

Her human resources and organisational design background contributes to the PraisePal solution of creating a long-term, scalable culture of recognition for organisations.

Before PraisePal, Leong co-founded the leading travel tech company Anywhr and was an executive at German venture builder Rocket Internet. 

She graduated with an MSc from the National University of Singapore and a BSc (Hons.) (1st class) from the University of Manchester.

Leong talks about her company’s culture and hiring philosophies in this candid interview.

What personality traits/qualities do you look for in potential employees?

We value team members with a growth mindset above all.

People whose definition of success ISN’T just “to not fail”. People who might not know what the finish line looks like in their lives or careers but who share the same values as we do to get there.

How do they fit into your company culture? Tell us a little more about your company culture.

At PraisePal, we offer a high level of flexibility to all employees regarding work arrangements, career growth, and providing the right support resources. This level of trust and freedom comes with the requirements of accountability, ownership, and responsible communication.

It’s challenging to work remotely and across time zones. With instant messaging tools such as Microsoft Teams or Slack, it can also be distracting to spam each other with messages while your teammate is trying to focus on something else.

Also Read: A tech worker should be all about improving customer experience: Kim Nguyen of Recruitery

Therefore, we are strict on how we use communication platforms and value clear written communication. Such as detailed workflows, guides, and updates.

How do you foster transparency and encourage achievement in the workplace?

We have a huge emphasis on clear, written communication. As much as possible, all discussions are in group channels so all parties stay updated and included. We also share our achievements and celebrate small daily wins and the bigger ones on the PraisePal platform. 

A culture of recognition is crucial for growing remote teams like ours –where no achievement is too small to be recognised, and no individual is too junior to be highlighted.

Beyond developing a culture of recognition using habits and the praisepal.com platform, we also have weekly all-hands meetings where we take turns to keep the team updated on our projects and progress and share ideas for discussion.

Do you have a mental health policy? What does that look like?

An individual’s mental health can be made worse by poor work environments. We do our best to minimise that with active communication between employees and their leaders, as well as maintaining flexible work arrangements and managing workload expectations.

WFH or WFO, or hybrid?

Work from home!

How should a tech worker prepare for the funding winter?

If you have financial responsibilities or need financial stability, it’s best to assess the company upfront and ensure your role will be essential in their upcoming business plans.

Also Read: Innovation, teamwork, open communication are valued in our culture: Farida Charania of Empauwer

In the recent tech layoffs across Southeast Asia, a bulk of the roles affected were those hired for future growth and expansion plans. Therefore they were one of the first to go during the recession when companies had to conserve resources and play it safe.

How do you measure the performance of your employees?

We look at both current work quality as well as their aptitude for growth.

Every single team member matters and creates an impact through their daily contributions. We need to ensure everyone in the company is growing because it’s the people that make up the business, and growth is essential for a healthy organisation.

Will you consider a moderately skilled person with great honesty or a highly skilled person with less honesty when hiring?

Honesty is always prioritised. The skill level depends on the role requirements.

Do you encourage ‘intrapreneurship’ in your organisation?

Yes.

How do you support upskilling for your employees?

The leadership team is clear on business outlook updates and shares constant insights on our plans and learning opportunities so that employees can understand that they are a valued part of the business and takes ownership of it. This also helps them think independently about the business and their roles and ask questions for their learning.

We also offer employees the opportunity to take courses, attend events, or be part of the local community of their career interests to expand their knowledge and learn from others.

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