Interest, pride, and contentment dominate the employee experiences regarding employer’s sustainability at digitalization expert company Gofore Plc. Scientific Empathy Analytics™ revealed that communications, sense of community, and caring for others were among the most meaningful aspects of sustainability among the employees.
Gofore’s employee experiences were explored in June in a study carried out by NayaDaya Inc. With the help of Empathy Analytics™, it was possible to take a ‘deep dive’ into employees’ experiences on especially the environmental, social, and governance aspects of sustainability.
The study revealed Gofore’s employees’ emotions as well as the root causes for the expressed emotions. It also predicted these experiences’ impacts on behavior, for example on employee engagement and turnover. The information was not gathered only for information’s sake; it is essential to pay attention to people’s experiences and viewpoints in sustainability and human resources related work, processes, and communications. The goal is to create more value to people, environment, and the business itself.
"The results show that we ought to continue with our “spirit of pulling together”, as one of our respondents put it. Togetherness, sharing, respect for each other, and taking care of people are the cornerstones of social responsibility which make Gofore’s employees a team that is engaged and where everyone feels supported," says Gofore’s Director of People Operations Sanna Hildén.
Communications is important – goals and strategy must be emphasized
Out of Gofore’s employees’ sustainability experiences, 70 percent were exclusively positive, ten percent contradictory, and four percent solely negative. No emotion toward sustainability was reported by 16 percent of the respondents; these responses can be interpreted as insignificance. Compared to various studies conducted in the past, the Emotion Impact® ratio of 70/100, predicting positive, engaged, and prosocial behavior, is very high.
Although the portion of negative experiences was small, criticism was also received.
"The role of communications was emphasized. Our communication regarding sustainability is mainly experienced as genuine and successful, however, some people see it merely following trends. This empathy study supports our decision making and targeting activities. Based on the results, we clearly must pay attention to setting more tangible goals as part of our sustainability strategy. It is also essential to create concrete possibilities and ways for the employees to participate in reaching the set goals," underlines Gofore’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kristiina Härkönen.
Sustainability is more than just meeting the requirements
Interest toward sustainability is extensive – yet many experiences are still relatively general in nature.
"Perceptions about Gofore’s sustainability and various ESG aspects still require more structure and information. Going forward, we can leave even more clearly, together with our customers, our own mark and impact of this work as pioneers of ethical digitalization. We have chosen that path and want to continuously improve,” comment Härkönen ja Hildén in unison.
"Fulfilling the EU directives and demands is the baseline for sustainability. The real competition will be at the employee and customer experience level. The Gofore results show us how sustainability with its ESG aspects provides a foundation when building meaningful and significant experiences, inclusion, sustainable growth, and competitive edge," states the empathy analytics company NayaDaya Inc’s CEO Timo Järvinen.
Study facts
Respondent data was collected from Gofore’s employees via online-questionnaire during June 6-15, 2022.
Questions were of the form of "How do you feel about the sustainability of Gofore (environmental, social, governance)?"
Response alternatives (10 positive and 10 negative emotions as well as option for "no emotion") based on study method developed at the University of Geneva[1]. The root causes for emotions were expressed through open, spontaneous responses.
191 Gofore’s employees took part in the study; social variables included age, gender, length of employment, unit, role and language skills.
Data was analyzed and interpreted using Empathy Analytics ™, developed by NayaDaya Inc. The method is based on scientific emotion theory[2], research[1] and algorithm[3].
[1] Pre-existing scientific research independently conducted and published by the Geneva Emotion Research Group at the University of Geneva.
[2] Scherer, K.R., Fontaine, J.R.J, & Soriano, C. (2013). Components of Emotional Meaning. Oxford University Press.
[3] A scientific algorithm that predicts positive, engaged, and prosocial behavior, developed by NayaDaya Inc.
Further information
Kristiina Härkönen, Chief Sustainability Officer, Gofore Plc, tel. +358 40 742 34, kristiina.harkonen[at]gofore.com
Sanna Hildén, Director of People Operations, Gofore Plc, tel. +358 40 728 3304, sanna.hilden[at]gofore.com
Timo Järvinen, CEO, NayaDaya Inc, tel. +358 40 505 7745, timo.jarvinen[at]nayadaya.com
Gofore Plc is a digital transformation consultancy with over 1,000 impact-driven employees across Finland, Germany, Spain, and Estonia – top experts in our industry who are our company’s heart, brain, and hands. We use our holistic service offering - consulting, coding, design, and verification - as tools to incite positive change. We care for our people, our customers, and the surrounding world. Our values guide our business: Gofore is a great workplace that thrives on customer success. In 2021, our net sales amounted to EUR 104.5 million. In 2022, Gofore is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Gofore Plc’s share is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. in Finland. Get to know us better at www.gofore.com.
NayaDaya Inc. empowers its customers to build an edge from the missing piece of sustainability: human experience. Employee and customer experiences in the context of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) aspects of sustainability can be explored through Empathy Analytics™, based on emotions, science, and data. The method, the algorithm, and the platform provide critical insights for decision-making: to avoid risks, to create higher value beyond compliance, and to strive for a sustainable growth. Further information: https://www.nayadaya.com.