While data and process are important elements of running a global business, Liz Ference, head of employee experience at Mattel, says “there’s something that’s really missed when we don’t [consider] the qualitative side of things as well.” There are key aspects of the employee experience that numbers can’t convey, which she discussed during a fireside chat with moderator Nicole Smith of Harvard Business Review at From Day One’s March virtual conference.

It can be easy to treat employee experience as a catch-all, so when Ference started in her current role she charted out the employee life cycle into a comprehensive experience map. This exercise helped identify important questions about how the company facilitates talent acquisition and management. It also led to deeper insights into employee programs and experiences that enabled her to see possible gaps while understanding the business levers available to influence change.

The Company’s Mission

Mattel has shifted its mission from well-being and optimism to incorporate the themes of purpose, passion, and play, Ference says. This strategy encourages team members to balance efficiency and achievement with recognizing the value of their work and taking the opportunity to experience everyday joy. One way to do this is by bringing the magic of what they do to the center of their employee experience. This allows everyone—even team members separated from the company’s products—to boost their sense of purpose by seeing and participating in this positive collective experience.

Given the business that Mattel is in, the company sees play as not only an important business lever but a basic human imperative, according to Ference. She acknowledges that it can be hard to find time to play in an overwhelming, deadline-driven environment, emphasizing the value of creating play opportunities that are authentic to your culture and business. “This is actually when we need to create the space for it more than ever,” she said. While Mattel has fun experiences built into its everyday culture—like a life-sized Barbie box for selfies or a giant Hot Wheels van that can be used as a meeting space—the company is also purposeful about creating occasions for teams to step away from deadlines and have fun or learn together.

Signs and Impacts of Burnout

Leaders need to notice when their team is approaching burnout and offer support to get them back to a place of balance. Regarding burnout, Ference says, “[it’s] completely lost its original definition from the World Health Organization, and it’s kind of a synonym now for just being stressed out. But [that] speaks to how ubiquitous it is.” When in burnout, people may distance themselves from their work or distance themselves emotionally from their coworkers. You might notice that their days are full of wall-to-wall meetings, which means they don’t have time or space for deep-focus work, breakthrough thinking, or life outside of work.

“You can have the best benefits package in the world. You can have all of these community events, [and] development opportunities for your people. But if people are not prioritizing that space because they’re so rushed in both areas of life, then they won’t get to those things,” Ference said. She and her team try to counteract burnout by creating space for self-care, development work, and community.

Embracing Inclusion and Authenticity

Mattel has recently launched new programs to support employee well-being and personal growth. One is a global well-being platform, in partnership with Modern Health, which offers free therapy, coaching, and other resources. The second is a series of personal growth programs that employees have reported are life-changing experiences. Lastly, as people and relationships are one of the largest impacts on the employee experience, Ference says, they ensure that leaders and teams are empowered to make time for community and culture events.

To ensure an exceptional employee experience across a large, diverse workforce, Mattel uses a global-to-local approach that relies on regional business partners to optimize broad benefit and community programs for local cultures before integration. The company also maintains its strong public commitment to inclusion. “We talk a lot about how our products and brands are a reflection of the communities that we serve,” she said. “If we didn’t walk that talk and have our employees bring their unique lived experiences to the creation process, our products and our brands would no longer be as culturally relevant as they are.” Mattel’s ten employee resource groups create a sense of belonging through frequent events, relevant speakers, and other community moments.

Tools and Measurement

With so much data to sift through, analyze, and interpret, Ference and her team have implemented a listening strategy. Among multiple platforms and sites that gather and organize employee experience data, one key piece is the company’s Global Pulse Survey. The quantitative employee responses to this survey help them understand whether an initiative is building engagement and going in the direction they had hoped, she says. By combining data across all touchpoints, they can identify and communicate action-oriented themes to improve the employee experience. The company reduces bias in its interpretation and application of these themes in part by embracing artificial intelligence for data analysis.

In addition to her leadership role, Ference is a coach in the company’s executive coaching program. She helps leaders use deeper listening and feedback skills to shift performance management from an annual event to an ongoing coaching discussion that continuously empowers employees.

When employees achieve balance and start to feel more empowered and flexible, leaders will notice them using their benefits and doing things that energize and refresh them, like taking PTO or engaging in development courses. Employees return revitalized and drive creativity and innovation by infusing their renewed passion into their work.

Jessica Swenson is a freelance writer based in the Midwest. Learn more about her at jmswensonllc.com.

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