Remote Work

We started Trendency Research because we believe that the current approach to research is based in a world that does not exist anymore. The return to the office “debate” is also based on a world that no longer exists. Usually this type of change takes years, if not decades, but, as with many other things (looking at you Zoom), the pandemic has accelerated trends in the workplace, turning what otherwise might have been a decade-long change into a year-and-a-half. Holding on to a bygone world is never a good look, and it always leads to organizations, and people, making really bad decisions. 

Discussions around the loss of “office culture” if we don’t go back to the office fall squarely into the category of “things in a bygone world” category. People espousing these views are saying “office culture” but what they are really saying is “our ability to make people feel like they should work longer hours.” Been there, done that, and if your value to the team is your ability to work through dinner, it’s probably time to find a new team (or a new profession). 

We are doing our part to end the view that hours equals value. This system puts caregivers, especially moms, at a distinct disadvantage, and also steals valuable time away from the 20-somethings out there that should be enjoying life to its fullest, before things like kids, mortgages, and/or throwing out your back while putting on a pair of jeans takes over.  

One part of this is the need to anchor yourself to one location or one office. If you want to stay in the city you are in and have no plans on moving...great. If you want to be on the beach in the summer and in the mountains in the winter you should. As long as the work is getting done and clients are happy, it is all good. 

Pay transparency

The current system works really well for those making the rules, but pretty terribly for everyone else (especially if you are a woman or your skin color is darker than pale). The exact amounts of pay disparity for women and people of color are difficult to pinpoint, but there is general agreement on the fact that yes, women are paid less than men, and that people of color are paid less than their white counterparts. Compensation secrecy perpetuates this unconscionable reality.

The general approach recently has been for organizations to include salary ranges in job descriptions as well as to stop asking about salary history. These are reasonable steps but don’t really solve the problem since there is still a lot of information missing to the employees.

In our opinion, the best way to facilitate change is to provide full salary transparency. As of this month, Trendency has 100% salary disclosure for all employees and consulting contracts above $10,000 per year. For employees, the disclosure includes base salary, bonus, any benefits being provided that are not in the standard offering, and once we start getting into giving out shares in the company, that will be disclosed as well. No loopholes, no smoke and mirrors, just the data on everyone….including the executives of the company. 

We have also decided that this salary information will be shared with all prospective employees before taking the job. This ensures that any salary discussions will be done in full daylight and, as opposed to a salary range, it shows exactly why the salary was offered and how it compares to other employees.

The reason for this is simple: if employees don’t have any information about what people at their company are being paid, they have no idea if they are being undercompensated for their work. This lack of information puts employees at a complete disadvantage and ensures that pay disparities will continue.

Pay Cap

We are a team and even if you are a VP, Director, or even a Founder, success is because we are all working together. Is someone with 20 years of experience going to be paid more than someone a year out of college? Of course. But the ridiculous pay disparities at companies (the average CEO pay is 250 times the average worker salary these days) is not anything we are looking to emulate. At Trendency no one can make more than 15 times the lowest paid person. As with transparency, paid equals all compensation. No “salary” loophole.

Bonuses

We are a team and we succeed together.

Salaries are all known, bonuses will be as well. Fairness and openness are critical.

All departments provide value to the organization. Sales require a great product and research team. Retention requires the research team to deliver insights and a great product. If a client adds additional subscriptions down the line, the customer success team certainly deserves credit, as does the research team, the panels team, the tech team, etc. 

Every division should benefit from success. We share in bad years as well. 

Basing bonuses on individual performance promotes the ideas of individualism above all else, but success comes from the team. Therefore, Trendency will base all bonuses on team measurements. 

Vacation/Time Off

We are always closed for national holidays, the week of Thanksgiving and the week between Christmas and New Years. Outside of those days, every employee is expected to take two weeks of vacation...and we mean vacation. Unplug, try to not check your email, and the answer those weeks to the question “could you just [fill in the blank]” is “NO!” 

Also if you are sick you should take the day off. Accumulated sick days always seemed like a ridiculous concept.

Communications

We do not all have to be in touch 24-7, every call does not have to be on video (phones still work), and everyone works in different ways. Keep these facts in mind and we will all get along. Please don't make something an emergency that isn't. Use your send later function in email if your preferred work time is different than your co-workers. Always ask questions and remember, we are in this together.

Meetings

Meeting are the worst, but hey they sometimes need to happen. Here are the ground rules: 45 minutes max. Each meeting must have a clear purpose and desired outcome, the initiator must include these in the notes, and be public company wide. No internal meetings on Fridays (unless signed off on by the CEO).