Justin Gellezak
While N-SIDE’s focus is delivering innovative solutions and services to its customers in the life sciences and energy sectors, it also strongly believes in the power of "coming together" for the collective, social purpose. N-SIDE seeks to create a work environment that is truly built by its creative, talented and innovative employees in order to develop a workplace that truly represents each and every N-SIDEr. In order to make both these intentions a reality, the idea of creating committees within the company was triggered some years ago and has over the years, outgrown any expectation in terms of impact and employee engagement.
In an effort to directly contribute to enhancing the company culture, a group of N-SIDErs came together some years ago to redefine the company values. The goal was to further strengthen the bonds between the teams. After this exercise, N-SIDErs were determined to ensure a successful implementation of the new values (Diversity, Collaboration, Commitment, Passion, Innovation, Transparency, Fun) and contribute to growing a healthy workplace culture, which however could not be achieved without their direct involvement in the company life and organization. "We encourage N-SIDErs to shape the company culture through concrete initiatives, in line with the company values they had expressed. We consider it as an innovative approach to ensure the company culture is fully embraced and not remaining a mere slogan" explains Maud Larochette, CHRO and CFO at N-SIDE.
To achieve this goal, team members from the People and Business Organization department came up with the idea of creating a set of different N-SIDE Committees. This initiative now allows all employees to be at the forefront of the workplace they experience every day, transforming their business mission into an additional opportunity to develop and transform the company - and the world - they are part of.
Dedicated to rally and to make an impact
Setting up N-SIDE Committees allowed N-SIDErs to come together spontaneously and on a voluntary basis, around common interests, to decide themselves the kind of initiatives they want to represent and get involved in. Each committee is intended to generate a concrete positive impact either within or outside the company.
As of today, no less than 8 different committees are active at N-SIDE:
- Art & Culture Committee
- Fun Committee
- Geek Committee
- Green Committee
- Social Committee
- Sport Committee
- UAC Committee
- Well-being Committee
Everyone at N-SIDE is encouraged to join a committee, from the start of the onboarding process and welcomed at any time. Once a member, each N-SIDEr plays a key role in the organization of the committee, the development of its activities and their promotion. As the company is growing - N-SIDE hired more than 80 employees in 2022, the number of committees and their members is expected to increase. However, the impact generated by each committee is not correlated with the number of its members but rather with the motivation and proactivity of each team member as well as the incredible initiatives that they are able to launch.
Shaped to boost the level of employee engagement
N-SIDE Committees function as a well-established organization. "Each committee is led by a member of the People & Business Organization team and consists of approximately 10 N-SIDers. All of them share a particular interest for the committee’s mission statement. Together, they share ideas and determine the high-impact activities they wish to organize throughout the year during monthly meetings. Activities are sponsored by a dedicated yearly budget given by the company equally to each committee. Initiatives determined by a committee are then communicated to the entire company in order to increase the participation rate." explains Gabrielle Hauseux, HR Business Partner at N-SIDE and leader of the Well-being Committee.
Moreover, committees encourage cross-department collaboration and open minds. Giving N-SIDErs the opportunity to make decisions and lead projects for their company on a more global level increases their engagement and their feeling to be listened to. This is even noticeable before joining the company. "When candidates come for an interview at the office, they can feel that the atmosphere is not just buzzwords used in our job descriptions, it’s real. This real engagement of our employees is partially due to our committees that allow N-SIDErs to express a strong sense of openness and collaboration which appeals to our future talents." unveils Gabrielle Hauseux.
Deep diving into N-SIDE committees' activities
After 3 years of existence, it was time to take a closer look and outline to which extent, N-SIDE distinguishes itself not only as an attractive employer but also as a company that concretely illustrates its willingness to act for the common good, both within and outside its organization. This is why we are proud to share our very first Committee report, documenting, in a comprehensive manner, all activities conducted by the various committees during Fiscal Year 2022 (1/10/2021 - 30/09/2022).
"From an external standpoint, this report will demonstrate how at N-SIDE, our workplace is created by each and every one of us. It’s not just buzzwords, we really do our best individually and as a group, to have a better and bigger impact internally and externally. From an internal standpoint, it’s also a way to reward our colleagues and let them see, as a retrospective, all we accomplished within a year all together. This way, we want to make them proud of themselves and of the company they are working for" explains Maud Larochette.
Highlights of Fiscal Year 2022 committees include the following activities:
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Global Village - Art and Culture Committee: this event is a genuine representation of diversity at N-SIDE. N-SIDErs coming from all over the world decided to share typical food from their home country in a relaxed atmosphere. All participants were eager to learn more about their colleagues’ culture in a tasty way!
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Energy talks - Green Committee: The Committee closely collaborated with colleagues from our Energy business line to organize three sessions led by our Energy experts to explain in an understandable way, the ins and outs of the current energy crisis as well as the challenges pertaining to the energy transition. Each session was followed by a Q&A session.
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Be.Face - Social Committee: The Committee wished to collaborate with the Be.Face foundation because it illustrates our willingness to play an impactful role in the inclusion of disadvantaged people, as “care” is an essential dimension of our company culture. Through this non-profit organization, volunteering N-SIDErs were connected to job seekers and students to mentor them on diverse topics. Committee members also set up workshops to train them on work-life matters.
What comes next?
At N-SIDE, our eyes remain focused on the future as we are having fun and keeping busy building the present. Looking forward, the next years will see an increased involvement in the committees by N-SIDERs, as every year the initiatives become annual, with recurring events planned all year long.
As N-SIDE grows and as a result of our culture fostering inclusiveness and innovation, new creative minds will join the committees bringing new ideas and initiatives.
In addition, as FY24 will mark the year of N-SIDE’s first B-CORP re-certification, the momentum will be ideal to focus our internal efforts in the same direction of wellbeing, social impact and sustainability - all themes and values that drive the N-SIDE Committees as well as the B-CORP Agenda.
In addition, N-SIDE strives to keep the committees as flexible and as representative of the internal expression and creativity of all N-SIDERs. As such, we will for sure welcome new committees, new committee members, and new initiatives - we cannot wait to see what comes next!
Committee report
