The #CultureFirst series is a chance to showcase the team here at Culture Amp. We asked everyone seven questions which will give you an opportunity to get to know each of us a bit better.
Steven Huang
Steven is an Engagement Coach at Culture Amp. He left an actuarial career to become Facebook’s first HR analyst; where he turned into an engagement evangelist. His favorite things in life are music festivals, traveling and tennis.
Culture Amp: What can you do as a Camper (Culture Amp employee) that you haven’t been able to do elsewhere?
Steven Huang: Each day I come to work, I get to help HR leaders understand their organization with the data they collect on our platform. Together, we learn about what drives their workforce; what makes them engaged, where they can improve, and ultimately what motivates them at work. Culture Amp has over 300 customers in various industries and lifecycles; I’ve been able to get a deep understanding of what successful organizations are doing.
CA:Best day you’ve ever had at work?
SH: I’ve had a lot of amazing days at work – it’s hard to pick just one. Lately, I’ve had the opportunity to speak at conferences/webinars on People Analytics and have gotten great, positive feedback. People Analytics is bringing data into HR to make evidence based decisions; I’ve been told that I’m helping erase the perception that HR isn’t a strategic function within the company.
I believe that HR should measure its success by measuring how many employees think their job is the best job they’ve ever had.
CA: How have you turned a setback into an opportunity?
SH: Not all of our customers have excellent engagement scores. In fact, sometimes I have to deliver bad news when a company is starkly below benchmark on key factors. But there’s always a silver lining in these cases (if an HR leader is willing to accept it). Now that you’ve given your employees a chance to tell you how they feel, you can take that feedback and act on it. If you’re successful, you will see your scores improve when you survey again in a few months time.
CA: What are you madly passionate about away from work?
SH: Thankfully, I’ve found a career that I’m extremely passionate about (after working for a few years in one that I wasn’t). Outside of work, I both attend and organize events centered around electronic music. I get a lot of joy from bringing people together and embracing the old-school/underground rave philosophy of PLUR (Peace, Love, Unity, Respect).
CA: What was the best feedback (in your career) you’ve ever received and why?
SH: The best feedback I’ve received in my career, as a data analyst and statistician, is to tell a story. A good analyst knows which statistical techniques to apply to a data set; but the best analysts are the ones that can interpret the data and tell a story with the insight. The story is what resonates and influences strategic decisions.
CA: What’s on your playlist this week?
SH: I listen to Electronic Dance Music (EDM) from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to bed. I enjoy Tiesto’s Club Life Podcast, Tritonal’s Weekly Tritonia Podcast, and singles from Kaskade, Calvin Harris, and Armin van Buuren.
CA: What does workplace culture mean to you?
SH: Workplace Culture is made up of small moments; not the values you put on the wall or the mission statement you talk about once a month (even though those are very important). To me, the workplace culture is the inside jokes you have with your coworkers, how you want to grab drinks after a long day, the way you support one another through tough times inside and outside the office. Workplace Culture should transcend the “workplace” – it’s about the network of people you develop.
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