Are you a member of your favorite restaurant’s rewards program? How about your favorite clothing brand’s rewards program? Do you get a burst of joy when you buy nine coffees and get your tenth cup free?
It feels good to be rewarded for investing in the things we care about – so why not get rewarded for investing in ourselves? This is exactly what our Corporate Technology team harnessed when they created their LevelUp program.
In the spirit of Getting Better Every Day, the LevelUp program encourages our tech teams to embrace a growth mindset. By taking time each week to learn and develop new skills (that benefit them both personally and professionally), employees earn points that can be exchanged for prizes. Attending a speaking event earns you 15 points; completing a workshop earns you 25; volunteering with one of our partner nonprofits earns you up to 100.
Points can be redeemed for anything from DoorDash cash to Airpod Pros – but the real payout comes in the form of personal development. By giving employees time to invest in both their own growth and others’ – and by recognizing their successes along the way – our CorpTech team is helping its employees grow in ways that are meaningful to both the individual and our broader org.
To learn more about the impact of the LevelUp Program, we met with a few members of our CorpTech team who are putting in the work to rake in points and reach the top of the LevelUp leaderboard.
What LevelUp activities have impacted you the most professionally?
“The decision to undertake training courses and achieve the certification that I recently earned were most directly influenced by the LevelUp program. While I knew these were courses that I would definitely benefit from if I did them someday, the prospect of earning points encouraged me to start the classes sooner than later. I enjoy learning for the sake of learning, but expanding my professional knowledge and getting certified to back it up just makes it more valuable and gives me more options and opportunities.” – Fred
“Delivering presentations to my team and other teams pushes me out of my comfort zone to make sure I understand the topics well and am able to present that in a manner that is understandable to everybody. I really enjoy translating technical terms and information my team knows to someone that doesn’t deal with a lot of tech topics or acronyms.” – Jorge
How did the LevelUp program impact you personally?
“I came into Red Ventures through Road To Hire, and that’s something near and dear to my heart. Through LevelUp, I’ve been able to earn points for continuing my involvement with the program, such as by I’ve had volunteering, opportunities like mentoring, and sitting on an interview panel. This was an awesome way to is one of the LevelUp categories and a way to give back to the program that gave me this career opportunity, while also investing in my own growth along the way.” – Jorge
“Through the DEI-related programs, I have learned more about various minority groups both inside and outside of Red Ventures, as well as ways to show my support for them. I’ve also had the opportunity to attend Toastmasters Workshops where I can practice public speaking among peers using fun, silly, impromptu topics to craft interesting discussions.” – Erika
“Earning my Master’s Degree was the culmination of a lifelong goal, and while I didn’t do it specifically because of LevelUp, earning points for it was a welcome bonus.” – Fred
What encourages you to be active in the program?
“I’m competitive. I like finishing things. Gamifying self-improvement is a good way to appeal to people like me since it takes something I should be doing anyway for the intrinsic rewards and adds additional incentive in the form of status on a leaderboard as well as tangible prizes. It’s a win-win.” – Fred
“The opportunity to learn and grow in my field and expand my knowledge of the world around me is what encourages me. The program has given me many opportunities and experiences that I may not have otherwise had a chance to participate in.” – Erika
“The competitive aspect is what inspires me. I want to see my name at the top of the leaderboard. On another level, I am new to this tech career, so something that distinguishes me is that I am hungry to learn different things. I also enjoy having the opportunity to be rewarded for putting hard work into developing my skills. The team here genuinely cares about my development and is constantly adding more resources to help me do so.” – Jorge
What does “Getting Better Every Day” mean to you?
“Being 1% better than I was the day before. Learning something that maybe I don’t know and constantly pushing myself to improve my skill set or improve the people around me. Whether that’s volunteering for projects I may not be that comfortable with or other situations, that’s where I thrive the most, and that’s where I get the most experience and benefits. It’s assessing all of the opportunities in front of me, always chasing something new, and never being satisfied with your current situation. Always strive for more.” – Jorge
“To me, ‘Getting Better Every Day’ means that you wake up every day and try to learn at least one new thing before you go to sleep that night. You could learn something as simple as a new cat fact or something bigger like a new way to improve your job function. At the core of this statement is the desire to continually learn, grow and expand your knowledge. You never stop learning, no matter how old you get, so take every opportunity to learn as much as you can. Knowledge is your most powerful asset.” – Erika
What advice do you have for people who want to invest in themselves both personally and professionally, but don’t know where to start?
“We’re all striving to be better in some form or another. Get involved in as many activities as you can. You’re making an impact way bigger than you think especially when volunteering and taking part in other communities. Get your hands in as many buckets as you can.” – Jorge
If you’re a tech aficionado with a passion for learning and development, you should ‘LevelUp’ your career and check out our open positions!
