“Company ethos comes from the top and our senior team are not only accessible, but they listen. They provide the security, trust, and flexibility to allow for opportunity and growth and, in turn, have developed a community-minded company that leads with kindness.”
Jennifer Knutel is an experienced marketing leader with a career spanning marketing, business development, and sales support roles in both large multinationals and early-stage start-up companies.
Jennifer joined TIS seven months ago to drive the company’s expansion in the US market. Here, she explains her role and how the company’s on-boarding process helped her to hit the ground running in her new job…
Charting new territory
TIS is well established and widely known in Europe, and I was recruited to spearhead a more structured marketing push into the US and assess the addressable market. It has been exciting to develop the strategy and the long-term plan to build our thought leadership, strengthen awareness, generate leads, and optimize our sales and marketing tech stack. Seeing the results, and the teamwork behind getting those results in these past months, has been incredibly rewarding.
When I was approached about the role at TIS, the opportunity sounded perfect – and challenging! Reflecting on my career to date, I’d come to recognize my preference for working in young, highly innovative companies of up to 250 or so employees. One of the many things that made TIS attractive as a potential employer is that it has managed to retain that start-up vibe, but has the structure and people in place to effect change quickly.
Small to medium-sized companies offer a variety of opportunities to make a big impact, and each day is not only different, but presents a whole new set of things to do. I enjoy the variety, all the marketing channel options, and juggling a variety of responsibilities as needed to get the job done.
In my short time at TIS, I have noticed that the company offers employees the ability to explore new possibilities, take risks, and find opportunities for growth.
From new hire to ambassador
I recently saw an article that said a good on-boarding experience can improve employee retention by up to 82%, and I have to agree that statistic makes a lot of sense, especially given the current high levels of job mobility. When it comes down to it, it’s essentially about ensuring every new employee feels they have made the right choice in coming to TIS.
The on-boarding process proved an excellent start for my tenure at TIS – it was the best on-boarding I’ve ever experienced, in fact! Rather than being overwhelmed with a deluge of information, I found it was a carefully structured process complete with an emailed file of forms to fill out and individualized topical meetings with the HR and IT teams.
The HR team were incredibly efficient and responsive, and were always available if I had any questions. They showed genuine concern about ensuring I had a positive experience and got acclimated quickly. On-boarding wasn’t just a one-off event; they continued to check in, and whenever I’ve contacted them, the response time has been fantastic. It didn’t feel that the HR team were just focusing on processing my paperwork.
Another great part of the onboarding experience was when, two weeks into my TIS career, our co-founder took an hour out of his demanding schedule to have a “getting to know you” session. We chatted about our mutual love of climbing for the better part of the hour. I have not had that kind of experience in any other company I’ve worked for.
Sharing success
Company culture has become an important topic of conversation over the past years and a poor work environment can sap energy and motivation. I’m pleased to say I’ve found TIS to be the polar opposite. In my time here, I feel fortunate that I am part of a team that is service-focused, collaborative, and prioritizes communication. The norm at TIS is to celebrate collective successes and recognize the contribution of everyone involved.
Company ethos comes from the top and our senior team are not only accessible, but they listen. They provide the security, trust, and flexibility to allow for opportunity and growth and, in turn, have developed a community-minded company that leads with kindness.
This “people first”, “share the credit” approach is very much in sync with my own values, and is, of course, the hiring and management approach I’m taking as I build my new team at TIS.
