Xref CEO Shares A Success Story

HRD Employer of Choice, Gold Award

When Tim and I launched Xref in 2011, we had a real desire to solve a genuine problem and make life easier for an industry of professionals. In the first few years of infancy, we grew the business on our own – it was our baby and we knew exactly what we wanted to do with it. We also couldn’t afford to bring anyone else on so we practised what we now preach and made the cloud our ‘colleague’, automating as many business processes as possible to add efficiency and value.

However, there comes a point in every start-up journey when growth and demand surpass the service level that a one or two-man band can satisfy, and in 2013 we recruited our first full-time team member. Little did we know that right there and then our priorities would change.

We have had remarkable success since launching, with some notable milestones met along the way. But what now brings us more joy than anything, is watching people join the Xref journey with us. Which is why I am delighted to share the news of our most recent accolade, an HRD Employer of Choice, Gold Award.

Based on a survey of employees, this award validates our belief that our team is not only extremely talented and successful but is also very happy with what they do. Four years after we made our first hire, Xref now comprises more than 50 likeminded individuals, who are as excited about the future of the business as we were on day one.

We also didn’t just come out on top for the overarching award, we were top performers in the following categories:

• Access to Technology - we are committed to making every business process as efficient as possible and enable our staff to spend less time on admin-heavy tasks, and more time completing satisfying, rewarding and strategic work.
  
• Leadership - our leadership team recognises the growth opportunity for Xref and is hungry to see first-hand how the solution is adapted and used in different markets. We make that possible by sending them to work with their international colleagues and our local clients, explore new areas of their job and build their own role.
  
• Health and Wellbeing - a healthy body starts with a healthy mind. So, at Xref, we challenge the way people think, we nurture creativity and have a huge appetite for ideation.

The beauty is, there’s really no secret to the culture we’ve fostered. We are open, honest, hard-working and fun but, most importantly, we recognise all our employees as individual people. We appreciate that the value some might see in one form of reward, will not be reflected across the board. So, we are careful to ensure that we know the personal preferences, as well as the individual professional journey, of each staff member.

We continue to grow rapidly and expand into new markets, which will pose fresh new challenges along the way, but we will be sure to maintain the level of employee engagement we have established to date as we all take the Xref journey together.

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