Jeinz — Sprout’s First Ever Rockstar (Sprout Rockstar of the Month)

Jeinz is a Junior Architect at Sprout Solutions. He shares with us his passion for programming and how he helped build Sprout to what it is today.

Finding IT

“I first got into IT because I was into this video game called Dota. I was playing Dota competitively and I wanted to understand the logistics of how the game worked beyond the actual game, but how to create it.

My interest in IT grew, even more, when I took it up in college. I would even join programming competitions for fun… And it was at that point I realized I could do it as a career.”

Leaving it to Fate

“I actually started working at 18 years old after graduating a two-year course.

My first job was at a big company about an hour away from where I lived— my main responsibility was to help them create an entire turnstile system for them.

It was such an experience… the company didn’t have a budget to provide us with our own computers, so every day I would have to commute from Alabang to Manila, carrying my massive CPU and monitors!

After a while, I was deciding whether I wanted to do another two years of school or find another job. But with an industry so technical like programming, I’ve learned that once you’ve learned the skills it’s all about practicing them through work.

So I left it up to fate: I applied to KMC and was called for an interview. I told myself that if I got the job, I’d keep working but if I didn’t, I would go back to school and do two more years of school.”

The Story of Sprout HR

“In the end, KMC hired me. It was there where I learned the best practices of software and honed my skills for my career.  It’s also where I conceptualized and grew my passion project… I even had my own computer this time!

“Sprout” came about when I was asked to build a software, HRhub (now called Sprout HR), to help automate tedious HR processes for KMC.

The software was working well and Pat decided that he wanted to standardize it for public use. Along with Payroll Pie (now called Sprout Payroll), we started building them and thus, Sprout Solutions was born.”

Developing as a Programmer

“Building Sprout HR was definitely a challenge but it’s fulfilling to see it up, running, and used by clients.

It’s actually been such a whirlwind: I started out as a junior developer, then mid, then senior, and now I am a junior software architect and creator of HRhub (Sprout HR.)

Now, I’m in charge of determining the design the flow of the whole system, what technology we will use, what software patterns the devs will use.

I actually started the project not knowing the rules; we would have clients help us with feedback and that’s how the system matured.

My teammate and manager, Rex, also was a huge influence on my development as a programmer. I used to be the type of dev that was just told what to do, but Rex taught me the best practices in the industry. Because in the industry, there are sloppy ways to code which will work technically, but they won’t be good in performance.”

There’s Always A Solution

“Outside of programming, I do sports, mostly basketball. But in my free time, I still like to program: I have a personal system where I practice and try new software patterns I could apply to work. What I do is check out the newest trends in the industry and try it out for myself.

I have the type of attitude where I don’t give up— when I’m faced with a problem, I will always solve it. Even if it means I have to stay up until the morning to find a solution, that’s exactly what I’ll do. Because when it comes to technical stuff, there’s always a solution, it’s just a matter of finding it.”

Future Plans

“I built Sprout HR and Recruit, so I’d like to see them through and develop them as we take on more clients. They’re my passion projects!

Whatever other ideas Alex and Pat have, I’m ready to make it happen.”

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Sprout Rockstar of the Month is an initiative to highlight and celebrate the awesome people behind the company. Every month, we feature their stories and share how they used their experiences to become the rockstars that they are. Stay tuned next month for the next Sprout story!

The post Jeinz — Sprout’s First Ever Rockstar (Sprout Rockstar of the Month) appeared first on Sprout.

source https://sprout.ph/blog/jeinz-sprouts-first-ever-rockstar-sprout-rockstar-month/

Trying to Grow Your Startup? You Need a Solid HR Team

The HR team of any company is the backbone of its success. And achieving this kind of growth is heavily reliant on its HR’s ability to bring in the best minds together and make the workplace a space of innovation.

A company can have a great product or service, but it is the people on its team that moves it forward. You need to find candidates that are truly passionate about what they do and want to collaborate to help the company grow.

This is why building an awesome work culture is arguably one of the most important priorities a CEO could do— and to do that, your startup needs a team of HR rockstars.

It’s a Candidate Market — You Need a Solid Frontline

Recruiting is more competitive now more than ever, so your HR team has to be ruthless in the hiring process. With the bounty of resources so easily accessible, the best candidates have the option to be critical in their choices when they look for jobs.

Therefore, as an employer in a candidate market, you need to show candidates that your company can be used as a platform to excel in their industry.

This important task of attracting the best candidates for your company falls under the responsibilities of your recruiter. Which is why you need to invest in a top-notch HR recruiter to be able to represent your company to the candidate market and attract the best people for your team.

Your HR recruiter needs to be extroverted and have the people skills to be able to coordinate and interact with different personalities that come with the hiring process. He or she doesn’t just have to look for candidates, but also would have to know what kind of skills and personalities would fit the open position, the responsibilities involved, and the role in the company.

But this goes without saying, your company has to be able to walk the talk.

Growth is Key — You Need to Make Sure Your Employees Stay

It’s one thing to be able to appeal to great candidates, but you need to be able to deliver the same value that you advertise to avoid employee disengagement and attrition.

Employees that are not engaged will not hesitate to leave at any given time. And it not only wastes time and money to constantly onboard new people, but it costs money to have disengaged employees as well.

So companies have to keep their employees satisfied and committed to their careers with you— which will come from the efforts of your HR team.

They are in charge of keeping your employees satisfied with their job experience that they don’t leave too soon or become unproductive. To do this, the HR department has to implement learning and development activities that promote growth in employees’ careers in your company.

This process takes careful planning and consideration as HR needs to think about the components of what makes a well-crafted development process for each employee across different departments.

They also need to figure out how to establish a culture of constant learning and improvement. But this is no easy task in that culture cannot be forced, so the team has to figure out how to build the cultural foundation organically.

However, when your employees feel that they are fulfilling their own goals with your company, they are more likely to perform to the best of their abilities and help contribute to the growth of the business.

It’s Not Just About Work — You Need to Keep a Happy Work Environment

We are at a time where millennials (typically defined as people born between the 1980s and 1990s) make up most of the workforce. With the new majority being in a younger generation, the focus is shifting: employees not only consider compensation and benefits in a job but work-life balance as well.

To do this, your HR team plans team building events, creates different work perks, and essentially makes the office a healthy work environment. They have to constantly look for new ways to make employees feel motivated to work and build a sense of camaraderie across departments.

Coupled with that, your HR department needs to have the patience and the right personality to be able to solve any conflict among employees. With the differing attitudes and work habits as well as the number of people that are exposed to each other several hours a day, 5 times a week… conflict will inevitably arise. And it’s HR’s job to be able to handle it in the most efficient way possible.

You Can’t Wear All Hats — You Need to Focus What You Do Best

When you’re in a startup, you assume many roles. Most times, you will need to have your other employees assume more responsibilities outside their scope as well.

But if you are in a startup that plans to grow, you eventually need to find people to do the jobs you aren’t supposed to be doing and so you and everybody else can focus on their main responsibilities.

In the early stages of a company, the HR department is often neglected and left to whoever has the bandwidth, but if you plan on scaling your company, you cannot keep tabs on tedious tasks.

In the HR function alone, there are several time-consuming and technical responsibilities. Under HR falls payroll, employee relations, compensation & benefits, and more… To have to do that on top of the job you already have will burn anyone out.

 

When a business is trying to grow at a rapid rate, a solid HR team is the key to maximizing the potential of your company.

It’s crucial that quality team members are recruited and aim to help nurture the company to reach its goals. And this is no easy feat— but it’s also one of the primary responsibilities of the HR department.

The post Trying to Grow Your Startup? You Need a Solid HR Team appeared first on Sprout.

source https://sprout.ph/blog/trying-grow-startup-need-solid-hr-team/