| Company Size | Industry | Challenges |
| 120+ | Computers and Electronics Manufacturing |
|
Launched in 2015 by parent entrepreneurs Ann Crady Weiss and Dave Weiss and featured on “Shark Tank” in 2016, Hatch is headquartered in Menlo Park. Hatch is on a mission to help people sleep better. Their first sleep product, Hatch Rest, has helped more than half a million families get a good night’s rest. And now, they strive to make sleep easier than ever for everyone with innovative, all-in-one products for newborns through adults.
We got on a call with Melanie Wagner- Manager, People’s Operations at Hatch, to discuss how they tackle employee engagement challenges in a remote workplace, replacing Zoom calls with Trivia for fun activities and automating employee engagement. Read on.
Can you tell us a bit about Hatch and what a typical work day looks like for you?
Hatch is the brainchild of Ann Crady Weiss and Dave Weiss. Hatch was started in 2015 to help new parents and babies sleep better. Hatch started as a sleep product for babies and quickly expanded to helping adults sleep. Hatch today offers an all-in-one smart sleep assistant with a sound machine, sunrise alarm, smart light, meditation app, and an alarm clock, all beautifully designed and intuitively made to help you manage your sleep routine the right way.
About my typical day, there is nothing typical about it. I handle everything and anything under people operations. I see to it that our people have everything they need to be able to do their work smoothly.
What were the challenges that Hatch faced for employee engagement?
Before the pandemic, we were kind of hybrid, but now we are completely remote and intend to keep it that way. We are a team of 130 people, and being a remote-first company, we do face the typical employee challenges that come with it. People interaction is less, not much scope for chats or events outside of work. People are tired of Zoom activities. Organizing social gatherings takes time and effort, and the turnout is unpredictable.
I wanted the team to have refreshing breaks that do not take more than 5 minutes of their time, are fun, and do not require them to switch to or download another app or platform.
How did you tackle employee engagement activity before Trivia?
We tried the usual way by organizing events and activities via Zoom. People were already spending long amounts of time working on their laptops, and attending another “fun meeting” was not enticing. The turnout was not as expected. Moreover, from a People’s perspective, it was not the most efficient use of our time.
How has Trivia helped foster employee engagement?
So, after the Zoom idea did not work out, we searched for something that could be integrated with Slack. Getting people to connect remotely is the hardest part, and with Trivia, we have seen people consistently show up.
Trivia games require like what 5 minutes of your time, and that 5-minute break is truly refreshing. I don’t have to block 30 or 60 minutes of people’s time, the games start easily right on Slack, and we have everyone gathering up for it. It’s great to see people participating and enjoying themselves. So, yeah, Trivia has helped us tackle our employee engagement challenges.
How has the team at Hatch taken to Trivia?
Oh, we are competitive, and it’s fun to see people showing off their skills and knowledge in the quizzes. We like it because it’s in the moment; you either ace it or not, but everyone knows it will be there again tomorrow, and they have another chance. You don’t have to invest a lot of time and effort there. It’s meant to be enjoyed, and our team does that. In fact, I would love to schedule one quiz each day with a different topic because our people want it every day.
Finally, what would your reaction be if Trivia was not there anymore?
Oh, our team will be bummed, really sad! The employees who participate look forward to the daily games it, and it helps lift the work day. We have seen consistent participation, which we would like to continue for as long as possible.
