Bringg: It’s about the purpose, not the perks, says VP of People Strategy

When offices closed around the world, a new hero arose from the ashes - logistics services who were tasked with delivering the essential food, electronics, and medicine they needed via delivery operations.

“Our team was very grateful for being in a company that is helping keep businesses and goods moving, and helping people get the goods and services they need in places with stay-at-home orders and store closures,” explained Sharon Friedman Dor, the VP of People Strategy at Bringg, the next generation data-led cloud platform for delivery operations.

Bringg’s VP of People Strategy, Sharon Friedman Dor. Photo: Uri Parisat

“It's not about the perks; it never was for us, and it’s not the way in which we win over talents. It’s about the purpose: innovating, and working with talented people in a company that disrupts the status quo and aims to make the world a better place.”

Bringg joined CTech for its HR Post-Covid series to explain how the logistics company helped others in the process of moving remote - and how it gave its employees a whole new sense of purpose.

Company Name: Bringg

HR Leader: Sharon Friedman Dor: VP People Strategy

Field of Activity:

Online shopping for food, clothes, electronics, and everything in between is today's normal. And buyers expect to receive their orders when and where they want it, creating intense complexity in the world of logistics. To solve this problem, Bringg has developed the next generation data-led cloud platform that helps retailers and their delivery partners scale up and optimize their delivery and fulfillment operations. With best-in-class technology, a hyper-growth mindset, and excellent product-market fit, Bringg is making an impact in one of the fastest-growing digital industries.

Number of employees/location:

Bringg has three offices: Tel Aviv (HQ), Chicago, and London. However, we have employees spread globally, from Brazil to Canada and scattered around Europe. We have 180 employees and expect to almost double to 340 by the end of 2021.

Professional background of HR Manager:

I have a passion for people and for building things - successful companies with happy and fulfilled employees - which I believe always go together. I love to be on the building side of operations, and working through the gains and pains of hyper-growth. A decade ago I started my career in a small Adtech start-up, WebPick, as the 10th employee. The company grew to 200 in under two years. I left after six years to give birth to my first child. After that, I was looking for another rollercoaster ride, so I joined Bringg about three and a half years ago, which I was inspired to join because of the people, the product and of course the purpose! I dedicate my time to ensuring that the right people join the company and that they continuously grow to their full potential, thereby creating the engaged and productive professionals who create our company’s success.

On a scale of 1-10, how much did the coronavirus pandemic disrupt operations at the company?

You call it disruption, we call it change. We welcome change, we think change is the catalyst for growth - if you welcome it and know how to do it right. Everything changed, from where we work physically, to how we felt mentally, and how far apart we all became. We also realized that our customers are facing the same challenges, while consumers are suffering at a time when they need online delivery and fulfillment to be top-notch. It was obviously an opportunity for us to show the value of what we offer the market. As is happening in many companies, everyone jumped into the fray. We had to immediately step up our efficiency, so our role as HR was to keep up the momentum, keep people engaged and happy - and at the same time to be aware of the business, be careful when things were uncertain, and be bold when we saw we can really move the needle significantly.

So if I had to rate it on a scale - we got ‘disrupted’ on a level of 10. And we love it!

We're in a market that changes so rapidly and revolutionizes itself continuously, that disruption (as you call it) is our day-to-day. We are proud of how quickly we as a company and as individuals were able to react to the changes in operations.

What interesting technological tools do you use in employee management/recruitment?

Our infrastructure for employee management and recruiting was set way before the pandemic, but as fatigue hit everyone several weeks in, and once we all understood that the pandemic was here to stay, we invested lots of resources in our people - specifically in education and training. We subscribed to Udemy, which is a great learning platform with thousands of learning sessions for all fields of expertise (and not only in the professional world but anything from mindfulness courses and up to iPhone photography courses). We're all about personal and professional growth at Bringg, putting the employee's career path on top priority, so it was only natural that the time people save by not being stuck in traffic should be invested in their personal growth, with top-quality learning materials.

What positive and/or negative impact did the outbreak have on the human capital of the company?

There is always a bright side to look at - and this time it’s about purpose, not perks. And our team was very grateful for being in a company that is helping keep businesses and goods moving and helping people get the goods and services they need in places with stay-at-home orders and store closures. People appreciated having a job in a company that will withstand a pandemic, and will even come out of it bigger and stronger. It's not about the perks; it never was for us, and it’s not the way in which we win over talents. It’s about the purpose: innovating, and working with talented people in a company that disrupts the status quo and aims to make the world a better place.

What are the two major challenges you are coping with these days?

We are coping with building the company of the future. This is so interesting and challenging - not only because we grow so fast and it’s often painful to keep up - but because no one really knows what new companies will look like and how they’ll behave post-pandemic - and we, all the Bringgsters, are now building it together. It’s great to have our people work as a team on this, especially when we know we are surrounded by people with sharp instincts, and make decisions based on values that will be embedded in every aspect of the business in the future.

Are you actively recruiting? If so, what is the process and where can the applicants find you?

Yes, we are in hyper-recruitment mode and need to double our team by the end of the year. We’re looking for talented people who move fast, and who are passionate about contributing to the growth of the company.

The hiring process is unique per position, and we build it in a way that it will be a two-way learning format for both us and the candidate. Most importantly is to understand beyond the candidate’s experience, so we look for how you approach challenges, how you make decisions, how you speak your mind, and how you collaborate on brainstorming. So for example, in a Product Manager hiring process, you may find yourself creating an MVP with the team on a whiteboard. Right now, we’re mainly hiring R&D and Product positions here in Israel. Send your CV to jobs@bringg.com or check out our career page www.bringg.com/careers

Which changes forced upon you by the circumstances will stay in place after Covid-19 is over, and which are you most eager to revert back to normal?

Nothing is forced. For every change that came our way, we found the most effective solution and got accustomed to it, but not too comfortable so that we will feel the need to keep innovating, keep finding ways to stay relevant. Obviously, we have an eagerness to get back to office chats by the fruit shake machine, the walks with the dogs in the park, and the PlayStation tournaments into the night.