Reference no: EM132930890

The software company called Lob is cofounder and CEO Leore Avidar's attempt to make a workplace that is the opposite of what he experienced in his first job. Avidar started his career at a Wall Street firm trading mortgage-backed securities. He felt that he and his co-workers were going through the motions each day without any meaningful collaboration. He had expected to feel a sense of mutual loyalty between himself and his organization, but instead, he felt insignificant. So Avidar decided to start his own company, which he could run consistently with his values. That company, Lob, provides the systems and software to automate the creation and delivery of direct mail, bringing that form of marketing into the Internet age. Most important to Avidar are Lob's values, beginning with the idea that people are the company's foundation. In particular, the company values diversity; it recently won Tech in Motion's Timmy Award for the Best Tech Workplace for Diversity. The criteria were that it hires for diversity, promotes collaboration and diverse thinking in support of innovation, and gives employees the resources they need to value diversity. Avidar's key HR goal is that employees will want to stay 30 years. This is a startling goal for the high-tech industry, where employee turnover 13%, and the giant companies typically keep an employee for an average of just one year. To achieve this, Lob emphasizes career growth. Employees have access to offsite development programs, industry conferences, and regular feedback from their managers, with the expectation that the work of pursuing a career path is the employee's personal responsibility. For Avidar, the focus is personal. He says coaching employees and seeing their development are what make him the most excited and proud as a business owner.

-Describe Avidar's experience of his psychological contract with his first employer. How does it compare the psychological contract he seeks with employees at Lob?

-How do Avidar's values and approach to human resources management support Lob's business success?