Illinois-centered Zebra Technologies is really a growing firm of 8 nearly,000 employees that continues to meet up Wall Street expectations, when confronted with COVID-19 disruption even. The 260-strong worldwide IT organization (not really counting managed providers) enables that achievement, helping as a “strategic lever” for the ongoing company;s core company of enterprise-level data catch and automated identification solutions offering businesses with operational presence, through from barcode RFID and scanners answers to wearable computers and interactive kiosks.

This growth-oriented, stimulating environment intellectually, combined with a solid concentrate on work-life balance, resulted in a minimal 2019 voluntary turnover rate of only 3.78 percent in an competitive marketplace for IT talent &mdash extremely; and contributed to Zebra’s position because the #3 midsize corporation on this yr’s Best Locations to Work inside it list. Its leadership states that Zebra supplies the greatest of both worlds: the chance to pursue intellectual problems and advancement opportunities usually reserved for consulting, the work-life stability of a well balanced job yet, a flex-work plan, and generous vacation period.

“The IT section at Zebra has already established a dull moment,” states CIO Deepak Kaul, who joined up with the organization 12 years back when it had been an $800 million organization — now it really is approaching $5 billion. “Zebra Technologies offers been growing always, moving, evolving and changing, with a feeling of accomplishment and objective,” he states. “Employees get yourself a complete large amount of ownership in the task they do here, and the ongoing business has a great deal of respect because of its people.”
Zebra Technologies
“At Zebra, we make an effort to offer a balanced lifestyle.” —Deepak Kaul, CIO, Zebra Technologies

Last year, the business rolled and deployed several cloud-based systems out, developed customer-facing electronic apps, created technical ways of support business initiatives, and done IT modernization tasks. The IT team can be learning to make use of agile methodology and lean ideas to create high-quality capabilities to clients quicker while improving its work-life stability.

At the biggest market of Zebra’s technique for IT achievement is skill, Kaul explains. “Our mission would be to create a high-performing group and upcoming leaders,” he states. “Our IT workers are empowered to call home their finest lives with challenging, stimulating work but the flexible work place also.”

Zebra’s culture retains crucial workers

The company’s strategic development is what brought Diana Resendez to Zebra, within the acquisition of Motorola Solutions’ Enterprise business device in 2014. She acts as an IT business architect, where she actually is in charge of managing IT architecture, specifications, design and implementation techniques for the firm’s application infrastructure and systems.

Nonetheless it was the corporation’s culture which has led her to remain — she sensed she quickly match its lifestyle of learning and advancement and its strong assistance for diversity and inclusion, like the Zebra Equality Alliance LGBTQ+ Inclusion System (ZEAL), a Veterans Inclusion System (VETZ) and a Females’s Inclusion System (WIN).

“We appreciate the capability to always take part in challenging tasks and the possibilities that are available for me personally to pursue ongoing private development,” she states. In 2019, Resendez had been sponsored to acquire her Microsoft Data Technology Program Certification; the ongoing company in addition has sponsored her participation running a business analytics summits for days gone by three years.

“Currently, I’m benefiting from cloud application training, advanced analytics, low-code application growth and I am focusing on a third-party machine learning platform we have been implementing for the sales force,” she says.
Zebra Technologies.
A quiet second at Zebra Technologies headquarters in Lincolnshire, Illinois.

Along with offsite development opportunities, Zebra has its collaborative also, online learning system that launched at the ultimate end of 2018. It features articles on emerging technologies, company process analysis abilities, IT methodologies and leadership principles. A support group drives continued article marketing, from specialized learning circles to advancement workshops. Additionally, there are opportunities to strengthen gentle skills through the organization’s Leadership Growth Program and folks Manager Understanding Circles, providing a secure space for this leaders expressing their challenges.

Giving back again to employees

There are many techniques Zebra thanks its employees furthermore, including its Going the excess Mile (GEM) employee appreciation platform. Each supervisor receives a quarterly spending budget to reward GEM factors for positive worker behaviors. Employees may redeem their GEMs for a number of products and experiences after that.

“IT workers get so a lot appreciation, whether it’s for helping others within the business with simple difficulties such as for example resetting a password or even for long projects which have been prosperous and have a lot of hard work to get to the final range,” says Kaul.
Zebra Technologies
“I appreciate our company keeps us well informed.” —Sailaja Yellaturu, senior manager, This, Zebra Technologies

For Sailaja Yellaturu, senior supervisor, IT, the generous 401(k) plan, health programs and flexible work hrs are appreciated perks — as may be the office fitness service. “Among the things We noticed immediately was the optimistic and flexible work place that the business offered together with the great work-life stability,” she says.

Communication is front side and center from Zebra also. Each one fourth, Zebra hosts city hall meetings where people of the executive group come in to speak to all workers about how exactly the company does and introduce brand new initiatives.

“I appreciate our company keeps us knowledgeable and gathers us collectively regularly to boost communication and collaboration,” says Yellaturu. “We’ve also noticed considering that joining the business how approachable administration and our CIO are usually by keeping open-door plans and encouraging all of us to reach out in their mind to voice our views and concerns.”

Zebra’s recipe for this success was visible through the proceed to enable all 8 fully,000 worldwide workers to home based through the COVID-19 crisis. “We quickly achieved it very, in just a few days just,” states Kaul. “We’d to cope with a surge in requests because lots of people weren’t used to it, but we’d the technologies infrastructure, from collaboration equipment to remote control desktops.”

But as Zebra&rsquo even;s IT group continues to deal with challenging projects, the business is still taking the proper time and energy to remind employees to deal with themselves and their own families. “This is actually the right time and energy to be empathetic, while we generate results even,” states Kaul. “At Zebra, we make an effort to provide a balanced life.”

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