Why we are a “people-first” company - Part 2: Giving employees what they deserve

In the first part of this article (link), we shared everything about our work environment. But we also want you to know that we provide Compensations, Perks and Opportunities for the Yuxies, empowering them to be more outstanding talents.

COMPENSATION
“Solve people problems and incentive their leadership and sharing culture”

Salary: At YUX, we have our way of providing salaries to the employees. We define our salary grid based on the Seniority of our employees and the skills map we aim to conduct. The Seniority is also set by hard and soft skills on the skills maps. We have the Junior, Middle, and Senior levels. The level refers to the employees' experiences, capacities, and performance. It applies to all employees regardless of their positions. 

Bonus for vertical lead: Vertical leads maximize YUX visibility and impact the company aims to bring through conferences, webinars, and several studies. They run in-person and online events. YUX gives them bonuses based on the significance of the initiative and the effort they put into the work. They have run conferences and webinars on Health, Education, Gender, and Agritech.

Bonus for Academy teachers: The YUX Academy has internal and client training courses, which can be conducted online or in person. We provide bonuses for the Academy teachers. To receive the bonuses, they have to prepare the course in advance and have it validated, then they also need to deliver the agreed number of hours. "Productive work results in satisfaction." 

To improve / What’s next on compensation: 
We should adapt the grid for each country we hire because the competition and cost of living can vary significantly between Dakar, Abuja, Nairobi, and Kigali... We can analyze that through a focus group with employees during the Team Building. Apart from that, we should explore an improved approach to determine the appropriate bonus for managers.
.
PERKS - FOR EVERYONE
First, we define Perks as the advantages that are for every Yuxie. We did not see any fairness in just adding bonuses to employees' salaries, so we created something different that could shape the employees' journey as Yuxies. Our perks include insurance, an external training budget, personal flight, and internet/food bonuses. 

Health Insurance: YUX has set a budget for Yuxies with more than 1 year of experience in the company. We pay them directly to the providers. YUX emphasizes Equity by fixing the budget, but it might not be enough for someone in a specific country or too much for someone else in another country. However, making the budget based on where the employee is based might create a conflict in the company, so fixing the budget is better, and the employees will manage the rest. 

Internal Training: YUX offers internal training programs to enhance employee capacity and performance. Training topics are based on employee needs and desired skill reinforcement. Led by managers, Co-founders, or any other Yuxies, internal training is complemented by external training due to increasing demand. Employees can request training relevant to both personal growth and company development. The company covers training fees within a designated budget, focusing on job-relevant skills. Manager validation is required to ensure training aligns with company objectives, preventing misuse for external job pursuits. This year, we have done the Biz Dev and Graphic Design training. 

Personal Flight ticket: After the first year at YUX, Yuxies get the opportunity to receive a flight ticket to go to one of the African countries of their choice. The goal is to allow the employees to immerse themselves abroad to learn new cultures or even languages relevant to their work (English for non-English speaking employees). It also allows them to take a break and recharge. However, the issue is that some employees don't want to take that opportunity but prefer exploring their own countries. 

Internet bonus: As a remote company, the Internet is the central aspect that can make the work happen. We ensure everyone has Internet access by adding an extra amount to their salaries. We fixed the budget, which is tricky because the internet fees are different for every country. We emphasize Equity, so we set the amount, and the employees should manage how they use the Internet for work. 

To improve / What’s next on perks:
Concerning the flight ticket, we can not force the employees to go abroad but want to give everyone equal opportunities. However, we must explain to the employees what we want them to get from the trip. It can be a culture exchange or language immersion and even find several companies in other countries that YUX can work with.  

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES - FOR HIGH POTENTIAL TALENTS
Other than the perks, we also have opportunities that are advantages to specific Yuxies based on relevancy for YUX, overall performance, and leadership. It is up to the employees to identify the opportunities relevant to their career growth. As part of the process, the employee has to pitch to the managers and Co-founders to highlight the motivation and impact for YUX. The opportunities include immersion abroad, conferences abroad, internal training, and study loan. 

Immersion abroad: Unlike the flight ticket on the perks, the immersion abroad is an opportunity that enhances cross-cultural understanding and skill development, fostering innovation and personal growth among employees. Eg: A francophone employee can do an English immersion in an Anglophone country to improve his/her English skills (There will no longer be any language barrier in the company). An immersion abroad may cost a lot of money, so we always ensure we are on a budget before validating the immersion. 

Conferences abroad: As a Design company, we attend several conferences related to the UX-UI to be known as an ambitious Design company to attract potential clients' attention, sensitize, share, inspire, and get inspired by other companies. We should not send the same people to attend conferences so everyone has the opportunity to participate in and play the role of a YUX ambassador. Attending a conference requires validation from the managers and Co-founders. We don't want the employees to return with empty hands from the conferences; they must bring something that can shape the company's future. When we pay, we receive back!

Study Loan: We hire talented young professionals who might still need to continue their studies while working at YUX. So, we added Loan study as part of our opportunities. The budget is limited, and the loan has to be paid every month at the end of the study. The question is: will the employee remain at YUX after her/his study? Or did the person just use YUX as an investor to fund her/his study? We need to be vigilant, and an explicit agreement is required. 

To improve / What's next on opportunities:
We have to empower the employees to take ownership of the opportunities. It is not about competing with each other, but they have to know what they want and what they should take from the opportunities. We should also suggest relevant immersions and conferences to the employees. 
 
CONCLUSION
To sum up, this article shows how much we care about our employees. Everyone is a resource that makes YUX the Design company that we want. Yes, everyone has to work hard to go towards our mission, but we can not let them work without caring for them and knowing what they need. YUX isn't just a company; it's a home for ambitious minds shaping African innovation.

We are trying our best to give our employees the best care they deserve, but we know nothing can be perfect; there is always room for improvement. We also want to know your perspective as you read through the article. Comment below on what we can improve for a better journey at YUX. 
Then, what do you do at your company when it comes to taking care of the employees?