Audible People Principles and More
There’s a good chance that you have heard about Audible, the company that produces best selling audio books and delivers them to customers across the globe. Despite its success, it has had to adapt to the times and the needs of its workforce. In its quest to keep up with the competition, Audible has launched a variety of initiatives in the last couple of years, and there’s plenty more on the horizon.
The Audible People Principles are the company’s marquee initiatives and are a series of guiding tenets that employees can apply to their day-to-day work. These are embodied in a series of posters designed by Phil Bratter and Karin Helgason and are often referred to as the company’s’signature’.
One of the more notable changes to come in the near future is a hybrid return to the office, which Audible is calling Hub + Home. This new hybrid model provides employees with the flexibility to work from home on certain days and to have meetings in-person at designated offices. At the same time, Hub + Home prioritizes employee mental health by design. It’s no surprise that a company with an audio entertainment business would want to keep its most talented employees happy.
Aside from implementing a number of the above mentioned initiatives, Audible is also investing in the future of work by expanding its partnership with 1Huddle, a workforce tech firm that specializes in creating mobile games and edifying employees through science-backed experiences. To this end, the company has invested in a new flagship product, “The Hubbub” – a listening-based experience geared towards helping employees to forge new relationships and reconnect with their colleagues. As a result, the new initiative will help employees better understand their role in the company’s mission.
Similarly, Audible has invested in the other triumvirate of a good ol’-fashioned coffee break chat, cross-functional brainstorming, and mentoring interns. Despite the focus on digital innovation, Audible has also made a commitment to a traditional approach, such as offering employees volunteer opportunities and creating a robust mentor program.
Of course, a commitment to innovation isn’t enough. You have to have a well-rounded approach if you want to succeed. For example, a commitment to diversity was an obvious requirement, but a commitment to innovation is necessary to build a culture and retain the best of the best. So, the best way to achieve this is to do a bit of the research and find the right people to lead the way. If you don’t have the foresight to do this right, you may wind up like Audible did: investing in a promising company, only to find that it is a waste of time and money.
Audible’s biggest achievements to date include the creation of a brand new audiobook product, the launch of a listening-based experience and the company’s most important – and most expensive – move yet, a food delivery service in Newark. And now, Audible is taking its next major step by partnering with 1Huddle to provide a full suite of learning tools to Audible’s 8,000+ employees and community partners.
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