Indigenous-owned tech company Animikii says making love the focus of its decisions -- from accepting clients to partnering with investors to supporting employees during a global pandemic -- is key to its success, now and for generations to come.
Animikii founder and CEO Jeff Ward is photographed outside the Songhees Wellness Centre in Victoria on March 20, 2023. But at Indigenous-owned tech company Animikii, you can find it everywhere -- including in company decisions about hiring, remote work and flexibility.
"We know that if we focus on those teachings ... that's our best bet to have a successful outcome or a positive impact over those generations." But he wanted his employees to get the flexibility he'd had as a solo entrepreneur working from home. Animikii's policies include personal days, companywide paid days off, unpaid cultural leave, alternative statutory holidays, paid pet leave, bereavement leave for chosen family and compressed work weeks. They have changed and expanded over time, especially in light of the pandemic, said chief operating officer David Pereira -- the balance "is still a work in progress."
Ward says it can be challenging to balance these values with running a business. There have been years where the company was more focused on its social impact, to the detriment of potential profits, he said. And there have been years where the focus was too much on profits. The company tries to be transparent with employees when it comes to trying to maintain this balance, said Ward.
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