At corporate travel company Spotnana, the career journey is the ultimate destination.
From international offsites — most recently in Jaipur, India — to global leadership training held across multiple headquarters, every facet of Spotnana’s culture is crafted to foster radical connection and growth.
“Our goal is to make Spotnana the best place to work, not just through our words, but through our actions and the culture we nurture daily,” Head of People Jessica Bartlett explained. “The People Team’s vision is to make Spotnana the best destination in our employee’s careers.”
The corporate travel company actualizes this vision with intentional planning and creative opportunities for tangible growth. Founded on the belief that travel is essential for connecting people, Spotnana leans into its corporate travel ethos, often uniting its team members through in-person events or remote global gatherings.
At the recent launch of its in-house Manager Essentials Workshop, Spotnana’s vision of company-wide kinship was on full display. Held at both its Spotnana NYC HQ and the Spotnana Bangalore Office, the worksop served all managers based in the US, UK and India, regardless of tenure.
Beyond connecting its people via a shared experience, this workshop laid the foundation for a shared language among its managers — a unifying impact that will be carried far beyond the walls of Spotnana’s various headquarters.
“It was vital to deliver this program in-house to ensure it was tailored to Spotnana,” said Bartlett. “By building a manager community and common language, this program is truly creating positive change we can build upon throughout the year.”
From its most tenured leader to its newest hire, Spotnana knows that people are the driving force behind its success. Accordingly, it has invested intentional energy into its recruiting, retention and talent-development efforts.
“We cultivate our culture and workplace in a way that helps employees thrive, grow, feel valued and respected — and have the best moments of their career,” said Bartlett.
To do so, Spotnana leads with compassion towards every member of its workforce.
“We consider the ‘whole person’ when creating our policies, programs and benefits,” Bartlett shared. “We have employees at every life stage, from entry level to retirement, and from diverse backgrounds, so it’s important we create programs that cater to all needs.
“We want Spotnana to be a destination for growth for every Spotter, regardless of their career stage,” she continued.
Bartlett shared more about how Spotnana brings its mission-driven culture to life — and why this culture sparks meaningful connection for its team members and customers alike.
What structures or policies support Spotnana’s values, culture and mission?
Spotnana was founded on the belief that travel is essential for connecting people. We bring this to life in our team culture through connecting our teams at in-person events. Our flagship event is our Global Offsite — we bring every Spotter together to connect on our vision, mission and goals, as well as strengthen relationships that help foster collaboration and empathy when we are back in our home locations.
It’s important we create programs that cater to all needs. Traditional medical benefits don’t cut it. We take pride in offering robust, inclusive benefits that support all life stages and family structures.
Spotnana is intentional about prioritizing personal well-being. You will often hear “family and health first.” Our global employee base works hard to solve the complex problem of modernizing the trillion-dollar travel industry’s infrastructure. Supporting their well-being is a key priority for us.
“Our global employee base works hard to solve the complex problem of modernizing the travel industry’s infrastructure: Supporting their well-being is key.”
How do you build and nurture team culture at Spotnana?
Our shared view is that treating each other with respect and focusing on high-quality work drives excellent results. Fostering an inclusive culture where employees show up as their authentic selves allows them to do their best work, which in turn, leads to the company’s success. We actively work with leadership to define and communicate the company’s mission and values, creating a sense of unity and shared purpose.
We believe leadership is key to creating a team-based work environment and are making intentional investments in hiring and developing great managers. We believe it’s the biggest driver of employee engagement, development and retention.
This fall we launched an in-house Manager Essentials Workshop. This in-person workshop was held at both our Spotnana NYC HQ and the Spotnana Bangalore Office, reaching all our people managers based in the US, UK, and India. Our in-house management essentials training is tailored to Spotnana, and every People Manager attends regardless of tenure. This is to ensure that we create a common language and a management community and we leverage the learnings and experiences of our more experienced managers.
We also introduced a dedicated leadership interview. All candidates for roles that include people management responsibilities will include a dedicated People Manager interview as part of the recruiting process to ensure that we properly assess management capabilities, set management expectations and hire strong managers to support the next stage of growth for Spotnana.
What is the employee value proposition for those considering joining Spotnana?
New employees at Spotnana can expect to enhance their skills, take on new responsibilities, and advance in their careers. Our balanced approach to work contributes to well-being and fosters long-term career satisfaction. Working in a socially responsible company like ours aligns with an employee’s values and adds a sense of purpose to their career. We believe how we work together is equally as important as the work we do.
We provide opportunities for our team to stretch their skills and explore new projects — all in the context of modernizing the trillion-dollar travel industry’s infrastructure. This startup environment, combined with regular training sessions and access to on-demand learning, aligns with our organization’s goals. Our team members have the opportunity to work with colleagues around the world and gather with them at international destinations.
We celebrate both big and small achievements, creating a sense of camaraderie and pride. We recognize milestones and work achievements through our #thanks slack channel, monthly global town halls and team meetings. We also observe events like International Women’s Day and Mental Health Awareness Month, which help bring people together and strengthen bonds across the globe.
People are behind everything we do. We take pride in cultivating an environment of ownership and empowerment, hoping every Spotter feels they have grown their career during their time with us.
