The initiatives at FanDuel for investing in their people
Written by Jill Cameron, Senior Director of Human Resources
At FanDuel, our people are essential. It is their passion and skillsets that directly contribute to the quality and consistency of our products and services, and we realise that investing in and developing them at every level of our organisation is key.
In recent times we have seen a positive cultural shift, with more companies putting a greater focus on providing their people with what they need to be able to do their best work. By retaining our people long-term and investing in growing their skills from the beginning of their careers, we ensure a better-supported team that gets a higher quality of work done.
We aim to foster an attitude of innovation and agility in all our people, regardless of their level or role. We know that someone with experience and knowledge of our brand is the most likely to steer it on the right course, and better pursue the actions and make the choices that will allow our community to flourish.
But what does our investment look like in real terms? Well, it’s not all just remuneration, which could be considered the most recognised or traditional definition of investment. While we are confident that our pay is where it needs to be, we recognise that clever investment is more than just numbers.
Investment shows up in a lot of different ways:
-
Through our ways of working-
At FanDuel, teams are structured to support all levels of skills and experience, with our lead engineers available to coach and support wherever necessary. Peer-to-peer support within the first weeks and months of a new member of the team starting is central to cultivating our emerging tech talent. The importance of having reciprocal team structures where we learn and support each other is a key FanDuel principle — #oneteam. -
Through time/space for learning-
10% time is something that our product engineering teams really value. This is an allocation of time — 10% of the working week — to be used when convenient. We encourage our people to regularly build in and take this time to learn a new tech skill, or work on a project, for example. -
Through partnerships and structured programmes-
We offer our team access to a range of programmes aimed at fostering their development. These manifest in a number of ways, including CodeClan bootcamps, relationships with organisations like Code First Girls, Scotland Women in Tech, and Scotland IS. Next year will also see the launch of our female-focused returnship programme which will support female colleagues who are returning to the team after extended career breaks.
Furthermore, we’re undertaking a benefits uplift, and talking to our people about what is working for them — whether that’s through more support for conversations around mental health to greater pay transparency or providing access to financial education, through flexibility in the working model, and improvements to support such as reworked parental leave.
With our origin and roots firmly planted in Scotland, and now being recognised as one of the biggest players in U.S. sports betting gaming, and entertainment with innovative technology at the heart of our business, we are in a unique position here at FanDuel. We see 2023 as a key moment for us to deepen our partnerships within our community, share our knowledge more widely within the Scottish tech ecosystem and help to foster programmes and initiatives that support tech talent nationally and beyond.
We’ll continue to work with established organisations such as CodeClan where we’ll look to deepen our involvement beyond our existing entry-level programmes and see in which ways we can apply our size, scale, and tech knowledge to support their programmes. There will also be opportunities for our people to learn and grow by providing advice and mentorship for their boot camp cohorts and intern programme.
We always aim to share our knowledge with the next generation of talent. To share some of my own personal advice that I’ve learned throughout my career, I’d include the following as pieces of wisdom that keep me right:
-
Learning mindset-
Make time for applied learning. Practising what has been preached to you is a sure-fire way to really understand what you have been taught. -
Be open and curious-
Being interested in the people you meet and the work that they are doing, asking questions about your own work, and looking for outside-the-box solutions to problems will get you on other’s radars for the right reasons. -
Spotting opportunities and taking them-
A linear career path is an increasingly outdated notion. A step off to the side to learn about something new could turn out to be the very thing that sparks your next opportunity. -
Involve others-
Build a support network that knows you, your strengths, areas for improvement, and where you can be most impactful. They can help you to spot the next exciting opportunity, hold up a mirror from time to time and will cheerlead you when you need it most. This can be more experienced peers, mentors, former managers, or senior leaders — there are plenty of options.
If you’re interested in proof, our colleague Kristie Yorkston is a great example of a once-junior member of the team who has put the above into practice, making and using the many available opportunities and team-wide support to grow herself and her career.
Kristie Yorkston, Lead Engineer at FanDuel
Starting my career at FanDuel has sometimes felt like a baptism by fire… but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I like a bit of chaos in the calm and the people that I’ve worked with over the years as I’ve grown with the company have changed my life, making every working day better. They have believed in me from the day of my interview and helped me become a Lead Engineer in 5 years.
At FanDuel, every day is different, even every year is different, but our core values remain the same. Our slogan ‘one team’ prevails through our work every day and our processes have continued to improve over the years. It’s a very different world for our current L2 engineers now from when I was a junior engineer thanks to some incredible people in FanDuel who have supported our entry-level programs. If you like a bit of variety every day and collaborating with some incredible people, FanDuel is a great place to work. You don’t even have to know anything about sports, we can teach you that.
You can learn more about our team opportunities here: https://www.fanduel.co.uk/
The initiatives at FanDuel for investing in their people was originally published in FanDuel Life on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.