Pronto Values
Understanding and living Pronto's values
No Proton is perfect. We don’t expect everyone to excel at every value. We all have areas for improvement and growth. From hiring, to peer and performance reviews to development, Pronto Values guide our path. They inspire us to bring the best version of ourselves to work each day, and to stay true to who we are. They provide a consistent benchmark that we all share and believe in.
Pronto Values are not answers. They don’t tell you what to do. Think of the values as a compass that gives you direction on how to behave and work at Pronto. They remind you of what’s really important each day you come to work. Pronto Values are expressed best when you are yourself, and live the values in your unique way.
Pronto Values are important. They are not a poster on the wall, or a cute t-shirt. They are how we live and work at Pronto each and every day. No matter how good your skills or work, how great your contributions might be, the values are not optional. They are the “how” in the “what” we do.
Diversity makes us stronger
Protons value our diversity and enjoy working with all types of people, from all around the world. We are a multi-cultural, diverse team that doesn’t discriminate against those who are different. We make an extra effort to be inclusive and understanding of others. We work together to build a work environment that is safe for each of us to be our true selves.
Diversity makes us stronger means we...
- Are aware of language and cultural differences
- Show respect to people who are different from us
- Make an effort to learn from other points of view
- Strive to create a space that’s comfortable for everyone to be themselves
✔ Taking the time to speak or write in a way that others, at different skill levels, can understand.
✔ Making an effort to learn about others and their background.
✖️ Being insensitive to differences between people.
✖️ Creating a “we versus them” environment.
✖️ Using cultural or racial stereotypes.
✖️ Being self-conscious or afraid of being your true self for fear of not fitting in
Make things better
Protons know that they, and Pronto, can always improve. We value the questions, “How could this be improved?” or, “How could I be better?” When we have ideas, we share them. If we see a problem and have ideas how to improve it, we know how to move forward, take initiative and implement a solution.
Make things betters means we...
- Enjoy taking something that works today and improving it
- Have the attitude that everything can be better
- Make an extra effort to identify and solve problems; and implement solutions
- Understand that improvement is trial and error - failure is OK
✔ A writer or editor might create more content templates to make work easier and avoid content duplication for clients.
✖️ Having ideas you think will improve the work process but not voicing them. Ideas good and bad should be shared so people can say if they agree or not.
✖️ Rather than making small incremental improvements you try to make things perfect the first time around and in the end, fail to make any improvement at all.
Get things done
We are a service company; we do things for our customers. Protons value it when things happen, when projects get completed, tickets get closed, and solutions get implemented. We always want to do work we are proud of, but we understand the importance of execution and finishing a task.
Get things done means we...
- Work hard and are focused on completing tasks and projects
- Strive to do things right the first time
- Understand that work is not done if it is handed-off incomplete
- Know there is always something to do
✔ Taking a deliberate and careful approach to work that has a good balance between completing the task, and high quality.
✔ Asking for help when you need it.
✖️ Moving tickets or tasks to others without completing your part of the work, or passing difficult work to others.
✖️ Rushing to get things done without doing it well.
Be someone people can count on
Everything we do at Pronto is the result of people working together – everyone doing their part. Protons value promises and commitments and being a person others can count on through both good and bad times. We know it’s critical for our customers to be able to count on us, as we count on each other.
Be someone people can count on means...
- Follow-through on our commitments
- Strive to be consistent in what we say, and what we do
- Build trust through our work, actions, and attitude
- Understand that saying “no” is better than making commitment we can’t meet
✔ When you know your team members have a heavy workload or other issues and you offer to step up, help out and share the work.
✖️ Making commitments you can’t meet.
✖️ Not sharing the team workload fairly and evenly.
✖️ Handing over work that you could do easily. Not telling people in advance when you know you will be out of the office. Not handing over work with clear instructions when you’re taking leave.
✖️ Doing too much work for others, when you could be helping them improve their skills or time management.
✖️ Feeling overwhelmed because you’re too busy taking care of others.
Embrace Change
Our world is changing everyday and Pronto must change to survive. Protons value change because we understand that change is how we grow and improve. We accept that change can be difficult at times, but are always ready to move forward when change is required.
Embracing change means we...
- Understand that change is required for us to reach our goals
- Can lead or follow, but are ready to change
- Accept that change can be difficult, but commit to the process
- Keep a positive attitude and open our mind to change
✔ Taking a deliberate and careful approach to work that has a good balance between completing the task, and high quality.
✔ Being a leader who embraces change, and helps others adjust.
✔ Giving new systems a chance to work and see if they improve things before you complain or say, “But we always do it this way!”
✔ Accepting when changes have not worked out and be willing to change again.
✖️ Displaying passive-aggressive behavior where you don’t voice your concerns about change, then quietly resist the change.
✖️ Reacting to new ideas with “But we don’t do it that way”.
✖️ Refusing to go along with new changes when teammates are trying to adapt to a new system.
✖️ Moving too fast with change and not taking the time to support your team and others that might need help.
✖️ Moving forward too fast without thinking of the implications or bringing the team on board.
Do The Right Thing
Protons value doing the right thing for the long term, not the easy thing for the moment. We make decisions and take actions that build long-term relationships and a sustainable business. For us doing the right thing means we use good judgement; we look for win-win situations that support our customers’ and Pronto’s long-term success.
DOING THE RIGHT THING MEANS WE...
- Are not perfect, but strive to use our best judgement
- Look for long term, win-win solutions for customers, Pronto, our team, and ourselves
- Make decisions and take actions that are consistent with Pronto’s purpose and mission
- Are thoughtful about relationships and the implications of our decisions
✔ Having the ability to balance the different needs and goals of clients and Pronto in a fair way.
✔ Helping a customer understand a better way to fulfill their request.
✖️ Doing the wrong thing for the customer because they told you to do it.
✖️ Trying to make everyone happy, when it might be better to say “no” and give a thoughtful explanation why.
Focus On The Team
Pronto is a team of teams. Protons value being part of a fun, hardworking team. We want to belong to something bigger than ourselves. While we respect individual achievement, we are not a culture of lone heroes. We value and respect the person who makes big contributions as part of a team, and in the process makes their team better.
Focus on the team means we...
- Think about 'We' before 'Me'
- Are aware of our team’s workload, not just our own
- Share knowledge and strive to make others better
- Work effectively within and across teams
✔ Keeping a good balance between our own individual workload and commitments, with a willingness to help the team.
✔ Taking the time to “teach others to fish” so each member of the team can contribute more.
✔ Making sure every team member feels welcome and supported.
✖️ Focusing on your team only in an “us versus them” way.
✖️ Not taking individual responsibility for work done or mistakes made.
✖️ Focusing too much on the team and ignoring individual commitments.
Listening And Speaking With Care
Good communication means saying what you feel or think, but always with respect and empathy, even when it’s difficult. Protons value clear and direct communication, and we value listening carefully. We appreciate constructive feedback, even when it’s hard to accept at times.
Listening and speaking with care means we...
- Are straightforward and direct in how we communicate
- Know how to listen carefully
- Treat people with respect, even when we disagree
- Are mindful when we speak about others
✔ Speaking to people face-to-face, especially if you have something to explain, thereby taking advantage of the open plan office.
✔ Speaking up in a team meeting and voicing your ideas.
✖️ Not listening to advice/criticism.
✖️ Not sharing relevant changes/information with team mates.
✖️ Taking things personally.
✖️ Accepting unfair criticism without sharing your perspective with the other person.
✖️ Being afraid to disagree.
Always Be Growing & Learning
Protons value the opportunity to learn new things and improve themselves, We focus on improving both our professional “hard skills” as well as the “soft skills” that enable us to interact with others more effectively and harmoniously. We value self-motivated personal development and taking the initiative to learn new things.
Always be growing and learning means we...
- Are inquisitive and love to learn
- Take ownership for self-improvement
- Have balance in developing both soft and hard skills
- Are not afraid to take risks as we try and learn new things
✔ Talking to other teams, learning about what they do and how they work.
✔ Taking an interest in Internet Marketing as a whole; looking at which websites stand out and what you can learn from them?
✖️ Not taking any interest in learning new things.
✖️ Coming to work, doing what’s in your inbox and leaving. Not reading, learning, and exploring. Always doing your job in the same way every day.
✖️ Taking too much time away from getting work done to be learning new things.
Susu!
Protons love a big challenge. When things are difficult we stay positive and work as a team. We believe that work and fun belong together. We take personal responsibility to bring the best of ourselves to work each day and are active in building a positive and happy work environment for everyone.
Susu means we...
- Stay positive, even in tough situations
- Are willing to take on a tough challenge and never give up
- Help nurture Pronto as a happy workplace
- Know how to have fun, and work hard
✔ Remembering you may be having a bad day now but tomorrow’s a new day. Don’t let it bring you and your team down. Smile!
✔ Draw on the positive vibe of the office as a whole. Together we’re moving in the right direction.
✔ Don’t bottle things up. Communicate.
✖️ Coming to work with a bad attitude and not saying a good word to anyone.
✖️ Being passive aggressive and not communicating. Gossiping, complaining.
✖️ Having too much fun, and not getting work done.
✖️ Overestimating the resources we have.