Spotlight: Our Employee Experience Team

Aug 30, 2022 | From Leadership

By Gianna DiBlasio, Head of Employee Experience

Gianna
You are Head of Employee Experience at Athena. Describe your job title for us.
Head of Employee Experience is overseeing the overall employee engagement strategy, which includes the employee journey through all the touchpoints at our company. Our goal is to foster an environment where all employees feel valued, supported, and productive.

You had an interesting employee journey. Tell us a little about that and how you ended up here.
Prior to Athena, I was at a large company in the human resources sector. But I really enjoyed the work that Athena produced and was looking forward to a potential career change. I joined in the client-facing space and did that for over a year and loved collaborating with our clients and cross-functional teams. While I learned a lot in that time, I did miss the connection with employees. When the role of Head of Employee experience opened, I jumped at the opportunity to lead and contribute to creating and maintaining a positive, rewarding work environment.

Gianna Headshot
What’s a typical day like for you?
Something I have always loved about human resources is your day to day can differ so much. I have the opportunity to work directly with employees, dive into talent acquisition, focus on performance management, come up with creative solutions to engage our staff, and much more. I can start my day by screening applicants and end it by helping spearhead an employee engagement initiative like our recent outing to a Phillies game!

What makes Athena such a unique workplace?
Our collaborative environment and our staff drive much of our culture here. I think it sets us apart from other companies in our industry. We have pride in our work and in our relationships with each other and our clients. When asked what they like best about Athena, most employees say the people.

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Part of your role includes overseeing the Athena Intern Program. What are some of the qualities you look for in a desirable intern candidate?
We are so proud of our intern program and all our interns whom we have had the pleasure of working with over the years. We look for dependable candidates who possess impressive critical thinking skills and a strong attention to detail. Our ideal candidates are eager to learn, grow, collaborate, and work hard.

What are some of your insights and suggestions for potential intern and full-time candidates when they apply?
Candidates who understand who Athena is and have reviewed case studies prior to interviews are always appreciated and valued. We appreciate prompt responses, honesty, and collaborative conversation.

Any final thoughts on secrets to success for candidates?
Be true to who you are and what you are looking for next in your career and don’t be afraid to ask questions!

Interested in making a career change like Gianna did? Check out Athena’s current list of job opportunities.

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