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title: May 2024 Hugginess Survey Results
emoji: 🤗
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May 2024 Hugginess Survey Results

I want to extend my gratitude to everyone who participated in this survey – your feedback is invaluable. 64% of you sent us your thoughts (58% is our average response rate). As always, if your perspective differs from the majority, please know that we value your viewpoint and are excited to make Hugging Face an even better place to work. Meg said it best when she said, “We disagree, but still respect one another and work towards a shared alignment on priorities.” Your voice matters to me and to Hugging Face.

TL;DR:

As we’ve seen in previous surveys, we greatly value the autonomy and freedom we experience at Hugging Face, along with the supportiveness and empathy within our teams. Additionally, work-life balance, the competence of our colleagues, and the opportunity to work on impactful projects are major positives. Since our last Hugginess Survey (October 2023), we’re excited to share that there are fewer concerns about the vision and direction of Hugging Face, and folks are feeling more clarity about their projects. Conversely, concerns about compensation, professional development, and belonging exist. We recognize these areas and are committed to addressing them.

A note on underrepresentation in tech: I also want to offer a special additional thank you for answering the question regarding underrepresentation in tech. We’ll use your self-identification to break down the survey answers a bit further. Watch out for the numbers in blue to see how our underrepresented voices responded to each question.

Across the board, people who identify as members of underrepresented groups in tech score each question slightly lower than those who do not identify themselves as members of an underrepresented group in tech. You can read more about each difference in the corresponding questions below, but that means we have more work to do to achieve our Belonging goal of “engaging an individual's full potential so that innovation thrives… [and] the sense of being accepted and included as a valued member of Hugging Face.”

That being said, while our numbers aren’t perfect, I want to congratulate the team for their attention and thoughtfulness regarding underrepresentation in tech. It’s a tough world out there for DEIB conversations, and even though there is room for improvement, I love that we are able to have them freely at Hugging Face 🤗

NPS Scores:**

As a quick reminder, NPS stands for Net Promoter Score, a metric we’ve used to measure employee satisfaction and engagement at work.

Here are the industry standards for NPS results. Overall, we do pretty great!

Hugging Face NPS

HF NPS = 49 (+12 pts from Oct 2023)
Underrepresented HF NPS = 40

We consistently highlight the autonomy and freedom we enjoy at Hugging Face, which allows us to pick and choose projects that inspire us. We highly value this sense of empowerment and a culture that prioritizes work-life balance and asynchronous communication. Y’all describe your colleagues as bright, creative, and collaborative, and we all put our brains together to contribute to a supportive and mission-driven environment. Many of us appreciate the opportunity to work on impactful projects and the flexibility in working hours and location. Our culture, which is focused less on shareholder value and more on meaningful work, is seen as a refreshing rarity in the tech world.

On the other hand, several of us expressed concerns about compensation and professional growth opportunities, feeling that salaries are not competitive and that there is a lack of clear advancement paths. Some also noted that while the high degree of autonomy empowers many, it might not suit everyone, especially those who prefer more structure and guidance. As we heard in the last survey, our dynamic, fast-paced environment, while stimulating for some, can also be stressful and contribute to feelings of job insecurity. Additionally, a few mentioned the challenges of making meaningful connections in a largely remote and asynchronous work setting, which leads to feelings of isolation. Hopefully the coming full-team offsite can help to mitigate some of these feelings.

Team Lead NPS

Team Lead NPS = 50 (+6 pts from Oct 2023)
Underrepresented Team Lead NPS = 34

Many of us appreciate our team leads for being supportive and understanding, and for providing ample room for individually-led growth. Team leads are frequently praised for their thoughtfulness, technical expertise, and ability to push their team members to achieve ambitious goals while balancing personal well-being. They are recognized for being open to conversations and providing a sense of friendship and support at work. The autonomy and lack of micromanagement, along with the supportive and empathetic nature of the team leads, are highly valued by many.

Some of us lack communication and support from our team leads. Issues like top-down management, unclear roles, and insufficient recognition of work are common concerns. A few team members mentioned feeling forgotten or that their contributions went unrecognized. There are also comments about the lack of cohesion and collaboration within teams, as well as the occasional absence of team leads when needed. Despite our generally supportive atmosphere, these comments highlight the need for improved communication and recognition.

My voice is heard and respected:

Average: 4/5
Underrepresented Average: 3.9/5

We feel our voices are heard and respected, especially when proposing new ideas and participating in discussions. Our open Slack culture encourages feedback, and colleagues are generally careful to respect each other's opinions. Team members appreciate the autonomy to share their thoughts and feel that their contributions are valued, even if not always acted upon. There is a sense that whole teams’ ideas are considered, and diverse perspectives are acknowledged and appreciated.

However, at times there are concerns about the effectiveness of being heard. Some of us feel that while our feedback is listened to, it doesn't always lead to change, creating a sense of frustration. Issues such as lack of team synchronization, lack of team lead communication, and feelings of underappreciation contribute to these experiences. These experiences make some employees feel undervalued and disconnected.

I included the above breakdown to illustrate how underrepresented voices experience unconscious biases on a daily basis that makes it more difficult to feel heard and respected. While the majority of us do feel heard, it’s important that we each continue to work on our biases AND actively work to support and amplify the underrepresented voices of our teammates.

Are you considering work opportunities at other companies?

The majority of our team is satisfied with our current roles. We appreciate the learning opportunities, the flexibility to balance work and life, and the supportive work environment. Several of us highlight our commitment to transparency and lack of micromanagement as positive aspects, and others feel that we are working on impactful projects that align with their personal and professional goals. The overall vibe, dedicated colleagues, and the belief in Hugging Face’s future are also strong motivators for staying.

On the flip side, compensation is a recurring concern, with some feeling that salaries are not competitive. Some employees mention a lack of growth opportunities and dissatisfaction with a lack of support. Issues with team cohesion and the demanding nature of the work contribute to feelings of frustration. Despite these challenges, the unique culture and opportunities are still a significant draw.

FYI, we did some research into benchmarks for this question and we found that Hugging Face is a high employee engagement company! Woo!

High Employee-Engagement Companies: Typically, only 10-20% of employees may be considering other opportunities.
Moderate Employee-Engagement Companies: Around 30-40% of employees may be considering other opportunities.
Low Employee-Engagement Companies: 50% or more of employees may be considering other opportunities.

What are you most excited about this year?

There is SO MUCH excitement about our growth and our expanding influence in the AI space. We are thrilled to see the Hub and open-source community grow, and we can see Hugging Face as the central platform for AI applications. The diverse projects and learning opportunities, along with the potential for significant impact, are major motivators. There is a strong sense of optimism about the future, with many looking forward to our next company-wide offsite, increased collaboration, and the continued development of cutting-edge technologies.

“I feel like this year will be a turning point for HF, and I'm excited to see the hub grow exponentially: more users, more communities, more companies building upon us.”
“Continuing this amazing journey at Hugging Face and meeting as many huggingpeople as possible!”
“Seeing how HF will evolve as we truly have become the agnostic platform that reunites all big tech companies and the smaller ones.”
“Working on cutting edge issues in an incredible environment along impressively smart colleagues.”
“I believe in the future of HF.”


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