This Tech Company Powers Global Travel and Cultivates An Amazing Culture of Support

Sponsored by Expedia Group

Employees at Expedia Group

Photo provided by Expedia Group.

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The world is slowly but surely opening back up again and, as it does, people are seeking a much-needed respite from the socially isolated confines of their homes. Now, they’re turning to Expedia Group to help them book flights, find accommodations, hire cars and more.

“Our mission is to power global travel for everyone, everywhere,” Nina Huang, marketing manager, at Expedia Group, tells Fairygodboss. “We are travelers and technologists. We work across time zones, hemispheres, cultures and languages. We’re used to breaking things down and building them back up again, until they’re even better. We know travel can be hard, but we also know that it’s worth it, every time.”

Because the team at Expedia Group believes that travel is a force for good, Huang says that they take their roles seriously.

“We’re here to build great products and facilitate connections between travelers and our partners that truly bring good into the world,” she tells us.

They also work hard to do right by each other as one global team.

“Our team at Expedia Group is global and that alone helped me create my best work by learning from diverse experiences and creating products that best cater to our worldwide customers,” Veronica Riccio, head of global mentoring, says. “My colleagues are always there for me, and even during a global pandemic, we managed to keep safe, stay united and keep motivated. EG has offered various benefits and ways to stay focused on my work, while maintaining work-life balance and practicing self-care. It's about being included and valued for our work to keep showcasing what we & EG are made of.”

We caught up with Huang and a few other employees to learn more about what makes Expedia Group a great place to work, and how their people are creating positive change for each other and the world.

What are Expedia Group’s core values?

  1. Choose Fearlessly: Own your own decisions. Make mistakes. Move on. Begin again.

  2. Force Simplicity: Drive clarity and create momentum. Focus on impactful work.

  3. Include Consciously: Bring people in. Drive success for everyone around you. Seek out diverse ideas and experiences to unlock better outcomes for our travelers and our company.

  4. Trust Each Other: We challenge each other and then place our trust in each other to deliver.

  5. Go Get What’s Next: We’re always hungry for a better future and we have big dreams for ourselves, for the company and for the possibilities opened up by travel.

Describe 1-5 employee benefits that positively impact women who work at Expedia Group.
We offer parental leave as well as maternal and new mother support. Wellness rooms are provided for employees’ wellness needs, such as nursing mothers, in our global offices. Our fertility benefits allow employees and their partners to preserve their fertility, including single parents and LGBTQIA individuals and couples. We also offer an Adoption Reimbursement Program to help employees with expenses and travel related to the adoption process.

At Expedia Group, we’re always learning and always growing — both on the job and off. To encourage additional learning, we offer reimbursement for advanced education courses you take that are related to your current position.

What career development opportunities can women job seekers expect at Expedia Group? How is career pathing approached?
Our longest running employee resource group, Women at Expedia Learning and Leading (WELL), empowers and supports those who identify as women to leadership roles at Expedia Group through professional development, personal empowerment and strategic initiatives.

Is there anything else women should know about pursuing a career here?
We have a formal mentoring program, inclusion learning resources and opportunities for advancement and rotational programs on other teams.

We also recently announced our diverse hiring ambition goals to hire 25% of underrepresented minorities for U.S. roles in 2021 and to hire 50% of women in all levels and roles globally by 2025.

What are some unique benefits or perks Expedia Group offers employees?
As a travel tech company, we provide a travel and wellbeing reimbursement benefit for employees to see the world and focus on their physical and mental wellness. And, of course, there are employee and friends and family discounts as well as employee recognition awards in the form of travel awards.

In terms of financial benefits, we also offer discounts to our employee stock purchase plan and an equity incentive plan.

In addition, we have eight employee resource groups: WELL, Asian Community at Expedia Group (ACE), Ability Inclusion Movement (AIM), Black Expedia Allied Movement (BEAM), Expedia Veterans and Friends and Family (EVFF), Indigenous Diversity, Expedians and Allies (IDEA), Latinx at Expedia and Allies for Development (LEAD) and PRIDE for our LGBTQIA+ employees and allies.

“I've been at EG for about seven years now, and I still love working here!” Quenita Fry, program manager, says. “The people and the culture have made it exciting for me. Being supported by management, I've been given endless amounts of opportunities within the company to discover and experience new roles… Within the Inclusion and Diversity employee resource group space, I've also been able to grow my leadership skills by leading the Asian Community at Expedia Group (ACE).”

“My goal as an Expedia Group product manager intern, a few years back, was to work in a space that married my skills and passions; I've certainly found that!” Tanisha Hemphill, product manager, adds. “My favorite things about working at Expedia are the people and the autonomy to contribute to the company environment by participation in employee resource groups such as Black Expedia Allied Movement. I love seeing employees helping one another and working together, no matter what level they are in the organization; it's empowering and inspires me to express my ideas more. When you are part of the EG family, you inevitably work with great technology and people who believe in travel and want to see you grow in this space.” 

What’s something you think most people (perhaps even current employees) don’t know about Expedia Group that you think they should?
We have access to many wellbeing benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, mental health ambassadors, Talkspace, etc.).

What’s one thing Expedia Group does — whether a formal policy or program, or more in terms of office culture — that you think is particularly unique or unexpected?
Our company has a global footprint with beautiful offices. In addition, beginning in September, our new Discover Expedia Group program enables employees to work from our offices around the world for up to four weeks a year (with a max of two weeks outside your country of work), for travel.

What do employees say about working at Expedia Group?
“Expedia Group has an amazing culture of supporting one another,” Gabriella Clarke, product manager III, says. “I have always been able to try new things, learn and grow my skills based on my interests and career goals. I started as a geographer on a contract, became a lead geographer, moved to analytics, then joined Content Platform Product three years ago. Throughout my time, I’ve had great advice and encouragement from managers and other leaders in the company. Expedians invest in each other, in both formal and informal ways, and I try to pay this forward.”

“Growth opportunities in terms of learning with the flexibility to switch between different teams within Expedia Group is the best part,” Nisha Vaity, Software Development Engineer III, adds. “The fact that my manager is supportive in creating opportunities that align with my learning goals is great. As a team, we support and encourage each other in our assigned initiatives. We recognize each other’s efforts and speak about it during team meetings, which boosts teamwork. The diverse projects that are associated with my team provide opportunities to learn and collaborate with other teams. I’m glad I got a chance to work with my current team. It’s the people that make a difference in creating a great work atmosphere.” 

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