Strapi Handbook
Strapi Handbook
Learning & Development Policy
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Learning & Development Policy

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Subject: Learning & Development policy DRI: @Laurine RENELIER Last update: Q3 2022

Strapi’s values (Genuine Humility👂 and Measured Ambition 📈) support your growth. To help you accomplish your developmental goals, Strapi provides resources such as a learning budget and learning hours. You are encouraged to take ownership of your development and seek learning opportunities to help you succeed in your role, expand your knowledge and develop your skills.

Strapi believes that giving you the right support at the right moment can make a big difference in your personal and professional development.

You are encouraged to test, experiment, take risks, try new things, and pursue your mission. And if you make a mistake? Let's learn from it, and share your journey with the team (#failing-is-learning channel).

3 Types of Learning at Strapi

Global

  • Budget: $170,000 (subject to annual review)
  • Includes: technical or soft-skill training.
  • Budget: $700 per team-member

  • Budget: $750 per year (712€ in 2023)

Individual Learning - Precisions

Strapi encourages Strapiers to use their training budget with Care & Ownership.

💡 Spending Framework: You may use your budget for any training that can help improve your professional performance and is aligned with Strapi
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Values

Strapi fully encourages all formats of training and learning as long as it fits within the framework. In addition to technical, field-related training, you can also explore diversity, language, emotional intelligence, and personal development courses. Please consider what learning would be the most helpful in your role. E.g. courses for languages that are not used in your work are great developmental activities, however, most probably there is training that would have a better direct impact on your success at Strapi. Any books purchased with your training budget will belong to you.

🔎 You can verify your remaining budget in the Individual Learning dashboard at any moment.

The learning budget is allocated for the calendar year. Any unused budget cannot be transferred to the following year.

Strapiers who joined during the year, receive an individual learning budget proportional to the number of calendar days between their start date and the end of the year.

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Exception: if you have a specific project in mind that is more than the annual budget, you may allocate a portion of the current year's budget to the next year with the email approval of your Manager, VP Finance & our VP People @Fanny Le Gallou.
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Strapiers in a leadership position (Level 8 or above) receive an extra $500 monthly budget for coaching and management training sessions. Strapiers on track to receive a promotion to Level 8 may ask to get access to the “Leadership Coaching” 6 months before their official promotion date. The decision must be validated by their Manager, VP People and VP Finance.
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Strapi has an ad hoc budget set aside. In certain circumstances, we may exceptionally increase the individual training budget.
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🇫🇷 French employees only (DIF)
  • Strapi contributes a portion of its global payroll to a state-sponsored training program, called DIF (this is a legal obligation in France).
  • When you use your DIF budget, Strapi can "top up" the portion of the training expense not covered by your DIF by using your Individual training budget.
  • As a company, Strapi can negotiate preferential prices for certain training courses (e.g. for English classes we work with Forma+ and can obtain more training hours for your DIF budget). Let us know if you have something in mind.
  • You may use your DIF as you want: Strapi cannot and will not force you to use it in any particular way. It is 100% personal and does not belong to Strapi.

How to use the Individual Learning budget?

Find the training/conference/meetup/book/etc that fits within the framework.
Discuss with your Manager during 1:1 how this learning would contribute to your role and professional development.
Check in the Individual Learning dashboard to see if the training cost exceeds the budget you have left for this year. You can pay the remaining amount from your pocket if it does.
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🇫🇷 French employees only (OPCO Atlas)

Each year, Strapi has a budget for a specific number of employees provided by ATLAS. This budget and number of employees will vary yearly from the previous one. Both numbers are provided by the French government and can’t be negotiated by companies.

Some pieces of training are eligible to be partially refunded by this organism. They have to be referenced as “Qualiopi”.

  • If you wish to know if your training is eligible, please check the catalog: https://campus.opco-atlas.fr/
  • If your training is referenced, please contact @Laurine RENELIER to check if there is still some budget and places left.

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Any budget exceptions should be discussed with your Manager, VP Finance & @Fanny Le Gallou before purchasing the learning.

Complete the form for #transparency and inspire others to use their learning budget
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Form details
  • Your email address
  • Name of the training/conference/meetup/book/etc.
  • Learning provider - e.g. name of the company organizing training/conference/meetup or book author
  • Learning description/objectives to give others the idea of what’s that learning about
Make the purchase and submit the expense for reimbursement. Important: If the amount exceeds your remaining budget, enter the amount of your remaining budget, not the total amount paid.
Enjoy the learning experience!
Reflect on what you’ve learned, add a learning summary to the list and post your key takeaways in the #learning channel.
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For Managers

Encourage your team members to use their learning budget to develop skills that will help them succeed in their roles and achieve their ambitions. Support them in identifying the areas they could focus their learning on. 1:1 meetings are perfect opportunity for such discussions 🙏

Learning Hours

Sometimes training requires more time than money. In addition to the training budget, Strapi offers each Strapier (excluding Interns) 40 hours (equivalent to 5 days, 1 day = 8 hours) to take off and dedicate to learning.

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Strapiers who joined during the year can use the number of hours proportional to the number of calendar days between their start date and the end of the year. Everyone can check how much budget they have in Individual Learning dashboard.

Any unused time cannot be transferred to the following year.

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Exception: if you have a specific project in mind that requires more than the annual dedicated time pot, you can allocate a portion of this year's time pot to next year with the email approval of your Manager, VP Finance & @Fanny Le Gallou.

How to take learning hours/days off?

Find the training/conference/meetup/book/etc. that fits within the framework.
Discuss with your Manager during 1:1 how this learning would contribute to your role and professional development.
Check in Individual Learning dashboard if the duration of the training doesn’t exceed the number of hours you have left for this year
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Before submitting the request, any exceptions should be discussed with your Manager & @Fanny Le Gallou.
Submit the request (at least 14 days before training to ensure your team has enough time to organize work during your absence)
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Request details
  • Your email address - it’s going to be used for reporting purposes and email notifications, so ensure that it’s correct!
  • Your Manager email address - just select from the list
  • Name of the training/conference/meetup/book/etc.
  • Learning provider - e.g. name of the company organizing training/conference/meetup or book author
  • Learning description/objectives
  • Number of hours you are requesting
  • Start date
  • End date - if you are taking hours off on one day only - start and end date will be the same
  • Anything else to add? - this is optional question; please add there any other relevant information e.g. if you are going to spread hours off across days, please specify it there
Once your request is approved (you will receive email confirmation), add your absence to the Time off calendar and inform your team about it.
Enjoy the learning experience!
Reflect on what you’ve learned, add a learning summary to the list and post your key takeaways in#learning channel.

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In Payfit, Gusto and Oyster this is considered a working day, so you don’t need to request any absence.
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If you need to cancel the request, please ask your Manager to select “NO” in the approval column or contact @Marzena BRZOZKO.
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For Managers - learning time off request approval
Once your team member submits a new request, you will receive an email notification
Go to Individual Learning dashboard and review the details of the request
Check if learning fits within the framework
Check if the duration doesn’t exceed available time off for your team member
Check if selected dates of absence are manageable from your team’s perspective

✅ If all is fine - select YES in “Manager’s approval” column

❌ If the request doesn’t meet all requirements - select NO in “Manager’s approval” column and support your team member in adjusting their learning plan

Team Learning Budget

The Head of Department is responsible for managing Team training. However, feel free to take the initiative and propose the training you think the whole team could benefit from!

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Head of Department - how to use Team learning budget
Find training that the whole department would benefit from
Check if the cost of the training doesn’t exceed the remaining training budget for your team (See: Compensation & Benefits Dashboard)
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If the cost exceeds the available budget you can discuss with the VP of People & the VP of Finance using the ad hoc Strapi learning budget.
Inform People Team about this by posting the below information in #learning channel:
  • Name of the training
  • Provider
  • Cost - please include the amount in USD. If you are going to pay in different currency, please convert the amount to USD at the current exchange rate.
  • Learning description/objectives
  • Duration or dates (if training will be completed synchronously)
Submit invoice for payment. If there is a delay in obtaining/submitting the invoice, please inform Finance Team in #finance-payments channel 🙏
Once training is completed, add a learning summary to the list and encourage your team members to post their key takeaways in #learning channel

Cross-Team Learning

If you would like to invite other team members for the training that you are organizing for your team, please agree on how it will be paid. You can consider two options:

  • Your team’s learning budget covers 100% of the cost
  • A portion of the cost is allocated to the additional participants’ team training budget << must be confirmed with Head of each Department involved

Inform the People Team & Finance Team (@team-finance) about it in #learning channel.

While submitting invoice for payment please select your Department cost center. In the comment please indicate how the costs should be split between cost centers (Departments). If there is a delay in obtaining/submitting the invoice, please inform Finance Team in #finance-payments channel 🙏

Global Learning Budget

People Team manages global training. You can check in the Compensation & Benefits Dashboard how much the budget is already spent.

If you have any idea for the training that the whole Strapi would benefit from, propose it to People Team in #learningchannel.

Training recommendations

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Platforms
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Languages
  • Strapi works with - Monceau langues for English classes and so far is happy (@Pierre Wizla, @Maeva Lienard, @Hicham El Abbassi & @Fanny Le Gallou) with the results and we can negotiate group prices. - Intercountry (tested and validated by @Pierre Burgy, @Jim Laurie & @Aurélien GEORGET).
  • Elysées langues also have been tested and recommended (by @Fanny Le Gallou)
  • The Babbel learning app is also highly recommended for personal daily practice.
  • 8 websites to learn English: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/best-websites-to-learn-english/
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Coaching

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Training attended by Strapiers

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Books available at co-working space in Paris

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If you have any questions, please post them in #learning or contact @Marzena BRZOZKO