Ever heard of sports compensation? If so, you’ve probably also heard of the Stebby environment, which was a finalist in the Dream Employer 2025 competition. Behind the Stebby website, a team of 50 people have actually gathered, step by step, to instil wellbeing in every company and heart across the Baltics. How can a rather young company combine young and old, a broad health sector, different countries and the personal values of its employees into a single mission and drive? Stebby’s Marketing Manager, Kristiina Tamm, has been part of and witnessed how bonding internally in a company contributes to the development of the whole team and the success of the bigger story.
The secret ingredient is people
“If we had to describe the Stebby people in a nutshell, we can’t find any similarities – except for two brothers who are still quite unique. They all have their own vision and character, and their good and even better qualities combine in an interesting way to make a good mix,” says Tamm, describing Stebby’s employees, who are known as Stebbians.
The value of the Stebby people is best revealed in their wiggles and expert opinions, and as it is a relatively young collective, with an average age of no more than 30 and a balance between men and women, everyone’s voice is heard equally.
However, there is enthusiasm for newcomers and old hands alike – the low turnover of the collective signals that there is a commitment to common goals, so that annual progress is continuous. And that’s what business growth has been – Stebby has been booming with each passing year, and the year ending 2024 was no exception.
“However, in order to keep the efficiency and enthusiasm in the teams going, we had to change our mindset a few years ago. The renewed principles bring a lot to the table internally – if they go with the flow. If they don’t, then these changes are just pretty but empty PR and HR slogans,” says the marketing manager.
A concerted drive and effort to find the value of a company
Stebby, or SportID, which originally started as a start-up, changed its external face nearly five years ago, when it was realised that the platform and guide was not just about sharing the sporting thrill, but about general wellbeing and health more broadly. It took some getting used to for many users, but Stebby is now a familiar household name when talking about wellbeing and health.
Stebby’s success has risen beyond welfare as a versatile choice, easy access and also as a voice, but to set the company’s own direction, there was a need to create a shared understanding with workers of the principles that would be stood for and carried forward.
While generally the mission, vision and values come to the company through external consultants, agencies or other knowledgeable people, Stebby took a more complex route – finding its own story. “As Stebby’s employees are also the voice of the company, involving them in shaping the future and creating values was inevitable. However, getting started with all this while leading the marketing and HR team was a bit of a leap into the unknown – there was an idea of what was needed, but how to do it was an uncharted path,” says Tamm, describing the initial situation.
If you might think that engaging employee opinion is one newsletter to all and creating something new from their few responses, it was not.
According to Ott Pluum, PR & Communications Manager, who has been with Stebby every step of the way, it pays to take your time when starting such a project: “The process started with mapping out the essence and aspirations of Stebby on the company strategy day, through the personal perspective of each employee and simple keywords. Through their assessment and analysis, it was only then that we understood what we really valued – and even then, these were only isolated traits to begin with. These individual words, however, without explanation, still convey nothing. It was necessary to create a strong image for these formations.”
Even though there is a relatively large number of employees, they were still taken along every step of the way and given time to digest the ideas – as each keyword was turned into a set of values, and in turn into defined values, employees were able to vote for their favourites that resonated most with their personal values. Thus, with everyone’s input, the democratic Stebby values, mission and vision were born. The whole process took a whole year, but the participation at every stage was over 80% of all employees.
ositive principles make you a sought-after employer
To this day, the values we have created are in the minds of our employees on a daily basis, and the number of people who want to join the Stebby team is growing.
“We were able to create a story of the Stebby brand that is owned by the employees, but also stands out as unique and bright. This can be seen in the requests to find a job at Stebby or to create something unique in partnership. A few sentences on paper – the vision, mission and values – are perhaps the most important part of the brand, because the whole company is aligned to them,” says Tamm, head of marketing.
Every problem is a management problem
No business is oil-free and there is always room for improvement. Stebby’s direction over the past two years has been to train strong middle and board level managers through steady expansion.
“We have embraced the phrase every problem is a leadership problem, meaning that every shortcoming or deficiency can be developed through a leader. Be it his listening, seeing, solving or general communication with all other employees. Too much attention is paid to the employees and not to the potential strengths and weaknesses of the leaders, which can end up in ineffective communication and negative emotions rippling through the organisation. The wellbeing of the company depends on the wellbeing of the employees at work and at home – this is something that both the manager and his or her colleague must work towards,” says Tamm.
At Stebby, managers have experienced both individual development and team training under Combat Ready, Kaido Pajumaa and other trainers, and have realised that there is room for improvement for everyone – this has helped them to relate better to all employees to be on the same page.
Every Stebbian is like the voice of Stebby
According to Tamme, every employee has a role to play in communicating wellbeing – so far, there has been no case of an employee disagreeing with our vision to be the Voice of Wellness.
Every employee sees their well-being differently, and many business leaders and HR people should have taken this into account long ago. “Whereas in the past the solution to keeping the workforce happy was pizza and fruit, in the Stebby example we have 50 different wellbeing levels to fill with 50 people. Every employee is different and needs different care,” adds Tamm.
From marathon runners to basketball players, memory joggers to healthy eating enthusiasts, Stebby needs to offer a flexible solution so that the business can also win back. This can be in the form of reduced sick days, a more efficient working environment and an emotional connection with employees that they are cared for in the workplace.
Make your employee a company fan
As an employer, if you provide opportunities to feel even better, your employee will become a fan of your company and will naturally pass on your messages.
A Stebby survey conducted across the Baltics at the end of 2024 shows that the second most important factor for employees when choosing a company, after pay, is how well it ensures a healthy lifestyle and well-being. According to Tamm, this is an important signpost for the future of companies that want to value and retain their employees.
To do this, you can offer flexible working, well-being benefits through compensation and joint activities, create a healthy and open environment, and focus on both mental and physical health at the same time. “The role of the employer is changing and needs to keep up with the times. Various health and well-being benefits are not only a cost-effective way for a company to offer more to its employees, but a real investment in its most important resource – its people,” concludes Kristiina Tamm.
