Sonya Sepahban
Chief Employee Experience Officer | Trivvy
In today’s interview, I am joined by Sonya Sepahban, Chief Employee Experience Officer of Trivvy. Sonya has led across corporate boards, high-growth startups, and mission-driven ventures.
Sonya brings a rare combination of experience from industries like aerospace to building workplace tools that give a voice to employees who are often left unheard.
You’ve led across corporate boards, startups, and mission-driven ventures. What persistent challenges do you see around building strong workplace culture, no matter the size or stage of a company?
It is a great question. At every stage, from public company boardrooms to early stage startups, the challenge is actually the same. Leaders always want to attract and retain the best talent. You have good people, you are going to do well. But they often have a lot of assumptions about what those candidates and employees think or need and what is the best way to attract and retain them.
When I led large teams in the aerospace sector, I saw firsthand how misalignment between executives and the people doing the actual work every day created not only friction and disengagement, but also quality and performance issues and turnover. That gap is magnified on the front lines where people do not sit at desks, do not check email, and often do not even have a company email. They often feel invisible.
That is why we built Trivvy, to make it easy for leaders to hear directly from their teams in the office or on the front line. When your decisions are based on real time feedback instead of assumptions or outdated data from annual surveys or small periodic focus groups, it transforms your retention, engagement, and performance outcomes. You need ongoing communication with all aspects of your organization to act on real data versus assumptions.
You’ve built platforms designed to improve the employee experience. What gaps were you originally focused on solving, and which of those pain points have been most reinforced by your users?
I am an engineer and most of our team are engineers. We were originally focused on data integrity and driving insights from that data, which worked well with our analytics capabilities. But the biggest pain point in improving employee experience that we discovered was engagement.
There are two key challenges. First, for employees that you can reach relatively easily, for example by email, it is still hard to get them to open that email and respond unless you require it and pay them for their time, which is not always possible. You can do it once a year for an annual survey, but not on an ongoing basis. If you pay them and require it, it can also skew the results.
Second, and a much bigger challenge, is with the hard to reach workers. Those on tight shift schedules, out on the floor or in the field, often lack the flexibility, access to technology, or trust in the systems used to reach them. Most traditional tools only work well for employees with flexible schedules and easy access to tech.
We wanted to fix that. Our approach has no apps, no logins, just short AI-generated messages and micro surveys that take under a minute. Responding feels as natural as texting a friend. We have seen three to five times higher engagement than legacy tools. Users tell us the simplicity drives participation, and high engagement gives leaders a far more accurate view of what is working and what is not. That clarity leads to better decisions, whether the goal is improving performance, reducing turnover, or improving safety and quality.
Trivvy brings frontline workers into conversations they’ve often been left out of. What have you learned from engaging this group in a more intentional, ongoing way?
It has been fascinating because most HR tech tools have been built for knowledge workers. What we have learned from expanding connection to the frontline is that no news is not good news and silence is not apathy. Frontline teams are willing to engage and share insights if it is easy and feels safe for them.
When we ask frontline teams what is getting in the way of doing their job well this week, the responses pour in. One operations manager expected a few generic replies, but instead got specific, actionable input that even helped prevent a near miss that week. That is the power of intentional listening.
You do not just boost morale. You catch issues earlier, reduce risk, and improve performance. To do this well, you need good questions, the right delivery method, and timing that fits their work reality. Being intentional means considering all of these factors. When you do, the ROI is significant.
You’ve said the future of work is being shaped by the frontline. What changes in leadership mindset or internal systems are needed to truly support that future?
The pandemic made us all more aware of the importance of frontline workers because they were still out there while many of us were at home. We have spent years designing systems for knowledge workers who use company devices and check email all day. But frontline workers keep operations running, and when their input is not included in decision making, it costs the business through turnover, inefficiency, and missed opportunities.
Leadership needs to see frontline workers as a source of valuable intelligence, not just labor. Real time direct feedback from the source closest to the product and customers can help leaders optimize quality, improve onboarding and retention, and reduce burnout. Future-proofing your business means using systems and tools to get as close as possible and as real time as possible with the source of those insights.
At OurOffice, you’ve worked with companies in 20 plus industries. What common threads have emerged among teams that perform well and stay connected over time?
Across more than two dozen industries, we see three common traits. First, leadership that is deeply in tune with the real employee experience and committed to improving it for every employee, including the hard to reach.
Second, processes and systems for continuous, bidirectional feedback that employees can initiate as well as leadership. Annual surveys and town halls are not enough. Employees need the ability to share input any time.
Third, the ability to act quickly on what they learn and to close the feedback loop by letting employees know what was heard and what will be done. It is not necessary to act on everything, but acting on some and communicating back builds trust and keeps the loop going.
These organizations often have 20 to 40 touchpoints a month through messages, announcements, and micro surveys. They get instant signals and can respond in real time, which drives better results and engagement.
What advice would you give to founders building workplace tools right now, especially those hoping to reach non-desk workers?
Start by walking in their shoes. Literally. Spend time in the environments where your users work. We visited factories, warehouses, food prep sites, and more to understand what kind of product would actually get used.
No matter how clever the design, it will not be used if it does not fit into the user’s world. We designed Trivvy around daily realities: short, simple messages and questions, delivered by text, in their language, at their pace.
If your tool makes their life easier and gives leaders visibility they did not have before, you will get adoption and impact. Build for business outcomes and for the user’s realities and environments. Do both, and you will get results for your customers.
Sonya’s perspective highlights the critical role of feedback, culture, and leadership in creating stronger workplaces. Her insights are a powerful reminder that small improvements in process and communication can have a big impact on both employees and business outcomes.
Stay tuned for more conversations with inspiring leaders in the HR Connect series. Interested in sharing your story? Contact us at info@fip.agency to be featured.
Dilara Cossette
Founder
Dilara Cossette is the founder of FIP, a boutique demand generation agency helping HR tech companies accelerate growth. With deep experience in B2B, she partners with HR tech companies to build strategies that drive demand, grow pipeline, and strengthen brand presence. Passionate about workplace culture, Dilara spotlights insights from HR tech innovators through the HR Connect interview series.
