Create a Workplace Where People Want to Work
A guide to creating a winning company culture.
Toxicity in the workplace was one of the top cited reasons employees exited their roles during the Great Resignation. Even though the nation is in a “great stay” era, now is an opportune time to work on improving company culture. According to a recent article from American Express, the future of the workforce, younger Millennials and Gen Z, is placing a huge emphasis on purpose. Companies must invest in efforts to safeguard their futures, for the next generations.
Organizations that prioritize empathy are organizations that win in everything. From promoting community service to regular employee pulse checks to DEIB programming that aims to make sure everyone feels included, leads to happy employees, increased retention, stellar employee engagement, and overall, a winning culture.
Give employees opportunities to find purpose and connection
I have always been passionate about volunteering and community service. Part of my role as Foundation Director is cultivating relationships with non-profits across the country, to make a difference in as many communities as possible. Our relationships lead us to service opportunities from coast to coast and abroad.
Recently, a colleague and I went on a service trip to Nicaragua to support a children’s center for education. Bruce Gillis, Head of Compliance at Businessolver described our experience as pure joy: “I loved having a week to focus solely on making a positive difference in these kids’ lives…I couldn’t stop smiling!” We both had a fulfilling experience. We can’t wait to go back someday to see the progress the children will make, knowing that we might have had a significant impact on their lives.
In recognition of MLK Jr. National Day of Service a group of Businessolver employees, called Solvers, braved the cold for a Habitat for Humanity building project. Heidi Lackmann, Integrations Analyst II at Businessolver has participated in several Habitat projects. Each time, she claims she’s continually inspired by “how the organization brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope.”
Across the country from Seattle to Miami, Businessolver is hosting six Solver Service Experiences in 2024, so that Solvers can make a difference in the communities they, or their colleagues, live in. The goal of these trips is to offer our Solvers a chance to volunteer and complete projects for people in need. But what’s more, is the opportunity to make connections with their fellow peers, and community members, while giving purpose.
Give employees frequent opportunities to give honest feedback about the workplace
Every month, Solvers are encouraged to take a 5-minute poll, rating their confidence level in their role, the workplace, and their leaders. This practice has been tracked as a keystone of our Engagement data for over 8 years. Our Solvers are also able to leave comments with any feedback for their direct supervisors. We’re happy to consistently report across all Solvers, over 90% report very confident or confident every month.
Businessolver’s Engagement team has deployed an annual survey for over 4 years, that all employees are encouraged to answer anonymously, and truthfully. This allows for an opportunity to give their opinions about how our Engagement team wins, and how we can improve. Should employees choose to leave their names attached to the survey, Engagement has committed to following up with them individually to learn more about their feedback and how we can help.
It’s not enough to just collect the data. What matters is how leaders listen, present, and act on it. Being transparent with our findings from the annual survey and monthly poll results is embedded into our company culture. It lets Solvers know we are listening, and we present a plan of action to address changes if they’re needed. This is critical in a professional capacity and for the sake of inclusion and belonging.
Don’t let your DEIB efforts fade out
Following the events of 2020, Businessolver adopted several new DEIB strategies. But to understand their impact we decided we needed additional guidance and enlisted the help of our third-party DEIB consulting firm, Holistic.
For the last 4 years, Holistic has helped deploy and analyze the data from an annual DEIB survey of our Solvers. This allows us to get a pulse on which efforts are working and where we need to adjust our strategy. The aim is to make sure every Solver feels like they are included, and that they belong. Our DEIB programming has evolved over the last 4 years in accordance with the growth of our employee population and the feedback we’ve received. Again, listening, acting, and making changes when needed.
A winning company culture
There is a competitive spirit that exists in our culture at Businessolver. We are always striving to be the best. For the third year in a row, Forbes named us the Best Midsize Employer in the industry, and 4th overall. These accolades mean so much because the Forbes Best Employer awards are employee-nominated. Our employees are our advocates, and they’re also the foundation of our success.
When employees have a purpose, a voice, and feel connected, they are willing to engage in everything your workplace offers them. Year over year, we continue to see increasing engagement metrics in our benefits participation, in our pulse surveys, across our social media platforms, and in our employee recognition events. That is how we accomplished being a Best Employer. We encourage you to be the best you can be too, because better workplaces make for a better world.
