More Lessons from the Best Companies to Work for in America
July 2, 2009
In this earlier post from Stephanie Gaspary, she discusses the attributes that make up the companies the Great Place to Work® Institute recently named the 50 Best Small and Medium Companies to Work For in America. All of these companies, the Institute’s researchers found, have eight specific things they do to create meaningful experiences for their employees, which I’ve listed below, along with concrete examples from some of those medium-sized companies that earned this honor:
- Motivate - Ultimate Software (ranked #1) CEO Scott Scherr motivates the team with frequent company and department get-togethers, where he highlights various team successes. He’s also known for using sports imagery to communicate his belief that a unified team is a powerful one: All of his employees have a copy of former NBA coach Pat Riley’s book Winner Within: A Life Plan for Team Players, and former MLB pitcher Leiter is an official company spokesperson, often attending employee meetings to share his techniques for handling high-pressure situations.
- Empower - Rothstein Kass’ (#23) Alumni Program is evidence of its dedication to providing support to employees even after they’ve left the company. Employees have instant access to resources meant to facilitate their career development both during and after their experience at the company. The company’s specially created career-building opportunities for employees and our alumni include networking events, social activities, career guidance, technical training and access to firm publications and other resources.
- Listen – At Robins & Morton (#17), all employees have a say in their day-to-day and long-term goals and responsibilities. Each employee works with his or her manager to develop a set of jointly agreed upon Performance Standards, reflecting the job responsibilities of their specific assignment, to be reviewed at the end of a given evaluation period.
- Thank - Advanced Financial Services (#19) shows its employees appreciation during a special breakfast ceremony twice a year, where the company honors those employees celebrating 10-, 15- and 20-year milestones with customized gifts, which in the past have included: a kayak, a high-powered laptop, a flat screen television, and a fantasy day at Fenway Park, a trip to Paradise Island in the Bahamas, and a John Deere lawn tractor.
- Develop – Hoar Construction, LLC (#8) proved its commitment to its employees’ professional and personal development when it established Hoar University, where instructors are experienced experts from outside the company, and each employee follows a custom job-related curriculum to develop their skills and work smarter. Employees also build personal skills through electives such as stress management, time management, negotiation, public speaking and presentation skills.
- Care – Meanwhile, Hilcorp Energy Company (#15) encourages a culture of giving by supporting our employees’ charitable efforts by initially funding their giving with $2,500, allowing them the freedom to direct their donations to the organizations they choose, and increasing their giving power by providing on-going matching gifts up to $1,000 per year. We’ve designed this program to promote each individual employee’s ideals.
- Celebrate - At Triage Consulting Group (#11), no personal milestone goes unrecognized. That includes baby showers, engagement parties, home purchases, anniversaries and athletic feats in addition to birthdays, all of which are recorded in company newsletters. Personal and professional accomplishments are also recognized every year through song and video at the annual company meeting, State of Triage.
- Share –ACUITY (#2) puts an emphasis on internal communication. Parts of the its “all-out effort to keep every employee informed and up to date,” (as stated in its online brochure) effort include publishing an employee newsletter, an Open Door policy, town hall meetings, lunches with executives and an employee self-service Web site.
- Categories: Building a Best Place to Work, Employee Engagement
CareerBuilder Leadership Series: Spotlight on Jim Rose of Mosaic Sales Solutions Corporation
July 2, 2009
This week, our spotlight is on Jim Rose, Chairman and CEO of Dallas-based Mosaic Sales Solutions Corporation, a 10,000-employee, privately held field sales and marketing company. In the Q&A to follow, Jim shares his thoughts on the importance of collaboration over individual success, the power of candid feedback, the coveted “White Glove” award, the importance of your employment brand, and more.
As a leader, what has influenced your strong emphasis on people?
People are absolutely critical to our business. If you look back over my nearly 15-year executive career, I’ve always been in the service industry, where people are the product. In these types of businesses, we aren’t making widgets. Instead, the input of people drives 100 percent of our company’s output. I have regard and respect for high-quality people because they contribute the best knowledge and skill sets to produce the best return for our customers. Aside from professional experience, my executive education has driven this value deeper. I earned my MBA from the Kellogg School of Management where people are the foundation of that program. The emphasis is on collaboration, teamwork and getting a job done together over individual success.
How do you describe your personal leadership philosophy?
My view is to lead very much by example. I have never believed that as CEO I am all-knowing, all-seeing, and all-being. I see myself as just another member of the team. I have a set of responsibilities and skill sets that are good for what needs to be done, but others have abilities and skill sets that are right for what they need to accomplish. I see everyone as playing an integral role in our team and collaboration as the cornerstone to success. I strive to be an action-oriented leader and, because I believe in management by walking around, I am with people all the time. Whether it is spending time in the field, attending meetings, rewarding people, or sending encouraging emails for a job well done. I am very engaged with our people at all levels. And this extends to social activities. I play on our bowling and softball teams and believe this helps people at all levels know who I am and that I am relatable. I enjoy giving our people the ability to ask questions and they know their opinion matters. In return, these gestures have an incredibly powerful effect on the team’s confidence and their contributions.
What is one value you feel leaders can emphasize to develop their people?
Feedback. It is easy to give positive feedback, but at the same time, good leadership means delivering the not-so-good message. I believe in showing appreciation for the things a person does well, but also providing constructive direction for the things that may have not gone so well. I am candid about areas of growth, suggesting why they are in need of attention and what steps can be taken to improve. This whole element of constructive feedback is a difficult practice, one that some leaders can be better at. In the moment, people don’t always appreciate the candor, but in time they respect the openness and honesty because they know the feedback is given with sincerity.
Is there a memory that had an impact on your professional development and influences how you lead today?
I have tons of those memories! The key point you’re hitting on is to have good mentors at a young age. And I think that’s huge. In high school I was a fry cook at Kentucky Fried Chicken, and my manager was phenomenal and took his business very seriously. After cleaning, he would point out areas I missed and taught me at a very young age that doing a job right took less time than redoing the work a second or third time. Each year, he would strive to win KFC’s “White Glove” award, which is an assessment from people hired to mystery shop at the store. The evaluation was based on the friendliness of the staff, offering French fries and Cokes, and whether the food was prepared properly and served at the right temperature. We were one of two or three locations to win the “White Glove” award that year, a very high honor. The award was not worth millions of dollars, we received an inexpensive plaque, but those things left a big impression in my life about quality, service, focus and discipline.
How do you define the value of your people at Mosaic?
As a client-facing organization, our whole business is service. Our purpose is to help our customers, both retailers and brand owners, be more effective in retail. Our field staff works hard to ensure that products are on the shelves, promoted and priced right. And they know that whatever communication or engagement we have with customers must be delivered appropriately because it ultimately drives sales for retailers and brands – and for us.
With nearly 10,000 employees, the bulk of our people are in the field performing sales-driven activities. Aside from the field organization, typical back office functions like finance, HR and IT are very front and center. They communicate with customers, participate in customer meetings, and contribute to solutions for our customers. Having people in these roles who understand the business and think practically is a significant value. With everyone at Mosaic able to interact with customers and be fully customer-focused, we differentiate and drive business forward for our clients.
What is the impact to your business when you have a vacancy in a field position? Is that a client who is either underserved or not served at all?
If we are understaffed or have the wrong individuals in place, we miss opportunities to be effective in retail for our customers. If we’re not out in the field making visits, we cannot generate revenue. Such a significant part of our business is driven by field activity, so the goal is to always be fully staffed with competent, well-trained and focused people who do an incredible job. As I mentioned before, people are our product.
How does your executive team strategically consider talent to sustain and grow business?
- Categories: Employee Attraction, Employee Engagement, Employee Retention, Employer Advice, Leadership Development
Employers to Maintain Staff Levels in Third Quarter: CareerBuilder and USA TODAY Q3 2009 Job Forecast. Download Full Report.
July 1, 2009
CareerBuilder and USA TODAY released our Q3 2009 Job Forecast this morning. Most employers expect their staff levels to remain the same as recruiting patterns hold steady and job losses trend downward. Sixty-eight percent of employers don’t anticipate any change in their full-time, permanent headcount in Q3. Fifteen percent expect to increase staff levels. Ten percent expect a reduction in headcount, an improvement from the previous two quarters.
The study also looked at how employers are managing the economic downturn with cost containment measures:
- 8% have presented job offers with postponed start dates
- 10% have instituted mandatory furloughs
- 16% have implemented pay cuts
- 44% have instituted a hiring freeze
- 13% have altered their sick time or paid time off policies
- 43% have cut perks and benefits
DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT HERE.
- Categories: Economy
Laid Off Workers: Keeping Quite Busy, Thank You
July 1, 2009
You may assume that your recently laid off friend, family member, or annoying downstairs neighbor is just sitting on the couch, eating ice cream and building beer can pyramids, or “beeramids” (not that there’s, uh, anything wrong with that), but those assumptions may be way off the mark. A new CareerBuilder survey finds that, despite the hardships laid off workers are facing, they are focusing on positive aspects of being in between jobs to get them through a challenging time.
So what are many laid off workers doing to fill in the gaps of employment?
- 22% are spending more time with family and friends
- 15% are fixing up their homes
- 14% are exercising more
- 11% are finally taking time to relax
- 8% are volunteering
- 7% are going back to school
- 6% are becoming more involved in their church community
- 4% are starting their own business
- 4% are taking up new hobbies
- 3% are traveling
“While finding a new job and steady paycheck is definitely top of mind, laid off workers are also concentrating on activities that will help them grow personally and professionally,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder. “They are reconnecting with friends and family, getting involved in the community, taking classes and exploring new career path options that may lead to a greater return in the long run.”
Laid off doesn’t mean lazy
To the contrary, laid off workers, as evidenced above, are spending their time doing those things they’re passionate about, or that they haven’t had the time do to as a busy nine-to-fiver. It’s important to keep in mind as you are hiring and considering these workers that they may not only be “good” hires — they may in fact make up some of the strongest candidates out there. These people have not only made it through a test of adversity with a layoff, but they have, rather than give up hope, been honing their skills — and rounding out their talents.
Personal and professional growth
Many workers are bettering themselves both personally by working out and exercising more, eating healthily with non-vending machine snacks, and getting out of the office cubicle environment in general. Others are becoming more well rounded and cultured by traveling to places they’ve never experienced, taking up those long-talked-about guitar lessons or photography classes, or offering their time and service to local volunteer opportunities like soup kitchens or tutoring centers. Opportunities abound — and these laid off workers are grabbing them. Still others are building their professional skill sets by going back to school or getting certifications, starting their own business, or catching up on non-work reading materials.
Perhaps most importantly, laid off workers are taking this opportunity to relax, de-stress, and mentally recharge. When the time comes for a new job, they will be focused and ready to take on new challenges.
So, employers, don’t be turned off or scared of those gaps on the resume. These candidates can bring a host of new talents and qualifications to your workplace. Keep an open mind, inquire about their time spent during these employment gaps, and be prepared for the next wave of talent.
- Categories: Economy, Employee Attraction, Survey Results
CareerBuilder SHRM 2009 Booth Presentations and Available Downloads
July 1, 2009
SHRM 2009 was packed with activities and distractions. How many of you spent a little too much time on Bourbon Street? No judgement here…
In case you missed the opportunitiy to attend one of CareerBuilder’s informational sessions, you can download the full presentation decks here. We’ll also be posting recordings of each presentation in the coming days.
The Ression’s Over – Now What? Presented by Jason Ferrara, VP Corporate Marketing
Unlocking Your Organization’s True Potential Through Its People Presented by Corey Epperly, VP Personified
Shared Apply: The Best Change You Haven’t Made Presented by Mike Dutter, Strategic Services Director
Recruitment Has Changed – Have You? Presented by Matt McCloskey, Director of Corporate Marketing
London Calling – Staffing Reactions Abroad Presented by Robert Stinsa, Director of Pan European Sales
Please let us know if you have any questions about the material presented here. And don’t forget to check back for the full presentation recordings.
- Categories: Employee Attraction, Employee Retention, Employer Advice, Events
NEW Video: CareerBuilder Talks Facebook, Twitter Solutions at SHRM 2009
June 30, 2009
Hey, SHRM-goers (and SHRM-not-this-year-but-maybe-nexters)! CareerBuilder just posted yet another video from the expo floor at SHRM 2009 to our virtual site. Here, you can get a glimpse into how we’re discussing our Facebook partnership and Twitter involvement – and how we’re helping others utilize these tools as employee recruitment, attraction and engagement solutions.
- Categories: Events
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