CLEVELAND, Ohio — It starts with a culture.
It’s a common theme among the Top Workplaces, whether it’s at Progressive Insurance, which has more than 11,500 workers, or at Gardiner Service Co. in Solon, with 200. Treat your employees with respect, set your goals and get everyone to buy into them. That results in happy customers -- and company success.
For the 2020 Top Workplaces list, cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer have compiled a record 175 Northeast Ohio employers, based on employee surveys. And we’ve focused on their responses and adaptations to the coronavirus pandemic.
Eight companies have made cleveland.com’s Top Workplaces list for all 11 years:
-- Gardiner
-- Hyland
-- Liberty Ford
-- Medical Mutual
-- Playhouse Square
-- Progressive
-- Sherwin-Williams Co.
-- Southwest General Health Center
“We’ve long said that our people and culture are our biggest competitive advantages,” said Lori Niederst, chief human resources officer for Progressive Insurance. Progressive finished fourth in this year’s Top Workplaces list for large companies. “Our people come first and we work hard to maintain an environment where everyone is comfortable being themselves.”
Niederst says Progressive has four strategic “pillars" for success, listing people and culture first, along with its brand, product lineup and prices. At Quicken Loans, the company’s culture focuses on 19 “isms” that give workers clearly defined, common goals, said Adam Speck, senior vice president of mortgage banking and leader of the Cleveland office. Quicken Loans finished first among large companies, its 10th appearance on the list.
One of those “isms” borrows from Al Pacino’s inspirational speech from the 1999 movie “Any Given Sunday" ... “The inches we need are everywhere around us.” Another one: “We’ll figure it out," which has been key as the company adjusts to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Speck said. He said the Cleveland office was one of the first to have employees start working from home.
“It was responding with sense of urgency,” Speck said. “Everyone believed ... we’re going to figure this out, let’s go.”
The pandemic understandably has presented several challenges for Southwest General Health Center in Middleburg Heights and its nearly 2,800 employees. Dee Weber, vice president of human resources, says the hospital, which placed 12th among large companies, has “instilled order in a chaotic situation.”
“Top down, we live what we preach,” Weber said. “Everything we do focuses on providing the high-quality care to our patients, their loved ones and our community.”
Kathleen Vegh, director of employee experience at Hyland, a software firm based in Westlake, said the company ensures that workers feel valued and that their opinions are heard. Hyland finished ninth on this year’s list of large companies.
“We also share and celebrate our successes on a regular basis so that employees understand they are a part of something that really matters,” Vegh said. “When employees hear how the software they develop and support is helping physicians collaborate remotely after implementing telehealth solutions in light of COVID-19, they know they work they do matters.”
Figuring out ways to reward employees is another common theme. Speck said during the pandemic, Quicken Loans has sent workers large cakes on birthdays, toys to employees’ kids, and has contests. Hyland has virtual happy hours, a book club, a 15-minute morning stretch, and even a talent show.
Gardiner Service Co., an engineering and technical services firm in Solon with more than 200 workers, finds maintaining a consistent philosophy has worked well. Gardiner finished 17th among midsize companies.
“So many companies get wrapped up in ‘flavor of the month’ initiatives and structure changes,” said human resources executive Lisa DeBoe. “We’ve done a good job of evolving over time and experimenting with new ideas, but who we are at the core never wavers. That makes getting people to buy into a big change, which is rare, a lot easier because they know we believe it’s the right thing to do and we’re committed to it.”
The ultimate goal is company success. But seeing workers satisfied brings its own rewards.
“Our decades of success have resulted in significant growth in our business,” said Niederst of Progressive. “That growth has enabled tremendous opportunities for our people grow their careers. ... Turning your job at Progressive into a career with the company has been incredibly rewarding for so many of us.”
DeBoe said Gardiner’s workers average more than 12 years at the company.
“To see associates grow with our company and build successful careers and families is the most rewarding thing,” DeBoe said. “We have multiple second-generation associates working at Gardiner, so seeing the impact the company has had on entire families is humbling and something we don’t take lightly.”
"employee" - Google News
June 28, 2020 at 05:00PM
https://ift.tt/2YFi87W
Positive employee culture is a key to success: Tips from Top Workplaces 2020 - cleveland.com
"employee" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3c4ygEc
https://ift.tt/2W5rCYQ
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Positive employee culture is a key to success: Tips from Top Workplaces 2020 - cleveland.com"
Post a Comment