The success of any business depends not just on the product, but on the employees. To truly reach its potential and become the leader in any industry, a business must figure out to how create momentum by inspiring and empowering its employees.
How do you do that in a time where the expectations of the workforce have changed so much?
How do you encourage employees to grow not just professionally, but personally, too?
Being named one of Connecticut’s top workplaces for six consecutive years is an honor that we are very proud of at Clarus Commerce and promote in a practical way every day.
Here are seven lessons we've learned that you can use:
1. Training
Whenever we have a new position that needs to be posted and recruited for, we require the hiring manager to complete a training plan for the new employee’s first month. This ensures that we’re providing them with everything they need, and exposure to key people and departments.
In addition, in 2018 we created a training resource area on our Intranet page (Confluence) where managers and employees can seek out training that they can sign up for externally, without having to do much searching.
We have a training budget built in every year for all employees to take advantage of, where they work with their manager based on their career path to determine what training might be beneficial. Lastly, we encourage employees to host “Clarus Classrooms” on a monthly basis, where presentations are done on a wide range of topics and employees can sign up to attend. For your business, having a comprehensive and engaging training program helps set up your employees for success.
2. Mentoring Program
Our Mentoring Program was created to pair up people who don’t necessarily work together regularly, with the purpose of providing some leadership and mentoring to new employees.
This also allows a new employee with a resource to bounce things off as they grow and develop their careers.
Over the years, the program has evolved based on participant feedback and has become a sought-after program for both mentors and mentees. Senior leaders nominate mentors from their groups, and mentees are volunteers, with each round lasting six months.
Mentees are tasked with creating topics they’d like to discuss throughout the period and mentors/mentees meet periodically to cover those topics. The idea is to create a lasting relationship where the mentee feels they can reach out even after the round is over for advice, coaching, or just to run something by the mentor. We send out surveys at the end of each round for feedback so we can make ongoing improvements to the program.
This gives mentors the chance to feel like they have a direct impact on the career development of younger employees, and gives mentees a voice in the company culture as well as guidance on how they can advance their own careers.
3. Holiday Break
As the workplace continues to change, we change with it. We give our employees the week off between Christmas and New Year’s Day. We do this for a few reasons.
One, it is our way of thanking them for all their hard work throughout the year that helps Clarus continue to grow. It saves them from using any of their own vacation time and spreads a feeling of goodwill at a very festive time of year.
Two, we always promote a healthy work/home balance and having the week off between Christmas and New Year’s Day is a great time for our employees to spend time with their families.
Three, we believe that it’s important to recharge the batteries after working so hard throughout the year. We all come back to the office feeling refreshed and with a positive outlook on the new year.
4. Wellness Challenges
We promote our Wellness Challenges each month that engage many employees. The Wellness Challenges are a great way to encourage team building and healthy habits.
Here are a couple of examples of some recent Wellness Challenges:
Participants must come up with a healthy habit to do every day during that time period. Examples of that healthy habit could be: salad for dinner, a walk on lunch, eating a piece of fruit for a snack instead of goldfish, etc.
Participants who complete the challenge receive a $25 Gift Card or half-day of vacation time. The goal here is to make people feel like their well-being is important, not just to the company but also for themselves.
5. Company Events
Every year, we have a picnic, where folks from different departments get together to compete in some friendly games, eat some delicious food, and socialize over a few adult beverages.
Many workers spend a lot of time in the office, seemingly spending almost as much time with their coworkers as they do with their families. We all need to find ways to relax, and not always be in a formal environment. Social events can go a long way in creating bonds between employees and create some good will towards the company. Plus, they're fun!
6. Charity
Loyalty comes from the heart.
Giving back to your community is a noble deed that is repaid tenfold through a sense of pride that it brings all who participate.
We have a community outreach program called “Clarus Cares" which began six years ago and provides opportunities for our employees to lend a collective hand to people, causes, and organizations in the cities and towns near us in Connecticut.
Effective employee engagement is essential for any company to grow and prosper. It’s always about giving back and building relationships within the company and the community.
7. Holiday Party
We have our annual Holiday Party in the Cabaret Theatre at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT.
We stop working early on that Friday so people can have time to get ready for and travel to Mohegan Sun. Many employees enjoy the night out and stay over at the casino as well.
The party is a great time for everyone to see other people they might not see on a regular basis at work, bring their spouses, and enjoy a nice dinner and drinks. We typically have a speaker at the party as well. This year we had Joe LaCava, who is the caddie for Tiger Woods.
LaCava, who lives in Southbury, CT, participated in a fireside chat with me and we also had questions from the audience. LaCava was a very interesting guy and had some great stories about his career as a caddie with Woods and other golfers such as Fred Couples and Dustin Johnson.
At the party, we also hand out some key employee awards for: Most Valuable Player, Unsung Hero, Rookie of the Year, and Spotlight.
When you have your holiday party, it's a great time to take stock and reflect on the year for your business, and give your employees well-deserved recognition and rewards for their efforts.
Clarus Provides Great Benefits, Both Tangible and Intangible
When it comes to choosing an employer, the tangible benefits are the easy (and expected) part. Employees today and in the future want more than just good wages and health insurance.
A positive work culture is one of the top priorities at Clarus and one that our employees enjoy.
It’s the intangible benefits like proper training and growth opportunities, corporate social responsibility, and overall wellness that create momentum in the lives of our employees. Those are the things that make them want to come here every day.
Our workforce passed 100 employees in 2018 and, as we continue to hire, it becomes even more important to us that we promote a vibrant and winning culture at Clarus.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.