Seven months into 2021, we reflect on the organisations who are empowering their employees to be the very best that they can be. What businesses challenge what we believe about employees’ needs and wants? And what can leaders learn from their strategies? The Rubicon Partnership analyses five companies from a variety of sectors with regards to their approaches to their people, performance, perks, pay, and participation.
People: Administrate
Scottish training management company, Administrate, has made a name for itself in the tech sector for ensuring that employees can attain ‘balance and wellness’ in their life through flexible working. This includes paying employees for a five-day working week but only requiring them to work four. Other perks include — but are not limited to — weekly feedback with line managers, unlimited access to a licensed therapist, and a team of accredited coaches who deliver on-site support. They also offer employees six weeks of paid holiday and a company-funded life insurance plan. Administrate was no stranger to remote operations during the pandemic as they have endorsed flexible working from its inception in 2007. To address diversity and inclusion, the board invites a range of volunteer consultancy group to ensure their targets regarding employee satisfaction, diversity, and workplace culture are always being reached.
What can be learned
Administrate offers fresh and exciting opportunities for employees to narrow the chasm between ‘work’ and ‘life.’ It may be important to ask your board how your employee’s lives can be made easier. What changes would need to be made in order to introduce a better work-life balance? What were the ways that they felt supported pre-pandemic? What changes — such as flexible remote working plans — can be adopted post-pandemic?
Performance: Brightstar
UK Mortgage lender, Brightstar, has won an impressive 96 awards for their work culture including first place in the 2019 Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies to Work For. How does the finance company achieve such feats? By sticking to their ethos, ‘hiring for attitude and training for skill,’ Brightstar guarantees that employees feel personally valued for what they can deliver rather than appreciated solely for their hierarchical position. Their robust in-house training schemes offer employees ample opportunities for development. Alongside such programmes, the lender also hosts frequent employee-led reviews of line managers and bi-yearly staff surveys. Whilst the finance sector is being shaken by failures in equality and diversity, Brightstar prides itself as being ‘an early adopter of the Women in Finance Charter and has been a trailblazer and ambassador for the campaign ever since.’ It is clear that Brightstar invests in company-wide high performance, not individual roles, and has thus ensured high employee satisfaction from their inception in 2011.
What can be learned
Much of Brightstar’s perks arise from the vulnerability of asking what is working and admitting when they can do better. Include your employees in the process. The more streamlined the operation is, the more positive your output will be, and the more valued your employees will feel.
Perks: Costco
The American supermarket chain, Costco, prides itself in its 6% staff turnover rate which employees say is due to the list of perks that comes with working for the American company. Employees are offered rows of healthy vending machines and in-store kitchens to prepare food brought from home. Speaking to Mental Floss, one employee stated, ‘It’s basically like a convenience store, with both frozen and fresh meals and snacks. The only difference is the prices are more reasonable.’ With generous wages and free turkeys at Thanksgiving, Costco ensures high employee satisfaction through treating individuals as ‘family’ rather than ‘staff.’ And to guarantee that employees are also customers, Costco gifts all employees free executive memberships to their stores and allows them to shop after-hours. Most importantly, all American employees are offered extensive health insurance plans. In the UK, employees and their family are offered confidential counselling and life insurance from day one.
What can be learned
The costs incurred through offering innumerable benefits are not stabs in the dark; as seen by their low turnover rate, incentives ensure that employees are kept satisfied and engaged. Accordingly, what does your board offer employees that other companies in your sector do not?
PAY: PayPal
Dan Schulman, CEO of PayPal, made headlines in 2020 for his treatment of his employees and his distinctive approach to leadership. Speaking to Investor’s Business Daily, Schulman stated that ‘capitalism needs an upgrade’ due to the ‘new reality’ that individuals are facing post-pandemic. PayPal has adopted a values-driven approach to ensure the empowerment of their employees, including raising wages to ensure that 20% of one’s salary is disposable income. Additionally, PayPal instigated flexible access to pay through the on-demand payment platform, Even.
What can be learned
Emerging toward a post-pandemic world, salaried employees are left feeling uncertain about what lies on the financial horizon. Think about the needs and wants of your people and ask yourself if their wages reflect the quality of life that you would want them to have. By doing so, they are more likely to come to work feeling engaged and eager.
Participation: UMi
UMi is an employee-owned consultancy firm based in County Durham. In 2021, UMi ranked in three of Best Companies’ 2021 listings and was awarded three stars for workplace engagement for the second year running. UMi puts its people first by offering a number of perks to increase their participation in the organisation’s activities. Employees are offered confidential counselling sessions to work through both personal and professional hindrances and are also guaranteed to be paid above the National Living Wage and Real Living Wage. As a result of active employee participation in the executive operations, healthy maternity plans are offered and annual leave is rewarded on birthdays. According to Richard Dawson, UMi did not flounder during the pandemic, instead ensuring that employees benefitted from flexible working and a tailored leadership approach.
What can be learned
Employee-led businesses have been proven to be happier and have higher employee engagement rates. What can be learned from these organisations? Employees should feel accountable for the performance of the business as well as feeling reflected in the company’s values by allowing them ample opportunities to get involved with the decision making process.
The Rubicon Partnership is a Scottish executive coaching consultancy. To discuss ways in which you can implement strategy to improve employee engagement, please email our Executive Assistant, Eleni, at [email protected] or phone