Reprinted Content from Vol 2, #2
February 1, 2002
2400 Boston Street, Suite 404
Can Company Signature Building
Baltimore, MD 21224
Phone: 410-342-9510
Fax: 410-342-9514
www.smartceo.com
Publisher: Craig Burris
Editor: David Callahan
By: Rebecca E. Paulsen

This year, approximately 17 million workers will quit their jobs, up 6 million from five years ago, according to a recent U.S. News and World Report article, and as a result, many CEOs, employers and other business leaders are wondering what they can do to keep their employees from searching out greener pastures. Surprisingly, the answer may be to just look within-the business, that is. According to experts, employee satisfaction, once driven primarily by money, now requires more than financial fostering-employees are also considering the corporate culture that they work in to be of equal and sometimes even greater value.

Creating a positive corporate culture, the establishment of a shared mission, key effectiveness factors and a healthy reward system, will assure the smooth operation of a business and inevitably, the success of an organization, according to experts. Additionally, empowering associates to make important contributions to the growth and the success of an organization can increase productivity, decrease turnover and provide them with professional and personal satisfaction.

A. C. Marshall, founder and owner, The Fudgery, believes that a culture where employees are interactive is more productive than one that does not have employee interaction. He added that embracing the famous employee-client interaction dimension to his stores has been nothing short of profitable.

"Revenue in our stores are raised 50 percent because of the interaction that we have with our audience and customers," Marshall said. "If we remove the reward, the interaction, from the equation, we become just another fudge store."

Rebecca Penovich, brand communications manager, Maryland Public Television (MPT) agrees that career involvement is key to taking the efficiency of a business to the next level. "People are happy if they are engaged in what they are doing and if they are feeling productive," Penovich said. "We are a creative industry and most of our assets are in our people. Letting them know of their value and importance to the growth of the company makes everyone part of a bigger scheme."

Ilana Bitner, president, Columbia-based Pixel Workshop, agrees that employee productivity is what makes (or breaks) a company and productivity, in her opinion, is best reached through play and fun. "Playing is a big part of the creative process," Bitner said. "For us, it helps to get us into the mode of brainstorming and brainstorming is the most creative part of any business venture." Bitner added that getting the mind and the body involved in a job and allows for a fresh, relaxed atmosphere. "Sometimes, we will go down the street and shoot hoops to help us clear our minds," Bitner said. "If we are writing, say, dialogue, getting up and getting active helps us to be more mentally engaged." She added, "Play is the best way to work".

Holidays and special occasions provide a reason to break work routines and allow employee camaraderie to come forward. If workers look forward to annual events, they will grow attached to their company over the years.

Sometimes the best events are the silliest ones. At System Source, the "fun committee" plans events like desk chair relay races and watermelon seed spitting contests.

Symbols, myths, songs & jokes

Symbols, songs, inside jokes, slogans, rituals, myths, beliefs, language and values are just some of the conscious and unconscious signs of a healthy, functional corporate culture. Artifacts, the most noticeable displays that take place within the walls of a business environment, can also include the architecture, peoples clothing, celebrations, logos and slogans, yet sometimes the ties that bind come in the form of something unexpected, like fudge.

"All of our employees have bought into the reward that our stores offer," said Marshall, "and that reward is the fun and talent that we let our employees express while they work. Everyone understands that we are in the entertainment business as much as we are in the fudge business. We have been an interactive company since our first store, bantering with customers, telling one-liners. Our employees love working for us because they can be their talented, creative selves." And giving new meaning to the old adage, "all work and no play" is nothing new to companies such as System Source, the oldest PC Systems Integrator in the Baltimore area.

"We recognize the benefits to incorporating fun activities into the employee routine," said Cymantha Governs, purchasing and planning coordinator, System Source. She added that in order to implement the activities into the company, they have an in-house "fun committee" that plans activities and events for employees and their families.

"The activities facilitate bonds between employees by allowing them more casual situations in which they can learn to work together. It also increases employee pride," Governs said. "Employees are met with comments like, 'Wow, that's so cool!' or 'I'm jealous' in response to sharing their fun activity stories with friends and family outside of work." She added, "In those moments, the fun activity significantly distinguishes that workplace from every other and the employee is even more proud to be where they are."

She added that the fun committee has executed several successful events including the System Source Olympics. This day of games, in honor of the Sydney Olympics, included a "monitor toss," a contest to see who could throw an un-repairable monitor the furthest distance, "stack and field", a business card stacking competition and a "chair-riot race", a relay race based on the distance a person could roll while sitting in an office chair with wheels. Governs explained that the event fulfilled two of the criteria that the fun committee bases their events on: relevance to current events and teamwork.

In addition to large events like the inner-office Olympics, Governs explained that System Source also holds unannounced events, like the arrival of the summertime ice cream truck. "One or two Fridays during the summer, an announcement comes over the intercom letting everyone know that the ice cream truck has arrived and the employees are invited to get whatever they want," Governs said. "The spontaneity of the event really invigorates everyone and being allowed to 'get whatever you want' is the realization of a childhood dream."

At System Source, "Kid's Day" is a seriously planned event. Children are divided by age group and instructed in areas including computer assembly or job interviewing. Above, president Maury Weinstein hosts a mock boardroom meeting.

Other activities provided by the fun committee include a baseball opening day celebration, pumpkin art for Halloween, a Groundhog Day celebration and when it is time to pick a new coffee vendor, everyone is invited to participate in a coffee tasting. Governs added that departmental events include water park bus trips, baseball game visits, and when it is snowing, there is sometimes sledding. Still, she added, one of the most successful events that is held on a yearly basis is "Kids Day," a workday set aside for employees to bring their children to work with them.

"The kids are grouped within their ages and activities are done with them throughout the day," Governs said. "They meet together in the morning and go through a variety of activities. The kids learn about what their parents do all day and the parents get to show off how great their kids are!" She added, "Overall, System Source tries to hold events that will allow employees to laugh together and hopefully allow them to learn about each other and working together. The variety of activities allow for different types of employee recognition. Not only do they facilitate teamwork but also relationships and no-one wants to let their team mates down."

Penovich, who agrees that corporate culture should be included in the everyday routine of employees, explained that MPT picked up on the much recognized "fish attitude" that originated at the famous Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington.

"Our company rented the video on how to invigorate your corporate culture and we all really took to the concept of having fun at work," Penovich said. "The video showed the employees of Pike Place Market throwing fish around, really having a great time entertaining the customers."

She explained that as a way of incorporating the fish attitude into their corporate environment, some of the employees keep pictures of fish on their office doors and others give out "fish food", a variety of gummy fish, goldfish crackers and other fish-shaped treats. She also said that when employees talk at a meeting, they are given a plastic fish to hold.

"We keep the theme going because it symbolizes teamwork," Penovich said. In order to give corporate culture a shelf life, Penovich suggests giving the icon or concept a grassroots appeal.

"In order for something to work as well as the fish concept, it has to give people something to relate to," Penovich said. "For example, if you want it to promote a job well done, you could say something like, 'that was very fish-like'."

Don't drown the fish

Business leaders may scratch their head and wonder what it is that could send an employee running out the front door of their company, but 65 percent of exiting employees at one company noted that a lack of coaching or feedback was key in their decision to leave, according to Employment Management Today ["Why Employees Leave," Employment Management Today, Winter 2000].

Penovich added that other issues that can "drown the fish" are institutionalizing, scripting, and making too many rules on a corporate culture symbol or activity. "Ideas that come down from the top don't generally fly," Penovich said. "The feelings have to be generated by the employees in order for them to work and be maintained."

Bitner agrees that in order for a positive corporate culture to develop, it has to come from the employees and what they believe in."It is hard, because as a business owner, you can dream up what you want things to be like and try to build that image, but the hardest thing is letting go," Bitner said. "As you grow as a business owner, you find that you have so many more responsibilities than you ever imagined and you can't micro-manage every little thing. That is hard." She added, "The best thing that you can do as a business owner is to pick the right people, give them the right tools, guide them but let them do it themselves."

Still, Bitner added, the biggest issue that can drown the fish is actually something that many companies lack.

"Communication," Bitner said. "If you lack communication, you have nothing. You have to be completely open to have an employee really vested in the company and the only way to do that is to be totally honest with them through the good times and the bad. Keep an open book policy and they will keep an open mind."

Development, along with the maintenance of the internal culture of a company, is just as important as the communication that takes place, according to Maury Weinstein, president of Hunt Valley-based System Source. "A lot of culture depends on where it comes from, who develops it and who catches onto it." He added, "Instead of a hierarchy, the culture of a corporation needs to come from within. It is a structural component, one that cannot be dictated from the top."

Maury Weinstein, president of System Source. Impromptu company picnics in the dog days of summer are a time-tested formula for boosting morale.

Weinstein added that although there are basic parameters that need to be considered, like the amount of time that is spent on one activity, the activities are run by the employees.

"The employees have decided to rotate the chairmanship of the fun committee," Weinstein said. "I really believe that by allowing them this ownership, they are more productive to the company as a whole." He added that having a group of people handle the events, he has more time, as a business owner, to focus on his company.

"The best part of this, for a CEO or other business owner, is that you can still be involved, but you don't have to do it all yourself," Weinstein said. "We have never added it up from a financial standpoint, but the money that is spent on creating the activities couldn't be big dollars, especially compared to the priceless results."

Ray Blank, management consultant, agrees that businesses prosper from the environment of a corporation.

"Thinking that management gives employees fun is a backwards thought," Blank said. "The employees are the ones who are giving so much to the management."

I'd like to thank the Academy...

The diminishing of motivation and excitement is one way to tear down the growing foundation of a positive work environment and yet sometimes, regardless of positive efforts and good intentions, it happens. Take for example, the concept of giving awards to associates within a company. While presenting awards is set with good meaning, some companies disagree whether or not giving awards is positively productive or potentially destructive.

"There was a time when we had awards ceremonies for our employees," Weinstein said. "They were pretty big events and caused a lot of excitement amongst our employees. People were encouraged to dress up, attend the dinner and bring their spouse or significant other. The problem was, I think that we mistook their anxiousness for excitement. The anxiousness came from wondering who would be acknowledged and who wouldn't, when in fact, they were working as a team, something that we very much encouraged. It was kind of a double edged concept."

As a result, Weinstein added, some people would really get their feelings hurt if they weren't acknowledged and it was obvious in the way that the 'teams' would interact after the awards were given. "We just decided that it was better to do without them altogether. Now, we have celebrations, where everyone is acknowledged and nobody is singled out for doing better than their associate."

Dawn Cermak, co-owner, Fandango Special Events, acknowledges that while less may be more for some companies, for her employees, the employee recognition helps to motivate the departments.

"A great example is our yearly holiday party that we have for our employees," Cermak said. "Since it is around the time that we are wrapping up the 'busy season' recognition is really necessary. So many of our employees work around the clock to make the events happen and we take the time to give something back to them."

Still, Cermak added, the awards are given in response to the employee voting. "By letting the employees choose who wins the awards lets them thank their peers for being part of the team. I can understand how some people would feel left out if just, say, the owners chose, but we let employees make the decisions. Believe me, they all deserve to win, but we don't look at it as winning or losing. We look at it as a celebration of Fandango as a team with a chance for the people who really make it happen to shine."

Dissenters allowed

In any group, you are going to have your cynics, according to Jeff Hankin, vice president, marketing, MPT.

"There are always some people who think that they are 'too cool' or that the concepts are stupid," Hankin said. "Whatever the idea is, it has to have a germ of truth and be somewhat sensible. It can be a silly idea or concept but the germ has to be a sound business idea or it won't work."

Weinstien agrees that keeping all employees involved and excited about the corporate culture in a company is not an easy task.

"Our biggest challenge comes when dealing with our field employees," Weinstein said. "We have to always work on how to include them and keep them involved because they don't see, on a daily basis, all that goes on here."

Hankins added, "Let the cynics be cynics. They will benefit and secretly be glad that they have a happier workplace to go to everyday."

Copyright 2002 by EMI Media, Inc. All rights reserved by EMI Media. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.