Counselor Magazine September 2012 : Page 80Best Places To Work Where Communication Thrives If the Counselor Best Places to Work com-panies know one thing, it’s the importance of communication – in many cases, hyper-communication. Many say that the key to creating a great workplace culture is to ensure that everybody in the office is as informed as possible. Whether it’s through in-person meetings, teleconferences, webinars or fun events, these companies dedicate a lot of time and resources to sharing information with their staffs. And, they all say, it’s not a one-way street. Sure, providing information about a company’s financials and how the busi-ness is doing is important to make employ-ees feel involved in the overall goals and operations of the company. But it’s also vital that management hears the ideas of employees. And that employees share ideas with each other. Take distributor firm NewClients ( asi/282470 ) in Richmond, VA, for exam-ple. The company, which is ranked num-ber 10 on this year’s Best Places to Work list, says that it attributes its near-100% retention rate to its very strict open-book policy. Management holds regular meet-ings to give staffers updates about the business, and events are held nearly every month – either off-site or at the company’s headquarters. “We run a very transparent business,” says Jeff Hall, president. “And, we continually ask for feedback as to what is important for our staff to be compen-sated fairly and managed well and to enjoy the camaraderie of a satisfying and fulfill-ing environment.” NewClients also even changed its oper-ating software recently to insure that the company is as transparent as possible to its employees. Now employees can more clearly see the productivity and efficiency of themselves and everyone around them. “A salesperson can view sales, commis-sions, accounts receivable, and everything relating to the book of business,” Hall says. “We openly communicate our corporate goals with the entire team. There are no surprises, and everyone knows that man-agement has their back when it comes to client and vendor issues.” Such a culture, though, can often be a shock to new employees, which is why Best Places to Work companies begin the train-ing process as soon as new hires are signed on. JH Specialty ( asi/232445 ), ranked number eight on the Best Places to Work list, holds an “initiation party” every few months to welcome new team members. The event is held on-site in the company’s rec room, and there’s plenty of food and drink for everyone. The group even holds a hot wing eating contest for new employees during the parties. “This creates a bond among the team,” the company says, “as everyone has gone through the hot wing challenge.” JH also makes sure to get to know its employees as closely as possible, so The 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 80 Proforma Albrecht & Co. ( asi/116308 ) Seaena ( asi/47782 ) The Book Company ( asi/41010 ) 85 Best Places to Work 13 Show Your Logo ( asi/326179 ) MadeToOrder ( asi/259540 ) ROBYN Promotions ( asi/309656 ) Corporate Imaging Concepts ( asi/168962 ) iClick ( asi/62124 ) ePromos Promotional Products ( asi/188515 ) Image Group ( asi/230059 ) Commotion Promotions ( asi/166010 ) LogoVision ( asi/255309 ) PromoSpark ( asi/349939 ) CredentialExpress ( asi/47204 ) Creative Media Development ( asi/170680 ) SEPTEMBER 2012 | COUNSELOR 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Clean Fun Promotional Marketing ( asi/162979 ) Talbot Marketing ( asi/341500 ) Sunrise Identity ( asi/339206 ) Bob Lilly Professional Promotions ( asi/254138 ) JH Specialty ( asi/232445 ) Proforma ( asi/300094 ) NewClients ( asi/282470 ) Catalyst Marketing ( asi/159067 ) Way To Be ( asi/355980 ) Publication List Using a screen reader? Click Here |
