Having a strong company culture is more than just an internal policy to benefit employees — it creates a special camaraderie that motivates the entire team to put forth exceptional work and deliver exceptional service.
A company’s culture is defined by employees’ behaviors, attitudes and general job performance and is evident in everything they do. This has an enormous impact on customer satisfaction and is more important than the service being offered.
Here are four ways we promote strong company culture, and how it impacts both you and our employees.
1. Embracing Open-Book Management.
Our team used to dread snow work, and it would be difficult to retain enough staff willing to do the job. Switching to Open-Book Management gave them a vested interest in doing a great job — because they know they’ll earn a healthy bonus at the end of the season.
Open-Book Management is a style of management that gives employees access to the company’s financial information to encourage them to think and act like owners — and see how their personal success is directly related to the company’s success.
Since every single person on the team has “skin in the game” and shares in the profit each quarter they are motivated to do an exceptional job — resulting in an exceptional customer experience for you.
This management style also increases the emotional engagement team members have with the company and its goals. Their job is about more than just a paycheck — it’s about being part of a successful team and seeing the results of their efforts.
2. Recruiting through employee referral bonus programs.
Getting new recruits through our employee referral program has been an effective way to attract and retain qualified applicants. Here’s how it works:
The referring employee receives $100 in cash the day the new employee starts, $200 if they stay for 30 days and $300 if they reach 90 days. It’s announced to the entire company and celebrated as a win.
This has proven enormously beneficial to our clients as well — when we have a full roster of employees we can provide faster, more efficient service.
And because those employees are staying longer, their skills are more developed, they have a complete understanding of our procedures and they have personal knowledge of your property’s requirements — so your property is maintained to consistently high standards.
3. Creating a family atmosphere
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”
This quote from Steve Jobs really resonates with me, but I think there’s something missing...I also believe it’s important to get to know and enjoy the people you work with.
We take time to celebrate our wins and come together to share a meal at our cookouts — but it’s not just about the burgers. It’s an opportunity for everyone to mingle, hang out and talk about things other than work.
Having a great culture that allows people to connect on a personal level at work spills over to the customer experience — they are more engaged in the work they do and are motivated to go the extra mile for their team members and ultimately for you, our customer.
4. Supporting personal and professional growth
One of the ways we’ve been able to maintain our corporate culture is by hiring based on our core values.
We believe that all the time, work, and effort our employees put into their jobs should lead to growth, which is why Landscape America offers opportunities to grow within the organization both professionally and personally. (Internally, we call these “career paths.”)
No matter where an employee starts, there’s a pathway to success. This helps us to nurture and retain top talent, so you get the best in the business working on your property.
Providing great customer service through a strong workplace culture.
When everyone pulls together and has a vested interest in the success of the company, the focus shifts from “what is good for me” to “what is good for the customer” since it’s customer satisfaction that ultimately drives success.
Our team is always looking for ways to improve the customer experience, by doing things such as remembering an individual customer’s name and personal preferences. This delivers a level of service that makes our customers feel special and is what sets us apart from the competition.
It all adds up to happy, challenged and motivated people!
Sometimes it’s not the big things that matter — it’s the accumulation of small gestures over time that contribute the most to positive company culture.
We try to make our employees feel as special as they are and show our appreciation for their efforts — such as having muffins and Gatorade for the crews as they head out to the various job sites!
Our crew also loves working with new equipment, so we’re always upgrading and adding to our fleet — which means your property is always being cared for with state-of-the-art equipment.
Each and every person on our team prides themselves on professionalism and delivering an outstanding experience for you — which is a direct result of a company culture that values team spirit, superior customer service and continual improvement.
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