1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,760 < Intro > 2 00:00:05,760 --> 00:00:07,480 – Welcome back to Count Me In. 3 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:11,089 In today's episode, we're thrilled to have Sarah Rubenstein, 4 00:00:11,089 --> 00:00:13,290 Chief Accounting Officer at Clearway Energy. 5 00:00:13,290 --> 00:00:15,009 With us to discuss the crucial role 6 00:00:15,009 --> 00:00:18,920 that employee engagement plays in an organization's success. 7 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:20,600 Sarah brings her extensive experience 8 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:23,800 in cultivating positive work environments to the table. 9 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:27,720 Offering valuable advice on identifying disengaged employees, 10 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:31,360 implementing effective strategies to boost engagement, 11 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:35,320 and the benefits of fostering an inclusive, collaborative workspace. 12 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:38,360 Stay tuned as we uncover the keys to unlocking a happy, 13 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:40,960 productive, and thriving work environment. 14 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:47,040 < Music > 15 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:48,040 – Well, Sarah, thank you so much 16 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:49,720 for coming on the Count Me In podcast, today. 17 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:51,270 We're really excited to have you on, 18 00:00:51,270 --> 00:00:54,399 and today we're going to be talking about employee engagement 19 00:00:54,399 --> 00:00:56,760 and all that, that encompasses. 20 00:00:56,760 --> 00:00:59,520 And maybe to start off, maybe, you can start by defining 21 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:01,720 what is employee engagement to you. 22 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:05,680 – Sure, to me, employee engagement 23 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:10,520 is how positive people feel about their work, 24 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:16,800 and we measure that in a lot of different ways. 25 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:20,230 But, really, I'm lucky, the company that I work at, 26 00:01:20,230 --> 00:01:22,750 we survey our employees every year, 27 00:01:22,750 --> 00:01:24,470 regarding employee engagement. 28 00:01:24,470 --> 00:01:26,610 And we ask some really good questions 29 00:01:26,610 --> 00:01:28,680 that were developed by very smart people 30 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:31,760 at Harvard, and Yale, and Stanford, 31 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:36,320 that tell us how engaged people are. 32 00:01:36,320 --> 00:01:42,000 And, so, we're able to evaluate, and a lot of the questions relate to things 33 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:47,439 like management, leadership, integrity, work-life balance, 34 00:01:47,439 --> 00:01:52,560 workload, allocation, autonomy, and things like that. 35 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:57,800 And all of those factors really tell us how engaged our employees are. 36 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:01,080 – That's interesting, and when you mention engaged, 37 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:02,820 a lot of times when you see discussions 38 00:02:02,820 --> 00:02:04,070 about employee engagement. 39 00:02:04,070 --> 00:02:07,560 You see engaged employees versus disengaged employees. 40 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:09,760 And, so, maybe we can start by talking about that a little bit. 41 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:11,600 Because you have your engaged employees, 42 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:13,000 and you can usually tell who those are. 43 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:15,400 But the disengaged maybe a little harder to see, 44 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:16,900 or maybe not so hard, depending on 45 00:02:16,900 --> 00:02:19,280 what they're not doing, I should say. 46 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:22,989 – Yes, sure, and the first indication we have, 47 00:02:22,989 --> 00:02:25,120 that some employees are not engaged, 48 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:27,800 is that they don't answer the surveys. 49 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:31,060 So we don't get 100% participation. 50 00:02:31,060 --> 00:02:36,650 So that tells us that some people feel like maybe their voice 51 00:02:36,650 --> 00:02:40,040 won't be heard, even if they answer. 52 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:43,440 And those people, usually, just have a negative outlook, 53 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:46,350 maybe, on what type of work 54 00:02:46,350 --> 00:02:50,120 they're doing or their future within the company. 55 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:52,940 And, so, a lot of times, you lose the engagement 56 00:02:52,940 --> 00:02:57,280 when people feel like there's no career development path for them, 57 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:00,910 or the work that they're doing isn't valuable, 58 00:03:00,910 --> 00:03:04,440 or they're not being told that the work that they're doing is valuable. 59 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:06,840 – And that can be very difficult for an employee, 60 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:09,750 especially, when you don't feel like 61 00:03:09,750 --> 00:03:12,180 you can't move up in an organization. 62 00:03:12,180 --> 00:03:14,730 How do you take somebody who is disengaged 63 00:03:14,730 --> 00:03:16,880 and try to get them to be engaged? 64 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:19,970 – That's a great question, and, especially, 65 00:03:19,970 --> 00:03:22,580 when you don't have a development path 66 00:03:22,580 --> 00:03:24,600 for a person, it is really challenging. 67 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:31,640 And, so, what we try to do is we try to provide a lot of personal 68 00:03:31,640 --> 00:03:34,400 and professional development opportunities. 69 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:36,900 And we talk to our employees 70 00:03:36,900 --> 00:03:39,890 about how those types of opportunities 71 00:03:39,890 --> 00:03:42,680 can help them develop themselves. 72 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:46,640 Whether for this particular company and role 73 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:49,600 or just in general for their career. 74 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:53,970 So we try to offer them opportunities to learn 75 00:03:53,970 --> 00:03:58,700 and also to, maybe, work in an area 76 00:03:58,700 --> 00:04:00,849 that isn't related to their job. 77 00:04:00,849 --> 00:04:05,160 So we try to look for things we call stretch assignments. 78 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:08,240 Where there might be an opportunity in another group, 79 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:11,120 where someone needs help with a special project, 80 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:13,640 and that might give that individual the opportunity 81 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:17,669 to learn new skills that they can put on their resume, 82 00:04:17,669 --> 00:04:23,000 even if it doesn't give them direct path to promotion. 83 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:27,270 So we try to demonstrate what we can offer the employee, 84 00:04:27,270 --> 00:04:33,560 even if it isn't upward mobility, and that maybe we can't keep them forever, 85 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:36,930 but we can keep them a little bit longer, 86 00:04:36,930 --> 00:04:38,550 and that helps us overall. 87 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:40,730 – Yes, because it shows that you care 88 00:04:40,730 --> 00:04:42,070 and that you're engaging with them, 89 00:04:42,070 --> 00:04:44,110 even though they seem to be disengaged. 90 00:04:44,110 --> 00:04:46,060 And, so, it encourages them, 91 00:04:46,060 --> 00:04:49,259 even if there is no upper mobility at that moment. 92 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:50,680 – Right, because everyone is looking 93 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:54,310 for some type of personal development, 94 00:04:54,310 --> 00:04:58,920 even if they don't see a future for themselves at that company. 95 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:02,200 So we try to offer something for everyone. 96 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:04,190 If you don't see yourself as a leader 97 00:05:04,190 --> 00:05:08,350 at this company, that's okay, we'll work with you 98 00:05:08,350 --> 00:05:10,180 on how you can make yourself 99 00:05:10,180 --> 00:05:15,910 a better employee and a better person. 100 00:05:15,910 --> 00:05:19,460 So that, at least, we can keep you around, 101 00:05:19,460 --> 00:05:23,080 and have you feel happy to be working 102 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:25,840 at the company for the time being. 103 00:05:25,840 --> 00:05:28,080 – Mh-hmm, that makes a lot of sense. 104 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:30,070 So maybe we can focus a little bit 105 00:05:30,070 --> 00:05:33,510 on what are some benefits, to organizations, 106 00:05:33,510 --> 00:05:36,000 to creating an engaging environment? 107 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:38,770 – I haven't read all of the studies, 108 00:05:38,770 --> 00:05:40,639 but there are numerous studies 109 00:05:40,639 --> 00:05:43,160 that show that engaged employees 110 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:47,200 are better employees, they're more productive. 111 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:51,220 Of course, we know that hiring new employees, 112 00:05:51,220 --> 00:05:54,240 and training them, and getting them up to speed 113 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:57,669 is very expensive and time-consuming. 114 00:05:57,669 --> 00:06:04,440 And, so, it benefits us to take the time to develop programs 115 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:06,400 to promote employee engagement. 116 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:11,120 Because, overall, we end up with better productivity 117 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:15,520 and just a better workforce. 118 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:16,610 – I mean, that makes a lot of sense 119 00:06:16,610 --> 00:06:18,840 to want to have a better workforce, 120 00:06:18,840 --> 00:06:20,680 especially, when they're engaged. 121 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:24,090 And, so, maybe, we can talk a little bit about 122 00:06:24,090 --> 00:06:26,430 what do you need to look for, especially, 123 00:06:26,430 --> 00:06:27,460 when your team is not engaged. 124 00:06:27,460 --> 00:06:29,680 Are there certain signs that you can look for? 125 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:31,759 Obviously, you mentioned you can tell people 126 00:06:31,759 --> 00:06:34,400 are not engaged when they're not taking a survey. 127 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:38,200 But then what are other signs that you can look for, within your team, 128 00:06:38,210 --> 00:06:40,200 if you can talk a little bit about that? 129 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:46,440 – Yes, no problem, there's a couple of different signs that I look for. 130 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:49,770 Generally, I look for people 131 00:06:49,770 --> 00:06:53,760 who aren't participating in the conversations, 132 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:57,840 who don't speak up in meetings. 133 00:06:57,840 --> 00:07:01,980 People who have been doing the same work 134 00:07:01,980 --> 00:07:05,480 for an extended period of time. 135 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:09,169 And, of course, you look for the signs of people 136 00:07:09,169 --> 00:07:11,720 who are not responsive. 137 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:17,920 They're taking a long time to reply to emails or teams' messages. 138 00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:23,480 Those are all signs we look for, for people who aren't engaged. 139 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:26,600 And then we really try to find ways 140 00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:29,360 to bring them into the conversation. 141 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:33,320 To make them feel like we're committed to their success, 142 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:39,389 and that we're interested in having them as part of the conversation. 143 00:07:39,389 --> 00:07:42,040 – Do you think that having engaged people 144 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:45,920 with the not-so-engaged people, connecting them together, 145 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:49,520 that can help drive or improve a team? 146 00:07:49,759 --> 00:07:51,920 – I definitely do. 147 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:54,950 Maybe one other thing I'll say about employees 148 00:07:54,950 --> 00:07:57,920 who aren't engaged is they tend to leave. 149 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:02,900 So, really, our primary focus on employee engagement 150 00:08:02,900 --> 00:08:07,280 started when, and I won't say it started, 151 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:08,760 we've always had a focus on it. 152 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:13,930 But we renewed that focus when the great resignation occurred. 153 00:08:13,930 --> 00:08:15,099 We were hearing about that. 154 00:08:15,099 --> 00:08:17,080 It didn't really happen at my company. 155 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:21,560 But we were very concerned that once everyone was out of sight, 156 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:23,760 out of mind, working remote from home, 157 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:26,919 people might start to feel disengaged 158 00:08:26,919 --> 00:08:29,659 when they're working on their own, 159 00:08:29,659 --> 00:08:31,990 without interacting with others. 160 00:08:31,990 --> 00:08:35,320 They might start to look at other jobs online 161 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:37,510 while they're at home and things like that. 162 00:08:37,510 --> 00:08:43,320 So we really wanted to focus on making sure that didn't happen. 163 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:48,880 So we started some programs that were designed, specifically, 164 00:08:48,900 --> 00:08:50,510 to promote employee engagement. 165 00:08:50,510 --> 00:08:53,840 And one of those was a mentoring program 166 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:55,520 within the accounting department. 167 00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:58,760 So we matched up individuals 168 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:03,000 who were at lower levels with our managers and directors, 169 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:06,400 so that the managers and directors 170 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:10,220 could give the staff-level folks an idea 171 00:09:10,220 --> 00:09:13,920 of how they could get to that level. 172 00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:19,130 And also they could just give them the ability 173 00:09:19,130 --> 00:09:23,000 to communicate with someone they didn't work with all the time. 174 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:26,029 So that they would feel more engaged 175 00:09:26,029 --> 00:09:30,590 in the overall department, and not just able to speak 176 00:09:30,590 --> 00:09:35,000 with their direct supervisor and their specific team. 177 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:37,630 – That's great, mentorship is a huge way 178 00:09:37,630 --> 00:09:39,320 of connecting different departments, 179 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:41,640 different people, within an organization. 180 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:45,560 And it also helps people feel like they're part of a community. 181 00:09:45,560 --> 00:09:48,360 Because a lot of times corporate structures feel like a prison, 182 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:51,240 in a lot of ways, with the fluorescent lights and everything. 183 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:54,320 And it sounds like you guys are building a sense of community. 184 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:56,960 Has that been what you're looking to do? 185 00:09:56,960 --> 00:10:02,570 – Yes, definitely, I would say there were two 186 00:10:02,570 --> 00:10:07,660 very large parts of our program were communication. 187 00:10:07,660 --> 00:10:14,070 So making sure that we had adequate amounts of communication 188 00:10:14,070 --> 00:10:19,120 across the department, and within the specific teams, 189 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:22,120 and then collaboration, in general. 190 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:26,579 So having a team's channel for our whole department, 191 00:10:26,579 --> 00:10:32,360 where people could even just share a photo of their pet 192 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:35,910 or something funny that they wanted to share. 193 00:10:35,910 --> 00:10:40,400 So that people do feel like they're part of a broader community 194 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:44,440 and not just a small, little, group. 195 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:47,850 And, then, I'll say that I'm very fortunate, 196 00:10:47,850 --> 00:10:49,810 I work for a company that is committed 197 00:10:49,810 --> 00:10:53,080 to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 198 00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:56,640 And, so, two years ago we started inclusion groups, 199 00:10:56,640 --> 00:11:03,280 and those have been a really big help in employee engagement 200 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:08,399 and in helping people feel like they're part of a community. 201 00:11:08,399 --> 00:11:13,280 So I will say for companies that don't have inclusion groups, yet, 202 00:11:13,280 --> 00:11:17,200 I think, it really is a big benefit to employees. 203 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:19,280 – Can you, maybe, talk a little bit more about the inclusion groups? 204 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:20,800 What does that look like? 205 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:26,440 – Sure, so, typically, they're focused around a specific group. 206 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:28,550 So we have a women's inclusion group. 207 00:11:28,550 --> 00:11:30,750 A veterans' inclusion group. 208 00:11:30,750 --> 00:11:36,040 We have a Latinx inclusion group, and things like that. 209 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:41,480 But it's to give employees, across the company, 210 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:43,399 the ability to connect with people 211 00:11:43,399 --> 00:11:48,400 that they relate to and then also the ability 212 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:52,560 to share with the whole organization, 213 00:11:52,560 --> 00:11:57,200 the things that are important to that inclusion group. 214 00:11:57,200 --> 00:11:59,890 And, so, it's really been great, both, 215 00:11:59,890 --> 00:12:04,560 for bringing employees together with people that they relate to. 216 00:12:04,560 --> 00:12:09,029 And, then, also, making them able to share that 217 00:12:09,029 --> 00:12:10,840 with the whole company 218 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:15,280 and educate them on the issues that are important to them. 219 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:18,550 So it has been really great in bringing 220 00:12:18,550 --> 00:12:20,760 our whole community together. 221 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:24,029 – That's awesome, that's a great way of connecting people 222 00:12:24,029 --> 00:12:27,680 and also helping to educate the greater community, as well. 223 00:12:27,680 --> 00:12:31,320 Because a lot of times, if you only are focused on what you know, 224 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:33,120 you never get to experience or understand 225 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:34,600 what other people's experiences are, 226 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:37,699 which helps you understand the human condition better. 227 00:12:37,699 --> 00:12:41,829 –Right, and the other thing that's nice about the inclusion groups 228 00:12:41,829 --> 00:12:45,520 is that they have executive sponsorship. 229 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:49,360 So the issues that are important to the inclusion groups 230 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:53,780 are brought to the attention of the executive leadership. 231 00:12:53,780 --> 00:12:59,649 So they're then aware of what's important to their employees 232 00:12:59,649 --> 00:13:03,160 and it gives them a forum to do that. 233 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:05,440 But without the inclusion groups, 234 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:08,400 the executives might hear about it 235 00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:12,089 but it wouldn't, necessarily, be in a positive way 236 00:13:12,089 --> 00:13:16,240 and it doesn't give them as much exposure to it. 237 00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:18,080 – Mh-hmm, and it also gives people a voice 238 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:20,200 who may not have had a voice before. 239 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:26,600 – Yes, and that also because it's open to anyone. 240 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:29,100 It's nice that some of the people 241 00:13:29,100 --> 00:13:31,520 who are at lower levels, in the organization, 242 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:35,600 can still become very active in these inclusion groups. 243 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:38,360 And have access to people at different levels 244 00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:40,990 that they might not have access to 245 00:13:40,990 --> 00:13:43,749 if they didn't join that inclusion group. 246 00:13:43,749 --> 00:13:45,939 – Mh-hmm, that's awesome. 247 00:13:45,939 --> 00:13:48,470 So we're thinking about engagement, 248 00:13:48,470 --> 00:13:51,720 I want to talk a little bit about what are some drivers 249 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:54,079 that bring employees to become engaged 250 00:13:54,079 --> 00:13:56,240 or to engagement, within an organization. 251 00:13:56,240 --> 00:13:57,680 And maybe you can talk about some drivers 252 00:13:57,680 --> 00:13:59,720 that have helped your organization, 253 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:02,070 as you've seen it, especially, over the last two years? 254 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:06,960 – Yes, the main one that I see is employee development 255 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:13,400 because it demonstrates that you care about your employees 256 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:16,480 and their own career. 257 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:21,320 And, so, that you're not just worried about the company or yourself. 258 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:27,000 You care about that person and how they can grow themselves. 259 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:31,320 So we've focused a lot on personal development. 260 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:33,190 Fortunately, we have some really good 261 00:14:33,190 --> 00:14:35,740 training tools, online training tools. 262 00:14:35,740 --> 00:14:40,560 So we have a lot of programs that our employees have access to, 263 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:42,120 and what we've tried to do is go through 264 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:46,310 and identify some that would be useful to people. 265 00:14:46,310 --> 00:14:47,880 So they don't have to go combing 266 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:51,600 through a thousand training programs. 267 00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:57,240 So leadership training and teaching them how to manage people 268 00:14:57,240 --> 00:15:01,720 and how to improve their interpersonal communications. 269 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:06,120 And then technical training to help them develop their technical skills, 270 00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:09,680 so that they can perform their job better 271 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:14,139 or be able to potentially move into a different role. 272 00:15:14,139 --> 00:15:16,259 We have a really good opportunity 273 00:15:16,259 --> 00:15:19,180 for our employees to receive coaching, 274 00:15:19,180 --> 00:15:23,120 which a lot of our managers have taken advantage of. 275 00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:25,570 Which is really great because it gives them a chance 276 00:15:25,570 --> 00:15:28,760 to work with a trained coach, 277 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:32,790 to improve the skills that need improvement. 278 00:15:32,790 --> 00:15:37,360 So that they can work to become future leaders of the company. 279 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:40,280 And, then, I mentioned before the stretch assignments. 280 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:44,340 But all of those things have been really helpful, 281 00:15:44,340 --> 00:15:49,880 showing our commitment to the development of our employees. 282 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:53,440 And, then, the other area, I'd say, especially, 283 00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:54,840 during the last couple of years 284 00:15:54,840 --> 00:16:00,200 people have really looked for is just empathy and understanding. 285 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:03,680 We're very aware that everyone has things 286 00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:05,510 that they need to do outside of work. 287 00:16:05,510 --> 00:16:10,000 We're very respectful of people's time with their families. 288 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:13,240 We're flexible in work arrangements 289 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:18,380 and we try to be aware of what's happening in people's lives. 290 00:16:18,380 --> 00:16:21,110 So that we can make sure that 291 00:16:21,110 --> 00:16:22,709 we're not putting too much work on them. 292 00:16:22,709 --> 00:16:27,920 If they have something they're dealing with outside of work 293 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:29,840 that they need to focus on. 294 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:33,840 And I will say we've gotten really positive feedback, 295 00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:35,600 when we do take the time 296 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:39,680 to show that we care about our employees as individuals, 297 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:44,089 it makes them feel very positive towards the company. 298 00:16:44,089 --> 00:16:46,960 So things like that really pay off. 299 00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:50,970 And, then, the third area would be recognition. 300 00:16:50,970 --> 00:16:56,360 So I think that recognizing the positive contributions 301 00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:59,800 of your employees has a huge benefit. 302 00:16:59,800 --> 00:17:04,120 And some studies show even more than compensation, 303 00:17:04,120 --> 00:17:05,560 I don't know if that's true or not. 304 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:11,240 But it really does help to ensure that 305 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:13,360 people know how much you appreciate them. 306 00:17:13,360 --> 00:17:15,490 And, so, one thing we've started to do is 307 00:17:15,490 --> 00:17:19,240 we have a quarterly meeting for our entire department. 308 00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:22,630 And every quarter I ask people to nominate people 309 00:17:22,630 --> 00:17:24,660 that they work with, that they think 310 00:17:24,660 --> 00:17:29,960 have done something that was, particularly, special or helpful. 311 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:32,630 And, so, then we acknowledge that 312 00:17:32,630 --> 00:17:37,680 in front of the whole group, and that really goes a long way 313 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:41,440 towards making people feel really appreciated 314 00:17:41,470 --> 00:17:44,800 and that the work that they do doesn't go unnoticed. 315 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:47,460 – That's amazing to hear, and in the conversations 316 00:17:47,460 --> 00:17:50,080 that I've been having, even just in this podcast. 317 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:52,160 It seems like the common theme 318 00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:55,270 is that we've all understood our human condition 319 00:17:55,270 --> 00:17:57,320 outside of the corporate structure. 320 00:17:57,320 --> 00:18:01,140 And recognize that it's okay to have a kid run into the room 321 00:18:01,140 --> 00:18:02,480 when you're in the middle of a meeting, 322 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:05,120 or a dog barking, because that's just life. 323 00:18:05,120 --> 00:18:06,630 And you can still have your meeting 324 00:18:06,630 --> 00:18:08,930 and still be professional in the midst of all those things, 325 00:18:08,930 --> 00:18:12,240 and it kind of brought us all together at the same level. 326 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:13,830 – Yes, I agree. 327 00:18:13,830 --> 00:18:17,600 And it is true, you do observe those things happen 328 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:24,280 to executive vice presidents, down to staff-level people. 329 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:25,809 Especially when we were all home, 330 00:18:25,809 --> 00:18:28,980 we're all dealing with the same type of things going on, 331 00:18:28,980 --> 00:18:35,480 and it does help everyone feel like we can relate to one another. 332 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:39,140 – Yes, and, so, as we look forward into the future, 333 00:18:39,140 --> 00:18:42,720 a lot of people have moved to a hybrid situation, 334 00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:45,720 or all in the office, or partially in the office, 335 00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:48,240 every organization is different. 336 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:51,360 How do you think we can continue engaging employees 337 00:18:51,360 --> 00:18:53,880 in the midst of rising costs? 338 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:57,419 In the midst of shareholders 339 00:18:57,419 --> 00:19:01,480 saying, "Hey, okay, you had your little break from the COVID 340 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:03,240 now you need to get back going there." 341 00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:04,960 And a lot of organizations 342 00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:07,560 are finding it difficult to find that balance. 343 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:09,600 Because workloads are starting to increase, 344 00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:13,880 as people are increasing what they want out of their employees. 345 00:19:13,890 --> 00:19:15,280 How do you balance that? 346 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:19,160 – That's a great question and it is really difficult. 347 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:25,440 I'll tell you my experience because we have our own struggle 348 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:27,710 with bringing people back to the office, and we're recommitting 349 00:19:27,710 --> 00:19:35,920 to a hybrid work schedule because we had attempted one, 350 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:41,720 and people still really wanted to work, primarily, from home. 351 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:45,320 And it's hard because people 352 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:49,440 do want the flexibility of working from home. 353 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:52,299 And we know that they're very productive at home. 354 00:19:52,299 --> 00:19:57,280 I think that we've tried to emphasize to our employees 355 00:19:57,280 --> 00:19:59,200 that "We know you're productive from home. 356 00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:01,840 We're not worried about productivity. 357 00:20:01,840 --> 00:20:05,120 But we want people to have that human connection. 358 00:20:05,120 --> 00:20:07,659 Because it is an important part of engagement 359 00:20:07,659 --> 00:20:14,200 to talk to people in person, and just have a conversation 360 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:17,520 that's not related, primarily, to work. 361 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:21,350 And, so, we're going to renew our enthusiasm 362 00:20:21,350 --> 00:20:25,690 for encouraging people to come to the office two days a week. 363 00:20:25,690 --> 00:20:29,780 We are emphasizing that we're going to be very flexible 364 00:20:29,780 --> 00:20:33,310 with the time that people arrive and the time they have to leave. 365 00:20:33,310 --> 00:20:36,350 We understand they have commitments outside of work. 366 00:20:36,350 --> 00:20:39,530 And, then, it still gives them a few days a week 367 00:20:39,530 --> 00:20:41,320 to work from home, and have those 368 00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:44,590 really productive stretches of uninterrupted work. 369 00:20:44,590 --> 00:20:46,539 Where they're not having to drive to the office 370 00:20:46,539 --> 00:20:49,640 or someone is not stopping in to say hello. 371 00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:54,680 And, hopefully, this gives everybody the best of both worlds. 372 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:56,640 Where they can have those two days 373 00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:59,120 with the in-person interaction, 374 00:20:59,120 --> 00:21:03,090 maybe some visibility to higher level executives 375 00:21:03,090 --> 00:21:05,110 that they can't get from home. 376 00:21:05,110 --> 00:21:09,470 But then still have that uninterrupted time at home, 377 00:21:09,470 --> 00:21:15,720 the productive time, and that flexibility to not have to commute. 378 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:18,909 And then the other thing that we're trying to do, 379 00:21:18,909 --> 00:21:22,760 we did this year, was we did have 380 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:24,750 and, although, it's expensive, 381 00:21:24,750 --> 00:21:28,280 but we got our whole team together in one location, 382 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:32,730 for a couple of days to just do some training, 383 00:21:32,730 --> 00:21:36,380 and some brainstorming, and some planning for the future. 384 00:21:36,380 --> 00:21:39,400 And it was such a great experience 385 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:42,960 and everyone really loved being together in person, 386 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:46,720 and being able to brainstorm together. 387 00:21:46,720 --> 00:21:49,570 And then everyone left feeling renewed 388 00:21:49,570 --> 00:21:52,480 about the future and excited. 389 00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:54,440 And, so, I think, that goes a long way 390 00:21:54,440 --> 00:21:57,130 towards keeping everybody engaged, 391 00:21:57,130 --> 00:22:00,600 is having that opportunity to all come together. 392 00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:02,900 – Yes, there's something about the human connection 393 00:22:02,900 --> 00:22:05,870 and seeing somebody, as opposed to as you and I are, 394 00:22:05,870 --> 00:22:08,880 we're looking at each other through little webcams. 395 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:11,760 But sitting across the table from somebody, 396 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:14,480 there's a huge difference in that connection point. 397 00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:15,789 And I think we do need that, 398 00:22:15,789 --> 00:22:18,160 as humans, we need that human touch. 399 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:19,370 And, especially, getting out of the house 400 00:22:19,370 --> 00:22:21,880 every once in a while is good for everybody. 401 00:22:21,880 --> 00:22:26,720 – Yes, I think so, I enjoy the two days a week in the office, 402 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:30,960 and then I enjoy the rest of the week working from home. 403 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:37,320 So I'm hopeful that the hybrid approach works. 404 00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:40,080 – I am too, I think this is the new normal, is hybrid, 405 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:42,800 because everybody recognized, "Hey, we can be successful 406 00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:46,640 working from home and be just as productive, if not more productive." 407 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:49,640 And then finding that balance will be the way forward. 408 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:51,870 Because if you can't adjust your organization 409 00:22:51,870 --> 00:22:54,640 to be a hybrid, then, you might find more resignation. 410 00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:55,320 Because people are like, 411 00:22:55,320 --> 00:22:57,240 "I'll go to someplace where they will let me do that." 412 00:22:57,240 --> 00:23:02,120 – Yes, and that's a fear that a lot of companies have 413 00:23:02,120 --> 00:23:06,360 and, especially, in accounting because there are a lot of jobs. 414 00:23:06,360 --> 00:23:10,000 If people want to work fully remote, then, they will. 415 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:13,400 So we're trying to emphasize what are the benefits 416 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:15,830 you get from being around people. 417 00:23:15,830 --> 00:23:18,240 We understand there are benefits to being home, 418 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:21,220 and that's very appealing. 419 00:23:21,220 --> 00:23:23,270 So we're trying to show the appeal 420 00:23:23,270 --> 00:23:26,600 of the two days in-person, 421 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:30,970 and the opportunity to interact with people 422 00:23:30,970 --> 00:23:36,360 and benefit from those in-person connections and interactions. 423 00:23:36,360 --> 00:23:38,520 < Outro > 424 00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:41,320 – This has been Count Me In, IMA's podcast. 425 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:44,100 Providing you with the latest perspectives of thought leaders 426 00:23:44,100 --> 00:23:46,200 from the accounting finance profession. 427 00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:48,760 If you like what you heard, and you'd like to be counted in, 428 00:23:48,789 --> 00:23:51,200 for more relevant accounting and finance education, 429 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:56,680 visit IMA's website at www.imanet.org.