Keeping employees satisfied is a long-term, two-way approach that can apply equally to clients

Jocelyn MacDougall remembers the day she realized she was not just an employee of Halifax-based Premiere Executive Suites but a member of a team. It was during the early days of the 10-year-old company, so the housekeepers didn’t have cars to move between buildings. 

“Here I was walking up the road, mop swinging and pushing the [cleaning] cart,” says MacDougall, “and the owner is coming down the street with some other businessmen.” Embarrassed, MacDougall ducked her head, hoping to go unnoticed. Instead her boss stopped her, greeted her by name, and, to her surprise, introduced her to the businessmen. “I was amazed,” says MacDougall. “That was over the top.”

Ten years later, the housekeeping supervisor doesn’t want to work anywhere else. Although she has been offered other jobs, she’s happy to work for a company that respects and values her contribution, something she says isn’t common in a job such as housekeeping. “A lot of people think this is a menial job,” she says, “but we are treated as part of the team.”

Sandor Fizli

Three years ago Premiere Executive Suites started to experience a higher than normal turnover in the housekeeping department. “Spending their day out in the field, they didn’t feel connected with the company,” says president Suzanne Bachur. Premiere responded by bringing the housekeepers together for a daily morning meeting. It means less time off site and more communication. The meetings are now a chance to share news, air concerns, and discuss the financial statements of the company, both good and bad. Bachur says employees look forward to the meetings because they promote a sense of ownership and engagement among the staff.

The business side of the team/family approach translates into compassionate and flexible personal leave for employees, as well as telecommuting and job-sharing options. Community involvement and company-sponsored social events are other examples of the values the company promotes.  

Less than a year into his position as vice-president of operations, Mark MacDonald says the collaborative atmosphere is refreshing but admits the open communication and regular feedback took some getting used to. The business results are clear. “I expected we would have to have an ongoing recruiting process for housekeeping and maintenance positions,” he says, “but you’d be hard pressed to find someone who has been here for less than five years.”

The feeling of being valued is what Nancy Champion likes most about her position as a personalized insurance broker with Cooke Insurance Group, which has five offices in Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. Because Cooke cares not only about its employees’ work but also their health, the company’s healthy-living allowance helped Champion lose 70 pounds. “They said the healthier [we employees] are, the better it is for us,” she says. “I thought that was great.” Cooke also offers benefits such as banked sick days up to 10 years, flexible work schedules wherever possible, and three weeks of holidays from the first day of employment.

Owner Jeff Cooke believes that giving staff members a vested interest in their work helps his company’s bottom line. A few years ago, he took a long look at the results of a Best Places to Work survey and decided that transparency and profit sharing would help with retention and, in return, make his staff more invested in the company. He recently introduced profit-sharing programs and is developing an employee-ownership program. “We’re hitting the top-line growth in a time where some brokerages aren’t getting the growth they want,” says Cooke. “We’re seeing the employees buy in and work as a team.”

That idea of ownership and empowerment is one upon which Dillon Consulting has based its “talent-management” philosophy. An employee-owned company, Dillon offers all team members the opportunity to participate in a corporate mentorship program and become company shareholders. “We’re very much a ‘meritocracy,’ ” says Saint John-based partner Sean Hanlon. “Performance is rewarded.” 

Each new hire is given a document called the Employee Charter of Entitlement and Expectations. Hanlon calls it a “road map to success,” because it describes what opportunities are available and explains what it takes to succeed. The information in the charter helps keep employees engaged and advance in skill sets and responsibility. “By seeing these opportunities, you don’t feel like you’re working for something that’s only attainable 10 years from now,” says Ian LaPointe, Dillon’s Fredericton-based project manager.

Hanlon adds that another key to keeping employees happy is the company’s strategy of client selectivity. Dillon won’t work for just any client; instead, it chooses those who value the company and are open to partnering. The result is a workplace that is more collaborative and committed to both the work and the clients. “We’re not looking for the one-night stand with clients,” he says. In other words, they’re looking for long-term relationships—with both clients and employees.