Build a Better Business With Employee Engagement - Winmo

Ever watch a TEDx Talk and think, “Wow. I have to talk to that person, STAT?”

Us, too. In fact, Don Rheem’s "How can work save our relationships" talk stuck with Winmo leadership so much, CEO Dave Currie brought Don, a former science advisor to Congress and White House correspondent, and his team at E3 Solutions to our hometown of Atlanta, GA. In his words, Dave invited Don to speak to the group because, “at List Partners, we have a high-performance culture that enables our team and our customers to thrive. We continually invest in the best and brightest and have been honored to have Don join us this week to help us set new performance benchmarks and provide our tribe with a detailed platform for ongoing improvement.” On Monday, we did just that! Don walked our team through a day-long workshop on workplace engagement and management best practices, and to drill down into E3’s analysis of Winmo & Co.’s employee engagement survey results.

Take it from us: It. Was. Fascinating.

So much so, that we wanted to share five takeaways from the day:

• ​You can’t do it alone: Throughout the workshop, Don emphasized that as human beings, we are hardwired to work and live better in groups. That’s why strong connections within your workplace are so meaningful! According to some of the Gallup research that Don shared with us, employees who have at least one trusted colleague at work are up to SEVEN TIMES more engaged! So whether you’re the only person in your workgroup or part of a behemoth team, take comfort in your coworkers.
• ​Money isn’t the motivator: One particularly interesting point that Don shared was that while money is great and an essential factor in ensuring that a company is competitive in the marketplace, it is NOT a significant factor in employee engagement. Turns out, it’s things like regular recognition, personal relationships, and a shared vision amongst employees that actually drives higher engagement. Never underestimate the power of, “Thank you!”
• ​Engaged employees → measurably better companies: Employee engagement, defined by Don as, “an employee’s willingness to freely give discretionary effort to their employer,” is directly correlated to company success — and that’s a fact! When we asked Don to boil it down for us, he said, “When engagement goes up, so does productivity, profitability, and retention. And some things go down: sick leave, absenteeism, waste, and the accident rate. There are very few organizing business principles that business leaders can focus on that deliver the same pervasive, consistent results that a singular focus on engaged employees provides.” Can’t argue with that!
• ​Engaged employees is good for customers, too: What’s good for the company is good for the customer! When employees are highly engaged in their work, customers are happier and more loyal. Think of it like this: the employee that will go above and beyond in their day-to-day work is far more likely to go above and beyond for a customer. In turn, customer satisfaction goes through the roof and companies see greater consistent customer engagement with the brand or product. Don put it best when he said, “A rising tide lifts all boats.”
• ​We love what we do — and it shows: We won’t bore you with the details, but can proudly report that the List Partners team (including Winmo, Catapult, and AAR Partners) is highly engaged in our work! That means we love what we do, we freely devote our time and energy to the job, and it shows in our attitudes and engagement results. In Don’s words, “The (List Partners) results were remarkable for a company in their first year (of engagement measurement) because the numbers were so high. It demonstrates a workplace culture where people are engaged at very high levels — much higher than other companies in their first year (of survey results).”

As a company, we take our culture very seriously; it matters that our employees are enthusiastic, fulfilled, and engaged with their work because we know that these factors result in happier, more content people, in and outside of the workplace. Don’s engagement survey results, in concert with things like being named one of Atlanta’s Best & Brightest Places to Work, help us gauge how well we’re building and maintaining the culture we want. So far, so good!

If you haven’t had a chance to watch Don’s TEDx Talk, do! You can also check out more on the neuroscience behind employee engagement in his new book, Thrive By Design, or by following him on social media.