“As a culture, we value family and know connecting with one another is the key to a collaborative workplace. We strive to recognize team players in real-time so people can feel appreciated for their hard work,” says Emily Gillespie, HR Director at Identiti.
What makes for good company culture? For us, even through our tremendous growth, it’s about keeping that “small”’, “family-owned company” feel. And it’s about aligning our core values with our policies as we continue to evolve.
Not only have we had to assess what kind of culture is important at Identiti, but we’ve also had to organize a plan to keep our culture strong and bring this to the forefront of our hiring process—hiring someone purely based on skillset is not enough. Our core values are the embodiment of our culture. These values (or FEATS) are what keep our culture thriving.
Below we use our FEATS to break down the five values that make up the key ingredients to our collaborative workplace culture:
- Family
- Excellence
- Adaptability
- Transparency
- Sustainability
Family
The Importance of a Cohesive and Strong Team
Most crucial to our success are the people who make up our workforce. Organizations often use the word family because they want their employees to feel included and a vital part of the team. What we’ve found is that this means, above all, seeing each of our team members as a human being. As a family-owned business, this is extremely important to us and why we are so proud of our increasing retention rate that allows us to grow our team and has our employees with us for years.
What We Do
Work-life balance is more crucial than ever, and that means recognizing that your team members have lives that should be as fulfilling off the clock as they are on. Proper time off, whether for physical or mental health, does wonders for making an employee feel seen.
We have adapted a hybrid work-from-home schedule to allow flexibility. We try to connect with each other outside of projects and meetings. “We also take time to get to know each other on personal levels through our company WebEx chats, Team Meetings, and Committee Events,” says Emily.
One of our team’s favorite ways to bond is during our themed happy hours. Our team loves celebrating the holidays and if you have had the pleasure of working with us you know how much we love Halloween. Just about every employee shows up in costume, competing for Best Costume bragging rights.
Excellence
Pre-planning is the key to success. We utilize our ERP system with clients to measure our progress. Modern technology, accurate results, and reporting allow our proprietary systems to have:
- Improved Efficiency
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- Right-size Project Management Teams
- Supply Chain- Raw Materials
- Mapping Functions
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- Strategic Installations
- Geo Tracking
- Speed
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- KPI/SLA Adherence
- Proposal/Invoicing Automation
- Real-Time Data
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- Program Dashboards
- QBR/Report Card
How We Recognize Performance and Encourage Service to the Industry
We seek out people who work hard, of course, but it’s also important to us that our team is of service, not just to each other, but to our colleagues within the industry. A successful employee doesn’t keep their secrets to themselves, but rather shares them to give everyone a chance to succeed.
What We Do
For team players, recognition is as important as ever, and now there are more avenues in which to communicate it. We love sharing our team’s achievements on our socials, whether it’s work anniversaries, promotions, or exciting new hires.
“Identiti strives to recognize team players in real-time so people can feel appreciated for their hard work. We also share monthly successes in our Team Meetings,” says Emily.
We also encourage our with the industry. We can reach more people than ever via WebEx sessions and white papers published on our website—and we value employees who are generous with their skills and gained knowledge.
Adaptability
Team Structure:
- Dedicated Team
- One Point of Contact
- Redundant Team Structure
The framework of our team enhances our deliverability and commitment to our clients. We have the resources and employees to ensure we stay laser focused on delivering peace of mind. We have all-hands-on-deck with our account executive and program manager as the primary points of contact who demonstrate team leadership and resources allocation.
How We Encourage Employees to be Flexible
It begins by encouraging outside-the-box thinking and collaboration. If a team leader is stumped, they’re encouraged to seek advice. By doing this, they lead by example and encourage their teams to do the same. Employees should not be afraid to fail. Mistakes are how we grow. So remain open to innovative solutions, changing processes, and continuous training.
What We Do
We stay nimble in our processes so that we can make quick but thoughtful changes when necessary. Since the onset of the supply-chain disruptions, Identiti has made more frequent contact part of its SOPs with suppliers. This process change helped our teams and clients know what’s available and can plan in advance for alternatives if needed.
Transparency
Our internal communication is put to the test daily when we collaborate as a team under one roof for meetings and to discuss projects, assignments, and much more. We ensure each person’s voice is heard and actively value their thoughts, opinions, and ideas.
Our external communication lies within the clients we serve. We communicate with our clients over the phone, email, and in-person to discuss our services and how our services will benefit the client. All the while, we take note of their wants, needs, and program goals.
How to Be Transparent with Teams
Not only do employees want to be seen, but they also want to see. Keeping your team informed goes a long way toward feeling valued. Transparency creates trust. Honesty ensures loyalty. Trust and loyalty can get the company through all kinds of challenges.
What We Do
We have regular all-hands meetings where we talk through the company vision and plans to keep our team informed of the big picture. In these sessions and beyond, leadership should not only celebrate wins but also take accountability for missteps and lay clear plans to resolve them. “We also share information in real-time through email, WebEx, and meetings. Employees hearing from Leadership is important and we continue to push to be better at it,” says Emily.
Sustainability
Our organization works hard and vigorously on signage, branded environments, and maintenance to ensure we provide excellent results. Our final products on our work reflect our client retention rate of over 96%. Clients return to our services time after time because we’re efficient, effective, and have amazing turnaround times.
How to Be a Good Member of the Community
When you have concern for the community, it positions the company as a leader in and an integral part of that community. This helps ensure longevity—and lasting goodwill, both of which are priceless.
What We Do
“Giving Back is the heart of Identiti,” says Emily. “Every month we focus on how we can give back to charity while bringing our team members together. We look forward to more in person events and ways to give back.”
Over the years Identiti has partnered up The Woodfield Area Children’s Organization (WACO) in their mission to provide positive childhood memories, providing basic needs, along with educational support for children living at or below poverty levels. Identiti has raised over $350,000 for WACO through golf outings, holiday initiatives, and other fun activities throughout the years.
WACO is just one of the many charities we support. We also think it is important to poll employees for causes they care about, encourage teams to bring ideas to the table, partner with local organizations for fundraising events, large and small, give them days off for service, and highlight team members’ service work.
A strong company culture keeps employees invested. Invested employees feel the desire for growth is mutual. They want to do what they can to help the company succeed, and they in turn feel the company has positioned them for growth—both professionally and personally.
Final Thoughts
A company’s culture is no accident. In our experience, it’s the result of intentional planning and coherent organization. A key piece of our plan was the creation of a set of core values (our FEATS) that embody our culture. And being able to live up to each—in how we operate, execute, and communicate—is what keeps our culture thriving.