In today’s competitive labor market, companies roll out the red carpet to attract exemplary job applicants. Business owners savvy to the fact that good workers are hard to find—and even harder to keep—don’t sweep up the rose petals after the candidate marries into the corporate culture. The wise owner keeps an open door policy—and incentives coming—after the knot is tied.
Informational and hospitable employee orientation regimes for new hires are only the beginning. When the honeymoon is over, education and appreciation don’t cease.
Public relations firm Edward Howard & Co. created what it calls the “EH&Co. College,” in which senior management gets involved to train not just new, but all, employees on a consistent basis. The interactive and lively courses run the gamut from account management and customer service to public relations and presentation skills.
“Our hope is that it will help senior employees brush up on skills and help newer employees get more quickly integrated into day-to-day operations to feel more like the team,” says senior vice president Nora Jacobs.
At the conclusion of a course Chairman and CEO Stanley Ulchhaker gave last fall, employees who scored high on the final quiz earned prizes. Choices included an extra day off work, passes to Cedar Point and tickets to a Cavaliers game.
Michael Kolk, a partner in the Akron office of CPA firm Cohen & Co., says that last summer, his firm hosted a convivial “client service rally” at an offsite location. Clients were invited to serve on a panel to provide input about the company’s strong and weak points.
“We got direct feedback on things we do well and things we need to improve, so everyone could see that client service is a key aspect of our traditions and culture,” Kolk says.
The firm also maintains an ongoing mentoring program in which partners and managers make themselves available to proteges, counseling and encouraging them.
Kolk says that a couple of years ago, Akron employees were delighted to have face-time interaction with company founder Ronald Cohen, who presented a fascinating three-day narrative of the company’s history.