Sponsored by WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Teamwork Takes Transparency I
Mark Woodka, CEO, OnShift
relocated to Cleveland over 15 years ago. While my support for the Green Bay Packers will stick with me forever, I consid-
er myself a Clevelander through and through. One of the things that we Clevelanders
really love is the summer time. We truly em- brace it, enjoying every single day that offers blue skies, sunshine, baseball, lake activities, and so much more. Summer is one of my favorite times in the CLE, not just for the beautiful outdoors, but also for what it means to our business here at OnShift. We conduct a meeting ev- ery July with our entire company, offering a platform to analyze what we’ve accom- plished, update progress toward our goals, and reinforce where we are going. For this meeting, we challenged depart-
ments with communicating in innovative ways. They worked cross-functionally to share their updates and I was blown away by their collaboration and creativity. The entertainment value was high and the con- tent was meaningful. It was a win-win. This meeting was our best one yet, gar-
nering the highest staff satisfaction scores ever. It reinforced how important it is to keep employees on the same page, commu- nicate our vision, and openly share plans. Communication is a top priority at On-
Shift. It’s one of the reasons our employee retention is dramatically higher than high- tech industry averages. Employees crave transparency and communication, espe- cially millennials. Our company meetings are critical activities in driving openness and communication at all levels. While our mid-year meeting is an import-
ant one, it’s not the only time we get teams together to share plans and progress. We actually do this every single month, albeit on a smaller scale, with company-wide “all- hands-on-deck” meetings. In my conversations with senior living exec- utives about workforce issues, I hear a lot about
town hall meetings to update their teams while learning from employees and community leaders. The purpose is similar to what we at OnShift address with all-hands meetings and company-wide gatherings, with transparency and communication taking center stage. Here are five tips to consider for your next town hall meeting or company-wide update:
1. Empower Your Teams Don’t leave all communications to your department heads. Instead, select supervi- sors and team leads to develop and deliver updates. Empower them to select other team members to be part of the presen- tations. You may be surprised how much an inclusive approach energizes teams and reinforces organizational commitment.
2. Encourage Collaboration When teams work together, great things happen. Some of the best sessions at our meetings have come from multiple depart- ments working together. Encourage pre- sentation leaders to work cross-functionally with their updates. For example, activities and dining employees could share specific achievements in how they have impacted resident satisfaction.
3. Be Transparent Enhance team presentations with executive updates that are open and direct. Share progress toward goals, be honest about ar- eas for improvement, and be open to Q&A. In addition, company-wide meetings are a tremendous way to reinforce your orga- nization’s vision and the steps to fulfill it. Communicate vision early and with some excitement in order to set the tone for the meeting. Open the meeting with a bang!
4. Reward Achievements Celebrating success and rewarding good work go a long way to driving employee
engagement. We recognize employees and specific achievements at every company meeting. We share their stories, award plaques for their contributions, and rein- force with a round of applause for each winner. They appreciate the wide recogni- tion from executives, managers, and peers.
5. Have Fun Whether it’s a one-hour update or a longer session, avoid holding a snooze-fest. We learned what our employees want by ask- ing them. Resoundingly, they want direct updates in a feel-good, light environment. Encourage participants to be creative. Our most successful sessions have been skits and videos that are entertaining but are also deep in content. No one has ever asked us for more slideware. Whether you’re holding virtual updates or community-wide in-person meetings, what matters most is that you are commu- nicating with employees in an open environ- ment. If you have any tips to share, I’d love to hear from you. Feel free reach out to me at
mwoodka@onshift.com. Good luck with your next company meeting!
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