The best workplace is one that cares for its employees and engages them. We've positioned employee engagement as a centerpiece of our recruitment and retention strategy. One of the many things we've learned after years of measuring employee engagement is that the impact of engagement goes far beyond the bottom line. It positively impacts all our stakeholders; clients, employees, vendors, the community, and the environment.
We just wrapped up our semi-annual Gallup Q12 survey, a survey widely regarded as the best tool for measuring employee engagement. And we're excited to share the results. Maybe you've already noticed the results of our engaged team members in the quality of landscaping services delivered to our clients this season.
For our second survey in 2024 we saw the highest participation levels we've ever seen with 49 employees responding. 71% of participants are based in the Lexington office while 29% a are based in the Louisville office. 78% of respondents identified as members of our field teams while 22% identified as managers or administrators.
We're pleased to report that the company scored at or above the 80th percentile for the survey, above the national average. Each of the 12 individual questions scored at or above the 75th percentile. Both results indicate an above average level of employee engagement. Questions that measure the company's ability to provide for our staff’s basic needs, the support they receive from management, and
teamwork, all remained constant since our last survey. Questions that measure our staff’s opportunities for growth scored higher better than in our last survey, indicating an increase in individual progress and opportunities to learn and grow.
We've all heard it before. What gets measured gets managed. So you may recall from previous blog posts following our first quarter Q12 survey, that we committed to doing a better job of recognizing our team members. To promote behaviors of gratitude and recognition, we introduced a new mobile platform that allows employees to recognize their teammates from their mobile devices and link their behaviors to the company's core values. And we celebrated the results every week in our branch huddles. The recent survey results indicated that 65% of our staff have received recognition or praise in the last 7 days. We think that's super and we're chalking it up as an improvement!
We also saw improvement in one of the more challenging questions on the Q12. Question 10, I have a best friend at work, is one of the more broadly interpreted questions on the survey and receives a wide range of responses based on the participant's definition of best friend. We're pleased to report that this question saw the most significant improvement since the first quarter survey. I have a best friend at work results improved by over 7% and overall responses rose to the 75th percentile!
While writing this blog post, I received an email from a co-worker that pretty well sums up one of the goals we're trying to achieve through our recruitment and retention strategy. And a testimony to why soliciting employee feedback and being transparent about what we believe can be so powerful.
"From my life experience I have found that the most important aspect of work is that your personal values align with the values of the organization. I am right at home here."
If you like what you're reading and you're already working in the landscape industry or maybe you're considering a career in the landscape industry, we'd like to talk with you. Be a part of an organization that:
✔️ has clear expectations and provides the tools and materials to do your job
✔️ promotes managers who allow you to do your best, recognize a job well done, care about you, and encourage your development
✔️ employs team members whose opinion counts, who are engaged in purposeful work, care about quality and enjoy each other's company
✔️ gives you the opportunity to learn and grow
Be proud of the work you do. klausinggroup.com/jobs
