3. Saving your business money
Left: Employees at JEAR Logistics in a friendly office competition. Above: The office team and president/ CEO at Find Great People take a break for pedicures. (Photos/Provided)
recognizes one or more employees as a CEO Innovation Award Winner at the company’s annual meeting. At First Reliance Bank in Florence, CEO Rick Saunders hosts a President’s Club Event each year for associates who merited a President’s Club award for performance. “He uses this opportunity to ask these top associates what they like best about the bank, and if there is anything that we could do better to fulfill our purpose,” said Pamela V. Rhoads, vice president of customer experience. At JEAR Logistics, a freight brokerage service in Mount Pleasant, a “Futures” breakfast or lunch meeting is held between President Mark Neumeyer and employees who have been at the company for six months or less in order to get feedback from the new employees. At Terminix, headquartered in Columbia, ideas have come from informal company outings such as cookouts. “We hear what’s going on in the company and ideas including technical ideas about our machines and materials, and how we structure our routes,” said Rion Cobb, vice president of human services. “Employees tell us what works and what doesn’t work. It gets a buy-in for them, because when we respond to their ideas, they tend to give more,” Cobb said.
4. Making more friends Creating connections with employees not only enhances the workplace environment, but can create personal relationships with
the employees and their families and encourage important networking. Many of the employees and CEOs of the Best Places to Work bond outside work. Regular company outings and happy hours are the norm at many of this year’s Best Places to Work, including some employees playing on company softball and kickball teams with their boss. At IHG Charleston, employees have formed a band composed of several musically talented upper-level staff members and employees; it perform at company events. Kevin DeLoach, human resources generalist with the South Carolina Education Lottery, said that Executive Director Paula Harper Bethea is often engaged in meaningful conversation with employees about their professional and personal lives. “This interaction builds rapport, strengthens professional relationships and creates a culture of communication among employees and managers,” DeLoach said. Bosses can also relieve stress through fun games and friendly office competitions. At the South Carolina Federal Credit Union in North Charleston, employees are encouraged to “Beat the Chief” who has a goal to walk over 10,000 steps per day. “We interact professionally and socially with each other and get to know each other’s families,” said Kristen Jerome, manager at Bauknight Pietras & Stormer. “In the workplace, this translates into a really open culture of familiarity and trust, so that there’s no need to feel intimidated by ‘the boss.’”
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The goal of any company is to save both time and money. A work environment that encourages communication between employees and the CEO can save resources on employee turnover, and it can frequently uncover the next big idea to save the company money and streamline operations. At Bauknight Pietras & Stormer accounting firm in Columbia, young staff members have successfully implemented ways to streamline operations using technology, said manager Kristen Jerome. These ideas include adding specific software that streamlined tedious audit procedures and using QR codes on business cards. The firm holds monthly meetings with all 50-plus employees, and everyone contributes to the discussion on how to improve operations. At Spirit Communications, employees have pitched reorganizational ideas, new positions and more, said Roddy Broadnax, director of marketing. At the Bank of North Carolina, with locations throughout South Carolina, there is a program called the CEO Innovation Award, which specifically awards the employee who submits an idea to reduce costs or generate revenue. CEO Rick Callicutt personally
BEST PLACES TO WORK
that encourage mingling of all employees in a relaxed environment. At Greenville’s Human Technologies, Inc., the entire corporate office can take advantage of a bike-rental program, thanks to an idea from an employee. “The employee was a big biker, and she mentioned having bikes at the office that employees could ‘rent’ and our CEO said, ‘let’s make it happen,’” said Anna Rowe Messick, manager of marketing and public relations. “Now employees can bike the Swamp Rabbit Trail; it was all based off of an informal conversation.” At the Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports and Tourism, employees were responsible for creating a wellness committee that includes workplace activities that everyone can enjoy. Crystal Saunders, human resources manager at CPI Security Systems, said employee ideas and input to the CEO have ranged from adding team-building activities to incorporating different food options to the campus.
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