Why do people choose to work at your company? If they’re juggling multiple job offers, do they go with you because of the amazing pay, great benefits, or unbeatable snack stash?
We do like to think we have top–notch snacks in the office, but it turns out that 93% of our current 55 employees chose Lemonade Stand because of something we call Build Then Bless™.
It’s our mission statement, but it’s something more than just a quote on a wall. It shows up in our client interactions, team member relationships, management structure, and community.
Even though some of our hires might have had a few job offer considerations, they went with us in the end. And if the average company is spending over $4,500 during the hiring process of one employee, you want to make sure they pick you.
What Is Build Then Bless?
We’ll start off with a little background. We’re Lemonade Stand, a full–service digital marketing agency. We have over 50 employees in all different states, from California to Florida. After 10 years in business, we’ve created a system that helps us act on our mission, not just talk about it.
Build Then Bless™ (BTB) is our way of saying that we prioritize people over profits (and in a surprising way, that actually increases profits). Here are the specific strategies we use to keep our mission alive and beat out other job offer considerations:
1) Each employee gets $50 every month to spend on other people, specifically strangers in the community. Our BTB software gives employees a platform to share these experiences with the whole team.
2) We have a weekly round table during our whole team meeting when anyone can share how they used their BTB that week, or an experience that exemplified our mission, even if they didn’t spend money
3) The BTB software allows employees to shout–out their coworkers and even send them money for a job well done. One of our employees describes it as a “communal journal for doing good that helps drive all of us to emulate the culture we claim to possess.”
4) We record employee and client birthdays, anniversaries, and special events through the BTB software so we can send them gifts or a heartfelt message (mostly gifts though because who doesn’t love getting their favorite treat on their birthday?)
5) One last thing on the software: we can record little bits of information our clients share—like their favorite sports team—so we can show them we care about the details. And if we care about the client themselves, they can trust that we care about their marketing success.
Do Your Employees Know What Your Core Values Are?
Every business owner out there is bombarded with advice from books, seminars—even MBA courses—about the importance of a mission. But if it never gets past your website, why even have it?
A little challenge for you: ask your employees if they know what your company mission or core values are. Unfortunately, you might be surprised at how many people draw a blank.
Why do these five “strategies” help with our hiring and retention? Our employees see them as a very unique HR benefit, it helps build team trust, and our employees know that if we care for the community, we care about them.
Our employees can explain it better than we can. Here’s what a few of them have to say:
“It brings me genuine joy to serve in my community. It breaks down walls, facilitates a safe space for us as co-workers, and helps me feel more connected to my team.”
“It’s definitely elevated my standards for what I consider a benefit, what company culture really means, and what it means to me to be a part of something special even through my workplace.”
“I believe that it makes our employees more compassionate, big-picture focused, emotionally-intelligent co-workers. I’ve made real life-long friends at this company, even though we live hundreds (in some cases, thousands) of miles apart.”
All other job offer considerations can say, “See ya.”
What Are Employees Looking for in a Job?
Obviously, people work to get paid. We all know that. But studies are showing a shift in what else employees look for in a job. Gartner has found that “value [at work] comes from feelings, not just features.” Forbes says employees are looking for “authentic professional relationships”; 72% of Gen–Z want to work for a company that offers opportunities to volunteer.
You’re probably tired of hearing this, but for some C–suiters, it doesn’t seem to have sunk in yet. Your employees care more about feeling safe and valued than they do about the energy drinks you have and the lunches you bring in.
Those are nice perks; they aren’t culture. If you’re looking for a way to radically change your culture, and therefore attract better employees, better clients, and better profits, implementing something like Build Then Bless™ is a great way to go.
How Does Work Culture Affect Retention?
While 93% of our employees see Build Then Bless™ as a unique HR benefit, it’s impacted another (also very expensive) business process: retention. 90.5% of our employees say that Build Then Bless™ has influenced their decision to stay at Lemonade Stand. Here’s why:
“BTB was one contributing factor that made me shift from thinking about Lemonade Stand as a stepping stone where I’d move on after a year or two, to a place I wanted to stay long–term.”
“To have a company with great culture and the BTB program that helps me be a better person everyday is a great reason to stay. I’ve had a lot of people ask me why I don’t move somewhere else to find better pay, but having a place to work where I feel happy every day is the most important to me.”
“To find better pay.” We’ll be honest—pay is extremely important and we would never want someone to feel that they aren’t fairly compensated. But to have an employee say that they could get higher pay somewhere else but choose to stay with Lemonade Stand because of our culture? The feeling is unmatched.
Gallup Polls says that replacing an employee can cost 1.5 to 2 times that employee’s salary. What business owner would prefer to pour money into the black hole of turnover instead of taking an active approach to keep employees happy?
Giving Employees Purpose = Saving Money on Hiring and Retention
That’s the message we’re trying to get across here—creating a healthy, fulfilling work culture doesn’t just make you look good or feel good (although it does). It saves you money by blowing those other job offer considerations out of the water. And better profits mean a better business.
If you want to transform your company culture and have a happier, more hardworking team, look into the Build Then Bless™ software. It’s a clear, actionable step toward a better work environment for you and your employees.
