creating a culture of staff satisfaction and retention
DESCRIPTION
Presented at the 2013 NPEA conference by: Bottom LineTRANSCRIPT
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Creating a Culture ofStaff Satisfaction and Retention
NPEA 2013 Annual Conference: Friday, April 12
Mike Wasserman, Executive DirectorE-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: 617-524-8833
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Background and Mission
2
Bottom Line is a
community-based non-profit that
helps disadvantaged students get in to college, graduate from
college and go far in life by
providing one-on-one guidance and
support from college applications to
college graduation.
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Growth and Org Structure
3
Bottom Line’s Growth
Year Students Served Annually
# of BL Staff
# of Offices
1997-1998 25 1 11998-1999 75 1 11999-2000 150 2 12000-2001 250 3 12001-2002 448 4 12002-2003 530 5 12003-2004 558 5.75 12004-2005 764 10.5 12005-2006 736 9.5 12006-2007 820 11.5 12007-2008 880 13.25 12008-2009 1,085 16.25 22009-2010 1,372 21 22010-2011 1,593 25 22011-2012 1,901 33.5 32012-2013 2,341 49 32013-2014 3,037 65.5 4
National Support Team
1 Location6 Staff
Massachusetts3 Locations
43 Staff
New York1 Location16.5 Staff
2013-2014 Organizational Chart
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Staff Management Intro
Why does it matter?
o The cost of hiring is high - not just money, but time and opportunity cost
o Low morale leads to low performance and outcomes
o Organizations need developing talent to grow in order to take on new leadership roles or replace leaders who leave
o As a mission-based organization, we should strive to live up to our values internally as well as externally.
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Our Challenges
In the 2010-2011 School Year…
o The Challenge
We had nearly doubled our staff in 2 years (13 to 25)
We had recently opened a second location (Worcester, MA)
We were continuing to operate like we did when we were a small, cohesive team
o The Impact
We conducted our first staff survey and the results were clear…
Only 19.6% of staff were “very satisfied” at Bottom Line
31.8% of staff felt “very supported” by their manager
9.1% of staff felt “very supported” by management overall
At the end of the year, we only had a 62% staff retention rate
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Our Process for Improving
In the Spring of 2011, we hired a consultant and created a “25 Point Strategy”
The core elements of our strategy: Unifying Themes – Values and Outcomes
o Organizational Values: Focus on core values and display in the office, incorporate into staff reviews, incorporate into daily language, use as part of shout-outs and regular activities
o Focus on Outcomes: Use visual displays to show goals and outcomes, encourage teams to celebrate their success, take time to celebrate success as an organization
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Our Process for Improving
The core elements of our strategy: Staff Advancement
o Path to Promotion: Formalize senior counselor role, share explicit standards to be promoted, be clear about what is the career path
o Staff Development: Make staff members’ personal development goals a part of their goals for the year – create a safe space for discussing long-term goals, add speakers and professional development opportunities throughout the year
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Our Process for Improving
The core elements of our strategy: Building Cohesion, Leadership and Culture
o Building Overall Team: annual retreat, making time for lunch, “fun committee,” team names, ice breakers and group activities as part of meetings
o Management Team: provide training and support to managers, help managers learn how to coach and motivate staff, empower team leaders with budgets and information
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Three Key Measures
o Retention
We track the start and end date of every employee. Our key metrics are: (1) average tenure of current employees, and (2) turnover rate of staff.
o Satisfaction
We send out surveys every four months to measure staff satisfaction and compare over time.
o Performance
We give staff annual goals, and we evaluate them twice per year on their goals and on how they live up to our 6 core values. We rank them 1 to 4, and we track what score our staff is receiving overall.
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Our Outcomes
o When asking “How satisfied are you working at Bottom Line?”– In November 2010, 54% felt very or somewhat satisfied– From Sept 2011 to April 2012, that stayed between 87% and 97%
o When asking “Do you feel connected to the mission?”– In November 2010, 40.9% felt very connected– From Sept 2011 to April 2012, over 94% felt very connected
o When asking “Do you feel supported by management overall?”– In November 2010, 9.1% felt very supported; 45.5% felt somewhat supported– From Sept 2011 to April 2012, at least 90% felt very or somewhat supported
o Retention Results– In 2009-2010, we had a 62% staff retention rate– In 2011-2012, we had a 94% staff retention rate
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Dealing with Change
In the current year (2012-2013), we have undergone some significant changes
o The Challenge
We created a National Support Office
Our New York Office entered its second year
In one year, we grew our staff by 50%
We changed the staffing model, so every staff member had a new job description
o The Result
Our staff did struggle with these changes and morale did lower
However, the work we put into culture building made it better
At the lowest this year, more than 80% of staff felt satisfied
At the lowest this year, 80% of staff felt supported by management overall
At the lowest this year, more than 90% of staff felt connected to the mission
We expect our staff retention at the end of the year to be 90%
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Thank You!