Success Stories

Employee Involvement Makes the Jets Fly

There are countless sports metaphors that business leaders, managers and their subordinates have used for decades to describe the work that goes into organizational survival and success. For example, some companies that are struggling in this economy will surely throw a "Hail Mary pass" in an attempt to stay in the black.

One small business that can credibly use these metaphors – because a sport, football, has been their business since 1963 – is the New York Jets. Having recently moved from Long Island in New York to Florham Park in New Jersey, the Jets is one of 32 member franchises of the National Football League. It is also one of Winning Workplaces' 2010 Top Small Company Workplaces. In fact, it is the only sports team to receive our award in the eight years we've recognized the workplaces of small and midsize firms.

The last decade in particular has been a positive one for the NY Jets, in terms of leadership approaches that have led the team to some impressive results, including four playoff appearances and leading the ultra-competitive, New York City-area sports market in sales from sponsorship, advertising and merchandising.

Some credit for this goes to Robert Wood "Woody" Johnson IV, who purchased the Jets in 2000. The special report on our 2010 award-winning small firms in the June issue of Inc. Magazine (our media partner for the Top Small Company Workplaces) profiles Johnson and some other key, ahem, players, including their head coach and quarterback, who have contributed to their turnaround from their status as a "runner-up in a two-team town."

But there are 157 other people on the Jets' employee roster, and the franchise invests an incredible amount of time, money and resources to make sure they all have a stake in the business, and are given the tools to succeed. Practices such as filling open positions from within (over 16 percent were in 2009), open-book management along with financial training and a generous $15,000 annual tuition reimbursement have led to an average employee tenure of five years.

This high average tenure, certainly for the NFL, has not gone unnoticed by Jets employees, who benefit from learning and camaraderie of co-workers who stick around.

"I think that we are a family in that everyone knows everyone else and we help each other. We rely on each other," says Nora Neustadt, Coordinator of Ticket Operation with the Jets for three years. "Although our departments may be separate, there's a lot of overlapping."

One element of the Jets' workplace that may be surprising to some – especially to sports fans whose only glimpse into manager-subordinate interactions is exasperated coaches barking at players – is how systematically the art of listening is built into the culture.

"My boss has meetings with us weekly and asks everybody about any ideas or problems," says Thomas Loosse, who has served as a Facility Technician for one and a half years. "I'm an electrician. They listen to my ideas and explain to me how they are trying to save money and be energy conscious with CFL lighting and going green. They're not afraid to spend the money to make those changes."

This quality extends from employees to the team's customers – its fans. This small but powerful emphasis may explain why the Jets saw revenues that were up in 2009, while ticket sales of other NFL teams were down.

"They'll do anything possible for the fans to have a better experience," says Tricia McLeod, an intern for a year who recently became full-time as Assistant in Events and Game Operations. "Whatever we can do to better the experience for fans is what we do."

Beyond being a small and relatively flat organization, one initiative that has kept the link strong between leadership, customer-facing employees and the team's fans is a management development effort the organization launched in 2008 called "Take It or Lead It." As Director of HR Regan Waters told us in the Jets' application for our award, this program that brings together both business and football managers was instrumental in preparing employees for the team's relocation the same year to their new facility in New Jersey. It ultimately helped the Jets avoid turnover costs had the relocation been handled in a less involved way.

While the franchise is profitable and has seen success in terms of playoff appearances and the various sales mentioned above, it has had to face the same spending and cost-cutting challenges as other small businesses have in this economy. In 2009, leadership made what Waters calls the "crucial" decision to furlough business employees for two weeks, as an alternative to eliminating positions.

"Our senior management participated as well, which made the program credible," Waters says. "The response from employees was positive. They were extremely grateful that they didn't have to say goodbye to a friend."

The Jets weathered this rough patch thanks to progressive people practices, and they are poised for growth in the years to come. In April, the team's new stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, opened, and they are excited their fans will finally have a "home" for which they can really be proud. And there are loftier goals on the horizon.

"The most talented group of employees and coaches is assembled to make multiple Super Bowl appearances a reality for this football franchise," says Waters.

Company: NY Jets
Web site: www.newyorkjets.com
Industry: Professional sports
Location: Florham Park, NJ
Number of Employees: 160
Sales: $200 million

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