Employee Built
When consumer packaged goods company SC Johnson wants to know what its employees think, it takes a simple yet unusual approach: It asks them.
From holding focus group discussions to conducting opinion and attitude surveys, the company constantly takes the pulse of its workplace culture and listens to what its employees have to say. As a result, the 116-year-old company has long maintained a reputation for progressive employee practices as it adjusts its workplace policies to keep pace with changing times.
"Our programs have always evolved from the employees themselves, whether they're expressing an interest in something or having a need for something," says Gayle Kosterman, Senior Vice President for Worldwide Human Resources. "I think every company needs to be close to what employees are thinking."
SC Johnson uses a variety of approaches to solicit employee feedback. The family-owned company conducted opinion surveys every two years until this past year, when it began piloting an opinion survey every two months. The company also conducts frequent issue-specific surveys for purposes such as finding out whether the Women's Business Council at the company is meeting its objectives, or soliciting feedback on the company's mentoring program.
"We probably have three or four surveys going at any given time," Kosterman says. To conduct the surveys efficiently and cost-effectively, SC Johnson usually polls its employees electronically, using a survey system on the company intranet. Response rates tend to fall between 70 percent and 80 percent. "We also have focus groups when we want employees' opinions on things we might be thinking about," she adds.
One major culture shift that grew in direct response to employee feedback has been the company's increasing focus on work/life balance. When a workplace survey a few years ago revealed an appetite for more work/life programs, the company held focus groups to find out how to serve the needs of its employees in ways effective for both them and the company.
Today SC Johnson offers its employees programs and perks including summer hours (workplace hours adjusted to have Friday afternoons off), childcare services, a concierge service to help employees handle personal errands like dry cleaning, and "no-meeting Fridays" to help employees get more focused work done.
Such programs have been important for Andrea Konz, Director of Organizational Effectiveness and a mother of two who is expecting her third child later this year. Konz's husband also works for SC Johnson, so the two make liberal use of the company's programs.
Friday afternoons in the summer have become family time for the couple and their children, they regularly use the company's onsite day care facilities, and they recently used the concierge service to help them find someone to clean their windows at home. "There are many ways the culture has supported our family so I could have a meaningful career and a great life at home," Konz says.
Work/life programs were spurred and shaped by employees, whose feedback allowed SC Johnson to push forward even when some executive leaders remained unconvinced. "We had a great example of a senior manager who was skeptical about the work/life programs we were putting in place until he went on campus recruiting [and found everyone asking about the company culture]," Konz says. "Then we couldn't get them implemented fast enough."
SC Johnson's willingness to listen to and act upon employee feedback is part of why total employee turnover, including retirees, is just seven percent. The company also has ranked on Working Mother magazine's list of the "100 Best Companies" for 14 of the last 15 years.
While SC Johnson is a large company with a large company's resources, both Kosterman and Konz emphasize that company culture is shaped by far more than dollars, particularly if the company takes the time to listen to its employees to see what's working and what isn't.
"Take the time to ask employees what would be important, then evaluate the different opinions and put into place the program that would be the most meaningful and that the company can afford to do," Kosterman says. "I think it's an evolutionary process because the programs that best meet employee needs shift over time."
Company: SC Johnson
Web site: www.scjohnson.com
Industry: Consumer packaged goods
Location: Racine, Wis.
Number of employees: 10,000
Sales: N/A
