The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is a nonprofit membership organization whose mission is to ensure quality services to help people overcome communication disorders. Therefore, it is not surprising that ASHA's national office, based in Rockville, Md., should promote a culture of understanding and open communication among its 220 staff members.
"We're always informed with what's going on," says Erica Lockney, a peer review administrator, "From putting in a new floor in the gym to strategic development, they're always asking for everyone's opinion, even on new soap in the bathroom."
Though the organization does not publish a formal internal newsletter, managers and staff keep up-to-date through e-mail surveys, brown-bag lunches, bulletin board postings and frequent casual exchanges over cubicle walls.
"We encourage a lot of informal communication," says Chuck Cochran, chief staff officer for operations. "We encourage [employees] to build relationships with the people they work with and know what's going on in other departments."
This level of openness has not always been so evident at ASHA. Seven years ago, the staff was struggling to work as a cohesive team. Executive Director Frederick Spahr recognized that changes were needed. He hired a consultant, who noted that senior management was not working as a group. People were more interested in pursuing personal agendas rather than teaming together to better the organization as a whole.
"One of the problems was that we had these silos – fiefdoms – that had developed and had to be eliminated," Spahr recalls. "We needed a different way of operating."
When Spahr announced his plans to restructure the organization, he expected some employees would embrace the idea, others would be skeptical but willing to experiment, and a small population would likely resist the changes. For the latter group, Spahr had little sympathy as he was determined to improve ASHA's work environment and staff camaraderie.
Spahr and his associates developed a facilitating team composed of the executive director and five chief staff officers to oversee the office. Employees regrouped into teams and clusters led by coaches instead of managers. "It's not just a semantic change," Spahr says. "The idea of a coach is someone who helps individuals and facilitates the work, not just supervises."
These changes created a flattened hierarchy with no more than three layers to the top. The idea was not to have employees bring more concerns to the director, but rather to empower them to work together to solve these issues without having to rely on higher authorities.
This new structure laid the foundation for creating other employee-oriented programs that continue to bring the staff together as a team.
For instance, many ASHA employees participate in project committees. The "Green Team" oversees office recycling and conservation, and their efforts have led ASHA to win the Montgomery County Recycling Award for the past five years.
"Compared to other environments, I think people are much more in the loop here," says HR director Janet McNichol. "If we had 2,000 or 20,000 employees all over the world, we wouldn't be able to do that, but we take advantage of our size."
In addition to the usual business-oriented staff meetings, ASHA workers gather once a month for "Friday with Treats." The office provides free food and usually plans a learning program or invites members from the community to speak.
ASHA offers in-house and on-site development workshops, such as Meyers-Briggs seminars, software training and retirement planning. Employees are also encouraged to seek outside resources for additional learning and development opportunities. The organization recently implemented a tuition reimbursement program offering employees up to $3,000 a year towards a job-related degree.
"There are some organizations that feel that if you're not at your desk, you're not doing your work," Cochran says. "This organization encourages [employees] to go out and talk to people and learn from other organizations."
Besides learning opportunities, ASHA values work-life balance, and offers a number of benefits to promote it, including flexible schedules, telecommuting, maternal and paternal leave, concierge services, visiting massage therapists, and annual wellness fairs. There is an on-site post office where employees can buy stamps and mail packages. Those who carpool, walk or bike to work earn points that go towards gas coupons or money for new shoes. Employees have 12 sick days a year, which they accumulate in "sick-leave banks." They have the option to donate unused days to other workers befallen with severe illness or family emergencies.
"They recognize that you're a person not just a worker," says Lockney, who values the two-hour commute she saves every Thursday by telecommuting.
Though Spahr plans to retire at the end of the year, he feels confident that these policies will not be lost under the new leader. His faith is bolstered by the fact that the search committee is seeking his replacement with input from the staff.
"The first thing that surfaced [from employee surveys] was the staff's desire to continue the kind of workplace we now have and continue to make it better," Spahr says. "We're by no means perfect. It's an evolving kind of process and we can see that there are changes that could be made and ways that we could work better together. We want to continue, but also go to the next level."
Company: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
Web site: www.asha.org
Industry: Nonprofit
Location: Rockville, Md.
Number of employees: 220
Sales: N/A
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