From Blind Spots to Connecting the Dots: Morgan Properties Turns to Energage for Impactful Consulting Conversations and Top Workplaces Recognition

Location: Conshohocken, PA

Industry: Property Management

Employees: 2500+

Objective

Gain national recognition through Top Workplaces awards and benchmark employee engagement.

Solutions

Workplace Survey, Insights, Consulting

Results

Engagement support system, top-notch partnership, and consulting assistance builds trust for Morgan Properties’ owners, leaders, and employees.

Morgan Properties, a property management company spanning 20 states, began its relationship with Energage in 2018 to win national Top Workplaces awards while simultaneously getting a pulse on its workplace culture.

“It was a great opportunity to not only achieve Top Workplaces awards for culture, benefits, appreciation, and things of that nature, but also gain a tool to measure and benchmark our culture against other property management organizations.”

Laurie McGarvey,

Director of Employee Engagement

Morgan Properties finds Energage support second to none

Laurie is newer to Morgan Properties, but in just two years, she has experienced Energage’s unparalleled support firsthand. “The service is second to none,” she emphasized. “Dan DiPiero, our account person, never not responds with kindness and understanding. Our structure is a little wonky … but he’s on it. I’m a team of one for this company in engagement, and I feel like with Energage, they are my partner and my sounding board.”

Morgan Properties has around 2,500 employees, which might be overwhelming for some, but not Laurie. “When you’re working in engagement, generally, you’re working by yourself,” she explained. “To have that sounding board of survey experts directing me, it’s really helpful. I feel like I have a true partnership with Energage.”

ENPS and Top Workplaces awards offer added value

The decision to continue with Energage wasn’t without its considerations. Laurie said the organization debated switching to a different engagement platform but ultimately recognized the unique value Energage provided.

“The organization didn’t want to give up the opportunity to benchmark and qualify for Top Workplaces awards. That’s really important to us.”

Laurie McGarvey

Director of Employee Engagement

Energage’s ability to adapt and provide additional features, such as ENPS scores, reinforced the value of the partnership. Laurie noted, “Everything that has come up new has been a value add … It’s not cost prohibitive, and for a company of our size, it’s a reasonable cost.”

The widely recognized ENPS tool provides an easy and effective way to gauge employee loyalty and satisfaction. According to Laurie, it’s been a game changer for her. She and her team were relieved to hear they could track the metric quarterly with Energage. “Again, value add,” she commented.

You can’t see your own blind spots, but Energage Consultants can

Laurie has turned to Energage Consulting a few times to get external eyes and voices involved in Morgan Properties’ engagement conversations. “I’m a big believer in always looking for additional eyes,” she added retrospectively. “You can become numb to what’s going on because you’re in it.”

Last year, Laurie noticed a significant dip in employee appreciation, communication, and clued-in leadership. “It was apparent we had some work to do. That’s when I entered back into another consulting service opportunity with Lisa Burke.”

“It’s not that I couldn’t make sense of the data, but I felt like I needed external eyes to say, ‘Here’s how I would approach it. Here are the actions I would take.’ For my own integrity, I wanted to make sure that I was seeing it in a way that was going to help us improve. Because we can’t see our own blind spots. I wanted another voice in the room, and Lisa did exactly that.”

Laurie McGarvey,

Director of Employee Engagement

Consulting experts can also help you navigate difficult conversations with leadership

That wasn’t all. Lisa also helped Laurie navigate difficult conversations with her senior leadership team and business owners, who were not happy about the dip in survey results. Lisa met with those key stakeholders and the entire HR leadership team to make sure everyone was on the same page and answer everyone’s questions.

“I’ve worked with consultants my whole career. I’ve been a consultant. I’ve worked with vendors who try to sell me the next thing. With Energage, it never feels like it’s about the consulting fee. It’s a true partnership. To have that sounding board and people who are experts in the survey, understanding why things are happening, and directing me to resources. It’s remarkable to me. We’re not a number, or just another organization. And that’s important to me.”

Laurie McGarvey

Director of Employee Engagement

Then, she pinpointed the blind spots and showed Morgan Properties exactly how to take action. “I can’t say everyone was happy,” she admitted. “But even though it was tough to deliver, we still delivered it. This is what our employees are saying, and we can’t ignore it.”

Survey results aren’t always peachy. Laurie noted that these topics can be raw, and people can take things personally. But Lisa assured her she was doing the right thing. “I was so grateful to have that reassurance.” Plus, Laurie said Lisa’s support and guidance strengthened Morgan Properties’ leaders trust, which is key for continuous improvement.

Sometimes, people can be intimidated by employee surveys, or scared to handle constructive feedback. Laurie’s story emphasizes that not every survey will be easy, but Energage has all the tools necessary to not only handle it, but grow from it.

More and more Morgan Properties employees are responding to surveys because they see the value and appreciate leadership’s action. “More people are feeling comfortable saying what really needs to be said,” she concluded. “The fact that people want to have an input is a good sign for our engagement.”