Nation’s Largest Exterior Home Remodeling Company Chooses the Path Less Taken; Top Employer Surveys Furloughed Employees and Sees Amazing Results
Top Workplaces company, Power Home Remodeling, credits transparency for highly engaged furloughed workforce.
Power Home Remodeling (Power) upholds a consistent commitment to being a people-first workplace, driven by its mission to instill positive change in everything the company touches. Yet, that investment in company culture was tested when it came to COVID-19.
Recognizing that the unprecedented stimulus package would make a bigger financial difference in its employees lives than Power itself could provide, leadership made the difficult decision in March to furlough 85 percent of its employees, roughly 2,200 people. Knowing they would strive to bring all of them back to work as soon as it is safe, Power quickly began putting a plan into place for how best to keep those furloughed employees engaged and supported.
Going against conventional thinking, Power took a risk and leaned into the discomfort instead of leaning out. In a time when most organizations fear bad results, Power learned that there is no better time to encourage feedback than in times of uncertainty.
As a Top Workplaces winner for the past nine years, Power knew it was crucial to its future success to lean in and maintain connection with its furloughed employees during this time. For help in approaching this in the most efficient and effective way, they partnered with Energage, the company behind the Top Workplaces program for 14 years in 51 U.S. metros.
Challenge
How to maintain an engaged workforce during a furlough so teams are ready to hit the ground running when it is safe to return to work.
Solution
Energage Furlough Pulse Pack. Short, 7-statement, anonymous survey was created, issued, and closed within 48 hours.
Results
High response rate and scores averaged 95% across all furloughed employees. Comments indicated understanding and compassion for the difficult decision and a deep appreciation for transparency, support, and the opportunity to share feedback.
“Power” Duo Speeds Time to Value
Having surveyed more than 66,000 organizations over the past 14 years, Energage quickly created and issued a custom, scientifically-based survey in collaboration with Power leadership. Bringing together Power’s knowledge of its people and culture with Energage’s expertise in survey creation, proprietary knowledge of the key culture drivers that shape employee-focused cultures, and a patented employee engagement platform was a perfect match. Within 72 hours, leadership had clear insight into how its employees felt about the decision, whether they understood the vision Power has for navigating this situation, and which groups felt most and least supported.
Energage Insights showed, on average, 96.5% of Power Home Remodeling’s furloughed employees scored positively across categories. With scores such as 98% of respondents feeling that Power leadership has been accessible through this crisis and 96% of respondents feeling supported. The results also highlighted for leadership groups that were feeling less positive. This intelligence ensured they operate efficiently, focusing their limited resources on those groups most in need of additional attention.
In Their Own Words
Positive comments came in from across the organization with a sentiment rating of 96.5%. Because the survey is anonymous, Power could feel confident that these comments reflected genuine, honest feelings about the current situation.
“The decision to furlough 2,200 of our employees was not easy, but after evaluating every scenario and possibility, we knew it was the best decision we could make,” said Asher Raphael, Co-CEO of Power Home Remodeling. “Power has always been a peoplefirst company and during this time, it is more important than ever to keep all employees an active part of our culture, including those who have been furloughed. As other business leaders continue to evaluate where to focus their investments, I urge them to prioritize initiatives that continue to build camaraderie and connection with their staff. It’s how you treat your employees through crises like this that impact their growth and company culture long after everyone returns to the office.”
