(Reading Response #3) Giving back to the employees

What is more rewarding than working with someone who likes to have fun? 😌

Li and Bernoff's novel Groundswell in chapters 9-12 talks about how important it is, to work the "groundswell" inside your company. Companies that effective work within their internal community embrace the groundswell by engaging, listening, talking, energizing, and supporting employees. Li and Bernoff mentions Best Buy to be successful example how a company excerises their employees to gain customer insights and internal solutions from the frontline to resolve day-to-day issues.

Best Buy hired Steve Bendt and Gary Koelling who worked as corporate marketers using Blue Shirt Nation, a social media networking tool to gain "insight into what really happening at the store, not just when the store is spic and span for corporate visits". The two decided to go on the road participating in chalk talks in different stores and giving away Blue Shirt Nation t-shirts to employees. They also brought store teams out to outtings, getting feedback on what worked on the community and encouraging employees to participate.

Eventually, Blue Shirt Nation was able to reach 14,000 employees logging in each month, 85 percent of them sale associates in stores, thats about 10% of Best Buy's employees as members.

Blue Shirt Nation allowed employees to "voice" their thoughts on what they realize was important for the company to notice. In the past, Best Buy made some changes to their discount policies affecting employees, and the company realized that the discount was crucial to attracting and retaining employees and decided that it had better keep the discount as it was.  Chalk one up for the groundwell in Blue Shirt Nation. 

There are other examples that companies have embrace their employees to be prosperous and enthusiatic when rewarding them!

Cisco Systems have implemented a LifeConnections Health Center where employees can use the facility for primary care, physical therapy, acupuncture, and simply as a fitness center. Cisco Systems believes in supporting a healthy work-life balance for their employees.

Hasbro Inc. has also had a similar impact on their employees, the company gives access to the company's fitness centers, Half-day Fridays, holidays breaks between Christmas and New Year's, and management development programs.

What company will you be working for that values you as much as you want them to?