GreenStone operates on a set of four core values – one of which is “Deliver Quality.” By putting an emphasis on engaging and developing our employees, we are able to be the best team possible for our member-owners and do just that – quality work.
Having a Pulse on our People
Like our customers, it’s difficult to know how your employees are doing without listening to them and gathering their feedback. One major way GreenStone is able to do this is through our employee engagement survey.
The survey measures how satisfied our employees are with the direction of the organization. Although many companies do similar surveys every two to five years, GreenStone finds importance in utilizing this survey annually to track any changes timely to ensure the consistent satisfaction of our employees.
This survey has allowed us to make adjustments to best suit our workplace. Recently, when the COVID-19 pandemic shifted the way we worked, our leaders were equipment with real time employee information to be able to make changes on the fly that they knew would best suit our employees based on feedback from the survey.
In our recent employee engagement survey, 92% of respondents indicated that GreenStone’s culture and values are favorable.
When asked in the survey if GreenStone is a great place to work, our employees’ responses have always kept us in the 99-percentile compared to other organizations – and that’s something we’re deeply proud of.
Everyone’s a Leader
At GreenStone, we believe everybody, regardless of their job title, has the capacity to be a leader and an expert in their field. We offer an array of professional development opportunities internally to help our team become equipped to be the best they can.
Employees are invited and encouraged to participate in different development pathways throughout their time at GreenStone to hone in on skills like business writing, public speaking, teamwork, leadership and business etiquette. Some pathways are geared to prepare employees for a managerial position in their future, and others work to provide the skills to be an empowering teammate in their current position.
GreenStone employees are also supported in their desire for promotions. In fact, a majority of GreenStone’s leadership team started in other positions and made their way to the managerial positions they hold today. GreenStone’s robust internship program also helps us find skilled and talented teammates that stay on full-time after their schooling has ended. In fact, GreenStone’s recently retired CEO, Dave Armstrong, began at the cooperative as an intern!
Engaging Our Team
Keeping a team satisfied starts with engagement. GreenStone has a volunteer committee, the Employee Engagement Work Group, made up of employees in almost every single department. Their goal – to be a sounding board for what works best for the people of GreenStone.
The team helps organize mentorship opportunities for newer employees, coordinates the employee engagement survey, manages GreenStone’s employee recognition program and records a monthly internal podcast giving the spotlight to our staff to share their vast knowledge.
The committee also meets and brings ideas to our leadership team about techniques to make the workplace even better – everything from dress code recommendations to alternative work arrangements.
Nobody on this committee has to do this work. They do it voluntarily to help make GreenStone the best workplace it can be – a testament to the culture of the co-op.
Investing in You
Earlier we stated that one of GreenStone’s core four values is “Deliver Quality.” Another one of those values is “Customer First.”
We believe when our employees are engaged and consistently bettering themselves, they are able to put you, the customer, before anything else. You are the reason we put an emphasis on investing in our employees.
By being experts in our field, we can help provide you with professional service and solutions to your unique needs.
When our people are happy, we can do everything in our power to make you happy, too.
To view the article in the online 2023 Fall Partners Magazine, click here.
