Avoiding the Turnover Tsunami 

Employee turnover is always a looming concern for businesses. But, as the pandemic slows down and the world begins to recover, employee turnover has started to emerge as one of the most pressing issues in the workforce; in fact, many experts are warning of a “turnover tsunami.” 

According to a recent report, more than half of employees surveyed in North America plan to look for a new job in 2021, while separate research shows that 26% of workers plan to quit their jobs outright as the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. The reasons for this are many, ranging from employee burnout to changing workplaces to the end of workers “sticking it out” thorough global uncertainty. But the fact remains that most Americans will be looking for a new job in the coming months — meaning the benefits and workplace culture companies offer will become more important than ever before. 

Fostering a safe, understanding and supportive workplace culture is one of the easiest ways to help keep employees happy — and happy employees equal happy customers. That’s why Vincit USA, a leading international software development and design company that is nationally acclaimed for its progressive work culture, has made employee happiness its top KPI. 

In addition to traditional benefits, like full medical coverage, gym access and 401K matching, Vincit has a variety of unique culture-focused initiatives to empower its employees. One of its most popular initiatives: the CEO of the Day program. 

This program gives one employee per month the ability to make one lasting decision for all Vincit employees. The CEO has an unlimited budget, no restrictions and zero oversight. The lone requirement is that the decision must improve the working experience of Vincit employees.

Although each CEO will implement one decision, not all of them will be successful or beneficial to the company — and that is OK. In fact, failure is encouraged. This exercise is meant to demonstrate Vincit’s unwavering trust in its employees, encourage autonomy and provide an opportunity for employees to experience the complexities in selecting and executing a company-wide decision. And where there is trust, there is success. According to a 2019 Salesforce report, employees who feel their voice is heard are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work. 

The CEO of the Day program also gives employees the chance to better the workplace in a way they feel is valuable — often unveiling valuable insight for Vincit USA’s full-time CEO as well. The decisions made during the CEO of the Day program have spanned from implementing new training tools to “Fun Friday” bonding events to a company-wide Uber account to ensure safe rides following post-work happy hours. And though some of them may seem small in the grand scheme of running a business, those small changes make a lasting impression on employees — and small changes can make the difference in employees loving or leaving a company.

Vincit first implemented the CEO of the Day program in its Irvine, Calif., office in 2018, and it’s been so successful that it has expanded to every Vincit USA location since. We have seen the program increase participation and ownership from Vincit employees and help new employees feel welcomed. When Vincit expanded to Arizona and acquired Scottsdale-based Vuria a few months ago, I noticed the CEO of the Day initiative encouraged the employees to thoughtfully interact with and trust their new co-workers, assisting in successfully merging the two workforces together.

And, perhaps most importantly, the program makes employees happy. Vincit has earned an array of awards for its workplace culture, including Best Workplace for Innovators by Fast Company, Best Workplace by Inc. Magazine, Best Tech Culture by OC Timmy Awards, and Orange County Business Journal’s Best Places to Work three times. In an extremely competitive tech industry, Vincit has drawn and retained some of the industry’s brightest talent. 

Fostering a transparent workplace culture that empowers employees to be the best versions of themselves should be the goal of every organization. Not only does it encourage better work, but it also builds a tangible, lasting workplace community, giving companies the ability to ride the ever-changing waves of the workplace. And yes, that includes even tsunamis.  

Ville Houttu is CEO of Vincit USA, a leading software development and design company with offices in Phoenix, Ariz., and Orange County, Calif. Nationally acclaimed for its progressive work culture, Vincit was honored as a Best Workplace for Innovators in 2020 by Fast Company, a 2021 Human Resources Tech Winner by TalentCulture and twice featured on Inc. Magazine’s Best Workplace list.