Feedback: April 2021

Q: Continuing to engage employees at home is more important than ever as many workforces approach one year out of the office. What are some team-building programs or events you’ve organized to help ensure individuals remain productive and successful at work and home? 

  Linda Luman 

SVP of Human Resources
Freedom Financial Network
Sector: Financial

Freedom Financial Network shifted our workforce to a work-from-home environment, in response to the pandemic. This change challenged us to get better as an organization and develop new ways of collaborating, communicating and engaging employees. In doing so, we leveraged existing channels (e.g., Slack, Zoom and email), but also introduced a number of new programs to ensure our people felt supported and cared for. We launched virtual company-wide town halls, Zoom Zumba and yoga, a monthly newsletter, a new Employee Assistance Program, and reaffirmed our commitment to diversity by launching new employee resource groups.

Further, Freedom placed an emphasis on transparency around business operations and the state of the U.S. consumer. As a consumer-centric company, we focused on articulating the voice of the customer, in an omni-channel approach, to promote productivity and employee engagement. This included emails from our CEO spotlighting client testimonials, shout outs during town halls, video vignettes from customers, and more. By underscoring the difference our employees make in the lives of our customers, it helped keep employees connected to our mission.

Linda Luman is senior vice president of human resources at Freedom Financial Network in Tempe, where she is responsible for the company’s people operations and human capital strategy. Since joining the company in 2015, she has been passionate in leading Freedom’s vision to build a great company through its people and its culture. 

Sean Reeves

Claims Contact Center Site Leader (Phoenix)
Farmers Insurance^®
Sector: Financial

At Farmers Insurance^®, we are committed to fostering a workplace environment that supports and empowers employees to thrive in their roles, and we have continued to focus on achieving that mission as the majority of our workforce has been virtual over the past year. 

 It’s important to Farmers^® leadership that we provide appropriate tools and resources to help employees stay connected, productive and successful. Recognizing the need to communicate with transparency and frequency, Farmers has deployed robust employee communications during this time, including regular updates from Farmers leadership and a streaming series with tips for working from home, coping with stress and more. We also make it a point to gather direct employee feedback through regular surveys that help Farmers track real-time engagement and sentiment.

Another resource Farmers made available at no cost to our employees is a subscription to Headspace. Headspace’s robust library of videos, articles and mindfulness tools — organized by different focus areas, such as sleep, managing stress and anxiety, increasing productivity and exercising — makes this a useful resource for our people. 

Sean Reeves, claims contact center site leader (Phoenix) for Farmers Insurance^®, has served in many roles in the customer service arena, including AMC Theatres for seven years and currently at Farmers Insurance^® for 19 years. An avid proponent of employee development and engagement, Reeves continually studies and examines different methods to improve employee engagement in the workplace.

Christa Robinson

Associate Sales Manager
Liberty Mutual Insurance
Sector: Financial

As a leader, I felt it imperative to try to create an engaging virtual office environment from home. Technology is king, so to speak, so I felt compelled to learn it like the back of my hand in order to re-create an engaging culture. Specifically, I love using Microsoft Teams in a variety of different ways. At least twice a week, I send out a meeting maker to team members and have them all hop on with me, while being on camera, to complete their individual work. Taking this approach allows for team members to not only see one another, but to also hear and learn from their peers when using the audio function, and, most importantly, continue to build camaraderie! Another great thing is the fact that the team has firsthand access to me to help them with whatever they need and allows me to coach in the moment to ensure results are being driven. Running contests and having the team report their results and brag via a TEAMS channel is very exciting to be a part of and to see! 

Christa Robinson has been with Liberty Mutual Insurance nearly nine years. In her current role as an associate sales manager, she is responsible for coaching and developing a team, driving results and maintaining an “amazing office culture.” She is passionate about the company’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives and participates in various Employee Resource Groups.

Joel Winant 

Director of Customer Care
Cox Communications
Sector: Communications

Continuing to engage employees at home is more important than ever as the vaccine rolls out and employers grapple with staffing models that include both remote and in-office work. Executive teams and leaders who are creative about engaging their staff virtually will continue to ensure individuals remain productive and successful at work and home.

Cox employs more than 3,000 people across Arizona, and, at a time when many have been working from home since the pandemic began, we know it is so important to keep our team energized and engaged! Here are some examples that we have found helpful in boosting morale and improving team collaboration while heightening productivity: 

• Cooking classes where teams Zoom together with a local chef (picture the chef at the Gladly teaching everyone how to make the famous Original Chop Salad)
• Home-office MTV Cribs where team members give tours through their unique and unexpected home-office setups
• Zoom talent shows where teams bond over unique talents that were previously unknown
• Sending Jib Jab emails from time to time to lighten the day

Joel Winant is a director of customer care at Cox Communications and leads a team of more than 200 talented care agents who work with Arizona customers seven days a week.