THE STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE TOP
WORKPLACES ARE USING IN 2021
Schneps Media recently
launched QNS Home Pros, a
resource for New Yorkers looking
for a roster of professionals
to help with hiring specialty contractors.
The launch is especially timely
with the beginning of the new year,
when plans for spring cleaning
and home renovation projects take
shape.
The NYC Home Pros program is
an extension of Brownstoner Home
Pros, a trusted home services section
that has been successfully connecting
businesses with thousands
of Brooklyn and NYC homeowners,
buyers, and sellers for over a decade.
Now, the NYC Home Pros directories
can be found on all of Schneps’
borough-leading NYC channels, including
amNewYork, QNS, Brooklyn
Paper, and Bronx Times. Chock full
of contractors, architects, electricians,
landscapers, agents, lenders
and other home specialists, NYC
Home Pros provides project galleries,
bio information, testimonials,
and contact information so you can
reach out to them directly.
Or you can let the NYC Home Pros
Concierge, a live online chat, do the
work for you — for free.
Here’s how it works: Provide your
location and project details, and a
real person — not a bot — will match
you with local pros. If you’d prefer
Concierge over the phone, just tell
us what you’re looking for and our
knowledgeable concierge will help
you — even check in periodically to
see how your search is going. Check
out QNS Home Pros here.
Are you a home services professional
TIMESLEDGER | Q 22 NS.COM | JAN. 22-JAN. 28, 2021
in New York City looking for exposure
to an engaged audience of more
than 4 million monthly visitors? Sign
up for NYC Home Pros on QNS.com.
Schneps takes no fee from any job you
book through the service.
BY DOUG CLAFFEY
ENERGAGE
People often ask me what separates
Top Workplaces from the rest. And
while they outperform average organizations
on many levels, there’s one key
distinction: Top Workplaces leaders
know that creating a workplace culture
where employees are highly engaged
is a competitive advantage. And they
make it a strategic priority, day in and
day out.
Nationwide, less than a third of employees
are truly engaged at work. But
it’s a different story at Top Workplaces.
Of the 57,000 organizations we’ve
surveyed since 2006, Top Workplaces
achieve almost double the engagement
rate. Those companies that score in the
top 10 percent on our surveys see engagement
levels above 85 percent.
Recognition and bragging rights
aside, employee engagement translates
into stronger retention, higher productivity,
and better performance. But
employee engagement is the outcome
of a healthy workplace culture. In today’s
business environment, employee
culture distinguishes the world’s most
valuable companies. It’s where value is
created or destroyed.
In fact, culture is the only remaining
sustainable competitive advantage.
Great business strategies can be copied,
but culture cannot. When an organization’s
culture fails, it’s only a matter
of time before it becomes public and
costly.
Every organization has a culture.
Some are intentional, some accidental.
Companies that say culture is a priority
but don’t back it up are just fooling
themselves. This is how leaders lose
their jobs and how companies cease to
exist.
Leaders at Top Workplaces are intentional
about defining and forging a
unique culture that directly supports
specific business goals. Not that all cultures
are the same. Even among Top
Workplaces, some thrive on high energy
and fun, while others benefit from quiet
intensity. So ask yourself:
• What defines your workplace
culture?
• How do you know?
• Are you happy with it?
• Is it helping or hindering your
business objectives?
Whenever I ask leaders these questions,
the answers spur terrific discussions.
The challenge is understanding
how to measure culture and how to
change it. The most tangible measure of
culture is employee engagement. Great
workplace cultures flourish when a
team of talented people share an organization’s
values and embrace its objectives.
We look at these key factors in
engagement:
Motivation: As an employee, do you
feel you are giving your best?
Commitment: Do you want to stay?
Referral: Would you recommend
the organization to others?
Strong cultures become self-sustaining:
they attract like-minded people who
will thrive in that environment. That’s
why Top Workplaces can be picky about
who they bring onboard, whereas other
organizations have to pay more money
to keep people.
Speaking of spending, isn’t it strange
that some organizations have training
budgets and hiring budgets, but not budgets
for culture and retention? Training
and consulting soak up money and time
but tend to not change behaviors.
Today we see companies using technology
in smart ways connect with
their employees and move the needle on
employee engagement. This new breed
of solutions — inspired by social media
and backed by neuroscience — open the
lines of communication and enable organizations
to craft a culture that supports
business strategy and is resilient
to changes in their market.
Creating a great workplace culture
requires raising the level of trust and
connection among employees so they
commit their best every day. Top Workplaces
do this, and they do it consistently
well. So when leaders at aspiring
organizations ask me how they, too, can
capture this advantage, my answer is
this: get intentional about your workplace
culture.
Nominate your workplace at top
workplaces.com/nominate/amny/
Have you checked out QNS Home Pros yet? It’s where
you should look when hiring home services professionals
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