San Diego company execs, if they’re smart, keep their employees up to speed on industry trends, encourage new ideas and make sure senior managers are “in the know.”
“All three of these things have one thing in common and that is listening,” said Bob Helbig, spokesman for Energage, the consulting firm that prepared this year’s Top Workplaces report for The San Diego Union-Tribune.
But listening isn’t enough, he said.
“If you just listen and don’t do anything about it, people get even more frustrated,” he said.
Energage handed special awards in 13 categories to 15 companies whose employees appreciate right thinking and action.
Here are three examples of those companies:
Vividion Therapeutics for direction. Founded in 2014, the biotech company with nearly 200 employees creates small-molecule drugs for oncology and immunology. Staffers who filled out a confidential Energage survey said their company “is going in the right direction.”
“I love that we are literally trying to cure cancer,” said one employee.
“I am excited to see how much more the company can accomplish,” said another
Matt Patricelli, who was promoted to chief science officer earlier this year, said one significant change in direction was to take a “chemistry-first approach.”
Rather than picking a targeted molecule and trying to make a drug against it, Vividion researchers screen hundreds of targets and figure out which ones have some chance of success.
“We get a really early read on the feasibility and get to optimize and track things as we go,” Patricelli said.
Communicating is still relatively easy, he said. There are monthly research and development lunch forums, informal chats and in-person and online meetings.
“We’re making sure there are no ‘silos,’ that everybody’s aware of what’s going on across the company at the level they need to be,” he said.
Overlap of responsibilities and engagement is built in, from discovery through clinical trials to the final drugs.
Vividion, like most companies, pays attention to the social side of the workplace. It formed a “fun committee” that organizes events, recognizes outstanding employees and plans social gatherings, from bowling to baking contests.
Given that it can take years to create new drugs, Patricelli said the company maintains a level course toward a final goal: “You’ve got to keep going.”
RWM Home Loans for new ideas: Founded in 1994, the mortgage banker’s staff of nearly 100 saw a drop in annual volume from $100 million in 2020 to $30 million as interest rates rose. Employees said they generate new ideas through weekly motivational meetings and followups with multiple managers.
“All ideas are reviewed and if they are shown to be beneficial, they are implemented,” said one employee.
Susanne Livingston, owner, founder and chief strategy officer, said to provide the best possible customer service, employees look for ways to process loan applications faster and more effectively.
“We collaborate, evaluate and make decisions that we can all back —and that really is the secret sauce to yielding meaningful results,” she said.
With transactions falling, the company developed a “Welcome Home” program to help real estate agents generate new business. For example, loan officers share ideas with agents on how to tap their personal networks to find buyers and sellers.
The market peak prompted them to make the escrow-closing process more efficient by reviewing documents and fixing errors in advance.
“Innovate relentlessly and deliver daily” is one of the company’s core values, Livingston said. If an escrow is promised to close in 17 days and the deadline isn’t met, for example, RWM will give the agent and buyer a check as compensation.
Another new idea was to facilitate remote working while incentivizing others to return to the office.
“I gave up my corporate office to one of the top producers in Rancho Bernardo,” she said.
To generate new ideas, Livingston said it’s important to create new staff opportunities through education, listen to their needs and empower them “to be the best person they can be.”
It can be as simple as creating a book club, as one employee suggested, or a “wellness circle” when another employee wanted to promote taking 5,000 steps a day.
“I love what we do and try to improve what we do,” she said.
Booz Allen Hamilton for clued-in senior management: The Virginia-based consulting firm in civil, defense and national security, founded in 1914, counts 1,510 employees in San Diego.
“They are very knowledgeable on all aspects of the day-to-day performance of each individual they oversee,” said one employee, “as well as being very open to helping problem solve and answer questions specific to each individual’s tasks.”
Jennie Brooks, the executive vice president responsible for the San Diego offices, said managers get a monthly email nudge with best-practice ideas. A monthly podcast introduces new employees and an annual employee “experience survey” is used to gauge what’s working well and what needs improvement.
Employees have monthly “snapshot” conversations with their managers and can seek guidance from upper-level managers or take advantage of a career coach.
With a worldwide network of offices, Brooks said communications include both in-person and remote meetings.
Individual teams decide how best to accommodate employees’ flexible work schedules and the company has noticed that some employees choose to work for Booz Allen because of its hybrid work options.
“We emphasize combining the convenience of tech solutions without losing the importance of personal connection,” Brooks said.
Her advice to other companies: “Solicit as much employee as possible to understand what’s working and what isn’t. Be mindful of your employees’ circumstances. Leverage different methods of communication that cater to their preferences and needs. Ensuring resilient information sharing is the best way to prevent any employees feeling under-informed.”
Roger Showley is a freelance writer.
