COVID-19 has forced businesses and communities to shift the way that they engage employees in a work-from-home “new normal.” While this situation is not ideal for everyone, RDI has looked at it as a learning experience and an opportunity to connect, engage, and grow as a company.
RDI has not only been an industry leader in customer contact solutions, but also in company culture. We pride ourselves in creating a work environment that allows our employees to Earn, Learn, and Live Well (ELL Well). During these difficult times, RDI has been doing everything we can to keep our employees safe while still maintaining a high level of employee engagement. Here are five things we’re doing to keep our employees engaged at home:
1: RDI The Show
With our 200th episode airing this week, RDI The Show has been an ongoing weekly web show for over four years. The show began simply as a fun way to keep employees informed about all the upcoming events in the world of RDI, but has morphed into a cult favorite that employees look forward to each and engage with every week. With co-hosts Joseph Pinnell and Brianna Bingham keeping things fun in front of the camera, and videographer Billy Beck handling all the filming and editing, the show quickly became a hit with employees.
The show features recurring segments such as Rob & Jason At The Movies, The Retro Rumble, and even our own take on the hit web show Hot Ones. These fun segments allow employees to learn a little more about what’s going on within the company, and to familiarize themselves with senior leaders. The idea to do a spin on Hot Ones allowed tenured employees and senior leaders to have their spot on the show and share their RDI story.
“I think The Show really helps our agents become more engaged and active in their RDI Family. How many other jobs have you had that had a weekly show that gave you the opportunity to star as yourself?”
~Billy Beck, Video Producer
In a time where it is more important than ever to communicate with our employees, RDI The Show has continued to come out with new episodes each and every week to keep our employees informed.
2: Talks @ 2:00
Anyone who follows us on social media knows RDI loves to stay connected. Throughout the work-from-home initiative, RDI has been utilizing the Facebook Live feature on our ELL Well Page every day at 2:00 PM to engage with their employees calling these videos “Talks @ 2:00.” Director of Employee and Community Engagement, Joseph Pinnell, leads these conversations each and every day offering a live platform for employees to engage with leadership.
“Our Talks @ 2:00 started as a way for employees to receive key information while transitioning to a work-from-home environment. Since it is a public page, they turned into something so much more with people joining from all over the world like Cambodia, Jordan, Venezuela, Israel, the UK and Palestine. It taught us a deeper meaning of the phrase ‘We are all in this together.’”
~ Joseph Pinnell, Director of Employee & Community Engagement
Employees get the chance to ask questions about upcoming events, company updates, or just anything on their mind. The focus continues to be one of positivity and support. It has been a great way to keep people engaged during these difficult times.
3: Αwards and Graduation Ceremonies
Celebrating the hard work of our agents is nothing new to RDI, but with the work-from-home initiative, it presented a challenge to engage, celebrate and recognize our team. We have had to adapt our monthly award ceremonies. Whether it’s celebrating agents over a Facebook Live stream, bringing balloons to their homes, or delivering their award to them in the call center, we have been working to make sure our agents feel appreciated for all their hard work.
New client program launches are always a cause for celebration. One of RDI’s newest campaigns began last week. For many agents on this campaign, it was their first-ever launch with a new client; agents got to go through a graduation ceremony that highlighted all the hard work they had put in during training to prepare for launch day.
Image from Launch Day at RDI Milford, Cincinnati
Not only was this a successful launch for our agents, but it was also a historic day for our client. According to program manager Rebecca Elmore, the launch day ended at 286% of nesting goal, and 211% of the actual goal, making this the best launch they have ever had.
4: CEO Mail
Every Friday RDI CEO, Bronson Trebbi, sends his weekly email to the whole company in an effort to keep employees engaged in what’s going on at a corporate level, as well as offer a platform for employees to shoutout anyone they feel has been doing exceptionally well.
“The messages center on positivity and the collective power we bring to the fight as we crusade forward!”
~ Bronson Trebbi, CEO
Image of RDI CEO, Bronson Trebbi
Recognition from leadership is always a welcome gift, but the recognition given and received peer to peer is really the strength of this communication. It builds stronger interpersonal relationships which strengthen the culture and really drive our team dynamic. Giving employees an outlet to shoutout their RDI family is a great way to keep people engaged and show that their hard work does not go unnoticed.
5: Surprise & Delight Visits
The power of human connection has never been more important. Our culture was built on it. It has been difficult to stay connected and engage at the level we were without seeing our team in person every day. It is one thing to tell our team members that we are here for them, but it is more important to show it. So, we started to Surprise & Delight or employees at home.
Whether it is stopping by an employee’s home with balloons to celebrate the birth of a child, or bringing them flowers to mourn the loss of a loved one, RDI has been there for our employees. Our culture team has been hitting the road in our communities to bring agents a piece of our culture with personalized gifts, essential equipment, and RDI swag.
The real value of the visits are not the physical gifts, but the gift of fellowship. At RDI we are a family, and we show it every opportunity that we get. It is difficult to quantify the value of a warm smile and friendly conversation of a familiar face.
“It’s not just a feel good thing we are doing, but we are meeting the needs of our work-from-home employees almost more on the “Dream Well Surprise Visits” like providing an office chair for an employee who had back issues, or distributing gift bags & coloring books to celebrate Children’s day in Mexico.”
~ Jennifer Howell, Director of Marketing
Starting with happiness, we encourage our employees to give their best, keep a positive mindset and be grateful for every opportunity they are presented. The key is not simply to think differently but to do things differently. Our employees soon learn that accomplishing small goals leads to larger ones, and then eventually personal and professional success.
During these difficult times, it is so important to remember that we are not only a business, but we are a family; we are all in this together. We have learned that our employees are some of the hardest working people out there.
#LeaveItBetter
Jackson Herrmann
Marketing
To learn more about RDI, contact us!