Real estate company Gables Residential’s employee survey for the first half of 2014 reflected the lowest employee engagement scores ever in its accounting department, which is 28 percent of its corporate office employees. Comments such as, “I am sorry to see the lack of communication, respect, and concern from some employees,” hit home. In addition, senior leaders and mid-level managers attending Gables Leadership Institute shared that their teams were struggling with communication.
To quickly address this feedback, the VP of HR/Training personally traveled the country to hold focus groups, mostly of accounting employees, to understand frustrations and what could fix them. Based on this input, Training & Development launched in January 2015 the Corporate Foundations series, three new communications-centered instructor-led trainings (ILTs), which were especially promoted among accounting teams.
Program Details
Outside experts designed and facilitated the classes, which included:
- Uncover Your Strengths: Employees learn their strengths and how to better apply them in their professional and personal life.
- Leading with Emotional Intelligence: Employees learn to use EI to build stronger relationships, succeed at work, and achieve career and personal goals.
- Conversations that Work: This high-energy, inspirational, and fun class teaches employees how to communicate effectively with different personality styles.
Each class is three hours long, and targeted to both individual contributors and managers. Classes were scheduled in seven different locations to reach as broad an audience as possible.
It took some significant recruiting efforts to launch the first class, but demand for Corporate Foundations immediately soared. Within 24 hours of the class, more than 20 employees had contacted T&D to inquire about the next class, as they heard such great feedback from their co-workers and didn’t want to miss out. The next class filled so quickly that T&D had to immediately schedule another. This was a first.
Results
- To date, 56 percent of all corporate office employees have attended at least two of the ILTs, the highest participation rate for optional courses, and 43 percent are from accounting.
- Based on registrations, Gables Residential projected that almost 100 percent of all corporate office employees would complete all three ILTs by year end 2015.
- Average overall evaluation ratings of 4.9 out of 5 are the highest scores ever achieved. Participants reactions included: “Loved the class and feel everyone who takes it will walk away a better person.” “Best class I have taken thus far.” “This class will help me communicate more with my coworkers.”
- Kirkpatrick Level 2 and 3 results include improvement in Emotional Intelligence Appraisal scores. Class participants completed an Emotional Intelligence Appraisal prior to attending Leading with Emotional Intelligence and were retested six months after completing the class. To date, scores have improved more than 10 percent. And supervisors and coworkers of employees who attended the class have shared anecdotally that they have noticed positive behavior changes.
- Corporate Foundations has helped lift accounting employee engagement scores 24 percent, based on the most recent 2015 survey. They now are higher than both the company average and the Kingsley Survey benchmark for many key dimensions directly related to Corporate Foundations.
