Thursday, May 31, 2007 at 2:02am
Quality makes a Best Company
Column: Executive Soul
Named one of the five best companies to work for in Ireland in 2003 and 2004, Document Management Group — consisting of FileStores, Shred-It and two other business-to-business services — grew out of a family business that has been operating in Dublin for three decades.
In 2004, DMG started a Best Companies initiative, building on the success of an earlier customer service program, the Excellence through People program. The Best Companies initiative focuses on those things that make DMG one of the best companies to work for. A current practice — such as promoting from within, maternity and paternity leave, support for education, job sculpting or flextime — is highlighted each month. In addition, employees are invited to make suggestions that will improve their experience at the company. The goal of the Best Companies initiative is quality, both within and without.
Quality is important at DMG, since the company relies on employees to "go the extra mile" with customers. For example, if a customer calls FileStores wanting a file, he may not ask for it by the same name or subject he (or someone else in his company) gave when his company first transferred the file to FileStores. If a FileStores employee checks the database and can't find the entry, she might say, "I'm sorry, we don't have the John Doe file." If instead, she probes more deeply, perhaps asking, "Is that John Doe file you wanted a property surveillance file or a litigation file?" the caller might be able to identify it in another way. DMG wants its employees to act as detectives with customers, and is prepared to give them all the support they need, both technical and attitudinal, to help them do their best. As CEO Tom Hefferon puts it:
"If we want (employees) to go the extra mile, we must go the extra mile with them, and must create an atmosphere where they feel that we care for them and therefore that they care for what they do."
The purpose of the Best Companies initiative is to create that atmosphere. Hefferon believes that the practices that make DMG one of the Best Companies to work for also strengthen the business. For example, regarding maternity leave, Hefferon points out how the conventional wisdom in some companies is that you can't hire a female senior manager because she might get pregnant. At DMG, three of the six senior managers are women, and, in Hefferon's view, "Women who get far enough to apply to senior management situations have to be better in order to make it through the glass ceiling, so why not hire from that pool?" Realizing that the need for maternity leave doesn't arise very often, Hefferon believes that offering maternity leave is a good investment for the business.
The Best Companies initiative has helped keep DMG strong. It has resulted in high morale, low turnover and excellent customer service, with the ultimate outcome of strong financial performance. Caring for employees pays off for everyone.
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Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., author of "Soul at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations" (from which this column is drawn), works with leaders in business, healthcare, government and non-profits to help them develop spiritual leadership. Visit her website at www.ExecutiveSoul.com. Copyright 2007 by Margaret Benefiel
In 2004, DMG started a Best Companies initiative, building on the success of an earlier customer service program, the Excellence through People program. The Best Companies initiative focuses on those things that make DMG one of the best companies to work for. A current practice — such as promoting from within, maternity and paternity leave, support for education, job sculpting or flextime — is highlighted each month. In addition, employees are invited to make suggestions that will improve their experience at the company. The goal of the Best Companies initiative is quality, both within and without.
Quality is important at DMG, since the company relies on employees to "go the extra mile" with customers. For example, if a customer calls FileStores wanting a file, he may not ask for it by the same name or subject he (or someone else in his company) gave when his company first transferred the file to FileStores. If a FileStores employee checks the database and can't find the entry, she might say, "I'm sorry, we don't have the John Doe file." If instead, she probes more deeply, perhaps asking, "Is that John Doe file you wanted a property surveillance file or a litigation file?" the caller might be able to identify it in another way. DMG wants its employees to act as detectives with customers, and is prepared to give them all the support they need, both technical and attitudinal, to help them do their best. As CEO Tom Hefferon puts it:
"If we want (employees) to go the extra mile, we must go the extra mile with them, and must create an atmosphere where they feel that we care for them and therefore that they care for what they do."
The purpose of the Best Companies initiative is to create that atmosphere. Hefferon believes that the practices that make DMG one of the Best Companies to work for also strengthen the business. For example, regarding maternity leave, Hefferon points out how the conventional wisdom in some companies is that you can't hire a female senior manager because she might get pregnant. At DMG, three of the six senior managers are women, and, in Hefferon's view, "Women who get far enough to apply to senior management situations have to be better in order to make it through the glass ceiling, so why not hire from that pool?" Realizing that the need for maternity leave doesn't arise very often, Hefferon believes that offering maternity leave is a good investment for the business.
The Best Companies initiative has helped keep DMG strong. It has resulted in high morale, low turnover and excellent customer service, with the ultimate outcome of strong financial performance. Caring for employees pays off for everyone.
— — —
Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., author of "Soul at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations" (from which this column is drawn), works with leaders in business, healthcare, government and non-profits to help them develop spiritual leadership. Visit her website at www.ExecutiveSoul.com. Copyright 2007 by Margaret Benefiel