By: Cassidy Smirnow
Here at Vertafore, March is the month for employee performance and compensation reviews. But recognizing the people who work at Vertafore, and celebrating them, is something we practice on an ongoing basis—not just once a year. Ongoing, robust employee recognition is a practice that any company can adopt, no matter the size. When companies make a consistent effort to recognize their employees, people stay longer, do better work, and flourish in their roles.
At Vertafore, we have implemented an extensive employee recognition program that reinforces our guiding principle “Win Together” and provides employees at all levels a way to recognize their coworkers no matter where they fall on the org chart.
RAVE: This is our employee recognition program, powered by Kazoo, which enables employees to send points and shout-outs to colleagues. Each employee receives a quarterly allotment of points to reward others. When employees receive points from teammates, they can redeem them for a variety of prizes. This is a great way to build camaraderie and to give a boost to employees who go above and beyond in ways big and small.
Employee interest groups: All employees are encouraged to participate in special interest groups and committees that bring people together across departments. There are nearly a dozen groups that range from the informal (book club, green club) to the more impactful (Black@Vertafore, Queertafore). We are always looking for ways to build community, educate, and learn from each other.
Vertafore Way Champions: Each quarter, employees are nominated for this distinction, and each winner is tied to one of our six guiding principles: We Love Insurance; Bias to Action; Win Together; Show Up Curious; Say it, Do it; and Customer Success is Our Success. The individuals and teams who represent these principles are celebrated throughout the company, and each year the executive leadership team selects from the pool of champions for the distinction of Vertafore Way All-Star.
These are just three ways we implement a culture of respect and recognition that touches all levels and all departments across the organization. If your organization wants to find ways to build employee retention, boost satisfaction, and foster a culture of kindness, any of these are a great place to start.
Whatever program you might introduce, it is essential to keep it going and be consistent—because the only thing worse than having no programs is having programs that feel like an empty gesture. These programs take time, attention, and investment, but I promise they’re worth it.
Cassidy Smirnow is Vertafore’s resident customer expert with a passion is for building customer-first cultures that transform businesses. With a proven track record of improving customer retention and enabling teams to provide best-in-class customer experiences, Cassidy is the embodiment of the Vertafore Way principle, “Customer Success is Our Success.”