In its 2020 Global Trends Report, LinkedIn Talent Solutions reported that 96% of talent professionals believe employee experience is gaining in importance. The employment and recruiting-focused social networking giant defines employee experience as “everything an employee observes, feels, and interacts with as a part of their company.” At Utility Partners of America (UPA), we prioritize team building and creating a family-like environment for employees. In fact, we consider that focus to be the bedrock of our employee experience.
Here are a few specific initiatives we have in place for team building and rapport development at UPA.
We hold in-person leadership gatherings
At UPA, our employees work with a lot of autonomy, and that starts with our supervisory and management staff. We encourage members of the leadership team to take accountability for their respective areas as if they were the CEO. Prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we brought all supervisory and management staff together once per quarter. Simply for training and team-building weekends. During these sessions, we reviewed best leadership practices and completed exercises intended to sharpen the skills it takes to be a good leader.
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We promote the value of teamwork
We recognize that our team is only as strong as its weakest link. That’s why we are constantly promoting the value of the team as a whole. We strive daily to strengthen the organization, from top to bottom. Our longest-tenured and newest employees feel like they are making meaningful contributions. People inherently want to make a difference and feel good about their work. We do what we can to make sure that happens at UPA.
Related: On Board With a Safety Culture? 5 Tips To Make it Stick
We don’t tolerate negativity
Negativity can sink even the best-run organizations and kill the strongest culture. That’s why we have a no-tolerance policy on any negativity that involves finger-pointing or bringing company morale down. Our employees should feel valued whether it’s by their peers or their supervisor. We challenge our teams to find ways to build each other up instead of tearing them down.
We support the diversity of thought
UPA is the type of place where everyone says matters, and that goes a long way for team building and rapport development. All of us have different backgrounds and work experience and bring something unique to the team. We support diversity of thought and empower our people to contribute beyond a basic job description. The goal is to groom the next level of leaders to make an positive, lasting impact at UPA.
Company culture is everything at UPA
UPA is a great place to work, and one of the primary reasons is because we emphasize the importance of company culture and team building. Our people feel more like family than employees, which is reflected in the way they treat each other. If you’re interested in learning more about UPA’s services or how our talented and professional team can help your utility achieve its goals, contact us today.
