How Your Workforce’s Culture Directly Affects Your Consumer’s Experience

BY Carrie Snider | November 22, 2024

Build a workplace culture that empowers employees, and in turn, you’ll elevate customer service. That’s the key takeaway from a discussion with Ash Hanson, EVP and chief HR officer of AmeriHealth Caritas. She spoke during a fireside chat at From Day One’s Philadelphia conference. Stephen Koepp, editor in chief and co-founder of From Day One moderated.

But how exactly do you build a workplace culture that empowers employees? Hanson offered several main points.

Treat Employees Like Shareholders

As stewards of human capital, HR leaders play a pivotal role in an organization’s success, according to Hanson. The pandemic certainly brought that fact into focus. “When you fully leverage the potential of your human capital, it truly makes a difference between the performance of a company from being good to being great,” she said. 

At AmeriHealth Caritas, a managed care organization serving Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP, and Health Insurance Marketplace members across 13 states, employees aren’t just fulfilling tasks—they are living the organization’s mission every day. With over 9,000 associates, the company manages care for millions of Americans, often in times of critical need. 

“Our mission is not just something on paper,” Hanson said. The organization’s structure enables team members to view their work as essential to clients’ well-being, creating a culture in which employees feel accountable and aligned with the company’s goals. This approach connects employees to the organization’s outcomes, inspiring them to perform at their best.

As Hanson says, treat your employees like shareholders. Invite them into the conversation. Their quarterly virtual town halls are well attended, and leaders spend time talking about not just what’s happening in the company, but within the competitive marketplace.

Ash Hanson, EVP and CHRO of AmeriHealth Caritas, spoke during the fireside chat

What other discussions would you have with shareholders? A mission statement is one key focus. At healthcare companies like AmeriHealth Caritas, the mission is to help people get care, stay well, and build healthy communities.

“We really take care of over 4 million of the most disadvantaged Americans, very often at the time of their most critical need,” Hanson said. “This is an organization where every single employee lives the mission every single day.” That purpose helps drive employee culture, which in turn elevates customer experience. 

Along with that is ensuring team members have the proper training to get the job done well. While technology is useful, she added, an employee’s expertise and human care can’t be replaced or undervalued. “We spend and invest a lot of time upskilling our associates and making sure that they are ready and prepared to be responsive to member needs.”

Finally, being transparent must be woven into everything you do, Hanson says. The more open and honest leaders are, the more open and confident employees can be. 

Holistic Employee Benefits

There’s the expected medical and retirement benefits many companies offer. And then there are benefits that look at the whole employee. What do employees need and want? The more companies can offer these to their people, the greater the company culture. 

Physical needs are important, but leaders should also pay attention to employees’ emotional needs and financial needs. 

“Coming out of the pandemic, we implemented Lyra because we had a lot of employees talk about how they couldn’t find therapists for either their own needs or for their children,” Hanson said. “We implemented a program which offers 12 free counseling sessions, not just for our employees, but for their families as well.”

The company has a state-of-the-art gym on site, but those working elsewhere have access to fitness apps to help them with fitness, plus nutrition and even sleep. A well-rounded, happy employee is better able to show up for work in a way that helps the employee and customers. As far as financial well-being, the company provides education on preparing for the future. 

Hanson emphasized the impact of authentic employee recognition, stating that recognition is integral to promoting engagement and reducing feelings of isolation. Their social recognition platform allows team members to acknowledge each other’s efforts, creating an authentic culture of support and mutual appreciation. This culture of holistic care and recognition has a direct effect on employee satisfaction and productivity, leading to improved service quality for clients.

Balance Conviction with Curiosity

One core HR strategy is balancing conviction with curiosity, Hanson says. HR professionals are often sought after for their expertise, yet cultivating curiosity is essential to inspire innovation and creative problem-solving. Hanson suggested that HR leaders stay curious. 

“Curiosity opens up opportunities for creative, new ideas. It's a place where inspiration comes from. It's a place where innovation comes from,” she said. And especially as the needs of employees continue to change, HR leaders must continually stay ahead and change with them.

By following these points, leaders can start to build a company culture that enhances both employee and customer satisfaction. By treating employees as stakeholders, supporting holistic well-being, and fostering a culture of curiosity, organizations can strengthen their workforce’s commitment to service excellence, benefiting customers in the process.

Carrie Snider is a Phoenix-based journalist and marketing copywriter.

RELATED STORIES

When You Take Care of Yourself, You Take Care of Your Business

The importance of well-being in the workplace has remained a focus of organizations around the globe, as William “B.J.” Warren, head of HR effectiveness at Bayer describes, “Pause, reflect, and recognize. It’s all right to take a beat. You have to take breaks.”Constance Jones of NBC 6 South Florida, moderated a panel discussion at From Day One’s Miami conference about “Cultivating Well-Being Through Workplace Culture.” How do you foster a workplace environment that your employees are excited to be a part of? The panel brought insight into that question with a variety of viewpoints but a general theme that workplace culture fosters well-being within the organization. The Three F’s of Creating a Sense of Community and BelongingWorkplace autonomy fosters a community environment as Kathleen Procario, VP of HR, North America, Bacardi, outlines the three F’s that build a culture of community and belonging at Bacardi. “We have something called the three F’s, which are our fearless founder, fearless family and founders mentality, and it’s ingrained in everything we do. It’s very rewarding to be working at Bacardi. It’s a place where we’re encouraged to be ourselves and really be authentic in our work.”Procario emphasizes that fostering a sense of connection to the organization requires employees to see community culture reflected throughout the business while also promoting individuality and authenticity in the workplace.Creating a Workplace that Promotes a Desire to be PresentAs with many large organizations around the globe, many employees find themselves spending more time at home, away from the office and co-workers, and using technology to bridge the lack of physical connection. What keeps employees connected not only to the people they directly work with, but also with the company as a whole? Fernando Casadevall, CHRO of World Kinect Corp., shares the importance of trying new things in the workplace to keep the environment fresh. It’s important to “create those opportunities where people can be seen, and maybe have opportunity for advancement as well–-seeing and working with each other and kind of sprinkling in some events, and then mix it up, right? You do something for a couple of months, change it up, because people just get bored of it, right? So you have to always be trying to change things around that, and maybe go seasonal, do things that are important. It’s not one size fits all for a company, because what’s important for us here in Miami is different for our employees in Singapore than it is in the UK, right?”Panelists shared their ideas on the topic "Cultivating Well-Being Through Workplace Culture," at From Day One's Miami conference Knowing where people are working is a major factor in bridging the gap between large spaces created by remote or hybrid work. Organizations need to be creative with what is important to their specific employees. Taking a survey of what is important to the company as a whole while pairing down to the individual to see what community building activities make sense for all. How to Make Every Worker’s Encounter with HR SatisfyingMaking HR more than just a logistic place for procedural points of contact within a company changes the willingness of employees to seek out those connections when it is needed the most. What moments matter to the employees sitting across from you and what can you do to foster a conversation centered around understanding. “For us it’s about looking at what are those moments that really matter for employees, where the interactions that they have with HR or the conversations that they have with people leaders are those about very meaningful things,” said Warren. “So even in the introduction, about if you lose a family member, or maybe you’re bringing someone new into your life, that’s the conversation you’re having and talking about those not where do I find my paycheck or how do I enter my performance goals? And so, we really focus heavily on first staying, what are those moments that matter?” he said. The Power of Food in the WorkplaceWho doesn’t like a free lunch but more importantly who doesn’t like a mental break in the middle of the day? Zak Kovat, director, people operations and talent at  ezCater said  “From our lunch rush report last year, we surveyed 5000 US office workers. 90% of them said that they’re more productive when they actually take a lunch break.” But they found that only around 38% of people take their lunch break–so offering it and encouraging it is an inclusive perk. Food might not always be the answer but often a snack paired with the company of a coworker might be. Promoting a Culture of Well-being in the WorkplaceEach of the panel members discussed what they do to make sure they are taking care of themselves in the workplace. Some of the practices of the panel members included, being intentional with breaks, yoga, going on walks, using technology like an Apple Watch as a reminder to move, weekly check ins on Sunday, participating in mini learning activities of 5-30 minutes, and doing things that you really enjoy. Jeff Williams, U.S. president and CEO of Aptia, says it’s important to ensure people are taking their time off. “Make them take time off, because not only are they going to do better, but the employees that you keep saying are two years away gives them a chance to step in and lead on behalf of those leaders, not just notionally, but really making quality decisions while those leaders are off. Make the leaders take the time, make the people step up and get some real experience as part of your succession plan.”There is life outside of work, and well-being can be brought into the workplace. It takes a conscious effort of awareness and practice not only for companies to promote well-being but for employees to feel good  about participating. Tabitha Cabrera, Esq. is a writer and attorney, who has a series of inclusive children's books, called Spectacular Spectrum Books. 

Tabitha Cabrera | January 21, 2025

Developing Leaders Who Can Balance Productivity with Individuality

When Carlos Pardo joined Microsoft 20 years ago as an intern in sales, he knew his ultimate goal was to work in finance. So, he took a gamble and reached out to the CFO, Roberto Palmaka, and asked for a coffee meeting with the note, “I’d love to work for you one day.” Palmaka agreed. One coffee led to two, which led to three, and when a finance opportunity came up, Pardo was top of mind. Now as chief learning officer, Latin America at Microsoft, Pardo is responsible for helping workers navigate their own individual career paths and encouraging leaders to be as generous with their time, expertise, and resources as Palmaka, now a close friend, was to him.In managing a diverse and flexible workforce, today’s leaders need expertise well beyond their technical skills that got them into management roles. How can employers identify and develop leaders with the human insights, confidence and authority to make myriad decisions a day about the people they supervise? How can they set high expectations as well as embracing the individuality of team members? Pardo and other executive panelists tackled these questions at From Day One’s Miami conference.A Culture of Learning and CreativityEncouraging curiosity and professional development can help workers grow in a way that is unique to their own personalities and paths. At Microsoft, this is integral to the corporate values system. “Learning is a celebrated part of Microsoft’s culture and growth mindset,” said moderator Michael Butler, business reporter at the Miami Herald.“We look for everybody to be a learn-it-all versus a know-it-all,” said Pardo. The company promotes this through Learning Days, full days dedicated to professional development at whatever skill an employee chooses. Learning is also integrated into performance management systems, with the goal of having workers articulate lessons learned from both successes and setbacks.Along with encouraging learning, leaders should promote creativity to encourage individuality, in a way that is actionable and sustainable. “Most people think that creativity is about coming up with possibilities. It’s actually not just that. It’s at the intersection of possibility, constraint, and purpose,” said Steven Kowalski, principal, organization & learning evolution at Genentech. He suggests leaders “craft a purpose that’s both meaningful and durable and that has some tension in it.” Embracing Individuality and Fostering InclusionAI can provide transparency and empowerment when it comes to skills matching, career mapping, and professional development, driving employee engagement. Technology can help you understand the skills of current talent or potential candidates and match them with available roles within the organization, says Andrea Shiah, head of talent strategy and transformation at Eightfold. “When you give that transparency, suddenly your employees understand where they can go instead of having to know somebody or [already] understand roles across the organization,” Shiah said. “If you allow your employees to see that, they’re empowered to drive their career in whatever direction they want to go.”The executive panelists spoke about "Developing Leaders Who Can Balance Productivity with Individuality"This kind of transparency also has a marked impact on DEI. “Diversity really rises when it’s no longer who you know, but what you know,” Shiah said. Another way to foster inclusive leadership, says Abbe Partee, VP, head of certified learning and development at DHL Supply, is simple: “Understanding the importance and treating each of our people as humans.” DHL Supply makes this a core tenet of its leadership training program for frontline supervisors. “We’ve got such a diverse group in our workforce today that it’s really important that the people who lead the majority of our population know how to be good leaders and know how to be inclusive. Productivity is great, but that human side is absolutely first,” she said.Today’s multigenerational workforce poses unique challenges and opportunities. “This is the first time we’ve had five generations of people in our workforce,” said Rocki Rockingham, chief HR officer, GE Appliances. “Our frontline managers now need to be retrained and think differently about how they have workers who are Gen Zers or Millennials who want to work differently and who need different things and who have different expectations. When you create a learning environment, it has to be an environment where people learn the way they need to learn.”Supporting Long-term Career DevelopmentThese early career employees are especially invested in career development opportunities, so employers must keep innovating to attract and retain young talent. Partee says DHL Supply offers a platform called Career Marketplace, that shows employees all the training development opportunities and open roles in their area. “We also have extensive talent panels and employee development reviews,” she said. “We spend a lot of time each year talking about people and talking about their careers. How can we help them? How can we sponsor them to make sure that they can have a nice, successful space in DHL?”Genentech offers something similar, called Career Center. “This is founded on two core principles. One is [that] career development is actually part of your job, so you don’t have to sneak there during lunch or after work or before work. And then the career lab is not a place that’s focused on outplacement. It’s about positive internal development,” he said. Career consultants can meet with employees to discuss personalized next steps and guide them through internal learning and development initiatives.Microsoft too, Pardo says, offers internal mentorship programs, both as a way for younger employees to grow and for more senior employees to give back and share their talents. Optional projects are another “really powerful way to allow your employees to learn,” Shiah said, “in addition to just coursework.”Partee notes that junior employees need not just mentorship, but sponsorship. “A sponsor is someone who [speaks well] about you when you’re not in the room,” she said, noting that this is especially crucial for underrepresented groups who might need added support in those behind closed doors conversations. Employee resource groups (ERGs), Rockingham says, help expose diverse employees to those resources and empower them to follow up. “I encourage you [as leaders] to involve yourselves with different groups across your organization, because what it does is it provides exposure on a different level, so that you see people and that people see you,” she said.This all comes down, Kowalski says, to “a spirit of generosity.” Leaders and colleagues should be ready to support other people’s uniquely individual priorities, allowing everyone involved to grow. “To be a sponsor, to be a mentor, to be a coach means, in an organizational context, being generous with your time, with your wisdom, with your intuition, and with your social capital.”Katie Chambers is a freelance writer and award-winning communications executive with a lifelong commitment to supporting artists and advocating for inclusion. Her work has been seen in HuffPost and several printed essay collections, among others, and she has appeared on Cheddar News, iWomanTV, On New Jersey, and CBS New York.

Katie Chambers | January 14, 2025

Investing in Employees: A Key to Thriving in Uncertain Times

Many companies are trying to do more with less. But even as they work with tighter budgets, organizations still want to be able to support employees to boost engagement, increase retention, and promote professional growth. Investing in employees needs to stay top priority, no matter what.What are the most inventive, data-driven and budget-friendly ways to invest in your people, from innovative benefits, recognition, workshops, mentorship, and more? At From Day One’s Miami conference, a panel of leaders spoke about “Investing in Employees: A Key to Thriving in Uncertain Times,” in a session moderated by Paul Bomberger, independent journalist and former business editor at the Miami Herald.Managing Employee WorkloadTraditional ways of thinking about workload, says Ernest Paskey, practice leader, North America at Aon, are rooted in the industrial age, when physical output was key. For knowledge and service organizations, “We have to rethink what is true productivity. Is it the number of hours sitting at a desk? Is it the number of widgets [produced], or is it something different?” Paskey said.Making sure employees understand the “why” behind their work is essential to driving satisfaction and performance. “It’s important that we bring our frontline leaders along the journey of really understanding what the strategy and vision is of the company, and not just focusing on all of the activities,” said Elizabeth Wixted, global head of talent management & DEI for CSL Behring. This also means no busy work—only give assignments that are essential to the mission. “You need to be mindful of the work you’re putting on both yourselves and your teams. Clarity is kindness.”Executive panelists spoke about "Investing in Employees: A Key to Thriving in Uncertain Times"Technological advances that can minimize workload and increase productivity should be embraced, not feared, says Loren Blandon, global head of careers and organizational development at VML. “With generative AI, there are so many things that can be done in seconds that used to take us weeks,” she said.Paskey notes that post-pandemic returns to office are not quite reaching the proper balances yet, with employees spending most of their time on calls and Zoom meetings that could have been done from home, leading to feelings of stress and dissatisfaction. “What will bring them in? It’s [social] time, it’s happy hour, it’s lunch, it’s coffee breaks,” he said. “We need that collaboration and downtime to think through the chaos of our day.” Some panelists suggested using food and organized social gatherings as an incentive to come in, while other panelists said that the opportunity to work remotely can be used as a reward for high-performing employees.Supporting Career DevelopmentCareer development opportunities should come from within, says Dana Moore, VP, HR, people & culture, luxury & lifestyle Americas, IHG Hotels & Resorts, who cites IHG’s mentorship program as one of the central ways the organization invests in its employees. “We have something called a RISE program to put women in leadership, which catapults them through a general manager role, [and] teaches them how to be well-rounded in a general manager position. And we also have a mentorship program just within our discipline [of HR] for new mentees to come in who are looking to excel in their role,” Moore said. “It’s important to have someone to tell you which way you can go, and the things you need to learn to excel.”It’s also important to recognize that not all employees are looking to ascend the ranks, especially in these post-pandemic times when people are less interested in linear or traditional paths. “A lot of folks are no longer looking to their jobs for fulfillment,” said Blandon. But that’s not to say organizations should not still invest in their growth. Even as organizations are “flattening” with fewer managers, Blandon says, employees are still interested in salary increases, building skills, and having interesting, fun, and meaningful experiences.Organizations should respect such employees, says Moore, “because that is the foundation of your company. Those are the irreplaceable employees. They know all the processes, all the procedures. They have the most valuable knowledge that can’t be bought. We owe them some interest and some investment into making sure that they do stay in that role, because they are the ones who build us up and take care of us as we’re going up, hiring managers, and creating new directors.”Bomberger notes the challenging dichotomy of supporting younger generations who value work/life balance over leadership growth, while still ensuring that your organization is primed for evolution and a transition of power. “We have to be really clear in our organizations, in our company, what is ultimately the value proposition, and what do people come here to gain in terms of their career?” Blandon said. “You may be in an industry where you’re like, ‘Don’t come here for balance because it’s super competitive in a really innovative space and we move quickly.’ We have to be clear on what the true, authentic culture is and let folks opt in or out on whether that fits their life or expectations.” That clarity, Wixted says, should start in the job interview—understanding expectations from both sides and how they can or cannot be met.Building Workplace Culture for the FutureUltimately, leaders should set the tone for office culture, be it work/life balance or a return to office. “It’s so important, especially when you think about changing behavior, you have to have the right leadership and sponsorship that’s going to express, model, and reinforce the right behavior. If they’re not expressing or modeling the right behavior, you’re not going to get the outcome that you’re desiring,” said Stacey Finnegan, AVP, people advisory services, Genpact.Going forward, Moore says, “we’re always going to have to be malleable” and ready to respond to the demands and trends of workers. “If you aren’t able to provide what works for them, then they're going to look other places.” This includes developing attractive rewards programs and comprehensive benefits packages that incorporate women’s health, fertility, and family leave options that incorporate multiple generations and lifestyles.In this vein, we all must recognize that the world is constantly evolving. “We’re talking about the key to thriving in uncertain times, and I have to say, when has it ever been certain times? And will it ever be certain times again?” Finnegan said. “I think disruption is the new norm, and we need to embrace the disruption, whether it’s new generations coming into the workforce, whether it’s technology… We’re going to be dealing with this going forward, and all the ambiguity that it brings with it.”Katie Chambers is a freelance writer and award-winning communications executive with a lifelong commitment to supporting artists and advocating for inclusion. Her work has been seen in HuffPost and several printed essay collections, among others, and she has appeared on Cheddar News, iWomanTV, On New Jersey, and CBS New York.

Katie Chambers | January 09, 2025