MANKATO — Many businesses in the region have long focused on creating a solid workplace culture, which has helped them attract and retain employees.
As the worker shortage increased in recent years, those efforts have helped the businesses. And they’ve given employees a more fulfilling career and life.
Many area businesses have been honored for their efforts by landing on the Star Tribune newspaper’s Top Workplace list. Some have been selected multiple years while a few are new to the list.
Top Workplaces is based on employee feedback results captured by the Energage Workplace Survey of nominated businesses. The research-backed survey is built on data captured from more than 27 million employees at more than 70,000 organizations over the past 17 years.
Some of this year’s top area businesses have a single location while others are part of a larger group with multiple locations.
Talking to managers at a couple of those making this year’s list reveals they focus on factors that workplace experts say are key to a smooth-running operation with loyal and content employees.
Casey Westhoff, CEO of MRCI, said the nonprofit has worked to give employees flexibility in their work, including remote working, as well as making sure they feel like part of a team that is on a unified mission of helping those with disabilities.
Mike Bresnahan, president and CEO of First National Bank Minnesota, said they have worked hard to create a work culture that has specific goals and expectations for everyone in the organization.
MRCI
Westhoff has led MRCI since January of last year after he was recruited from a similar position in Iowa.
The nonprofit has more than 200 full-time, benefitted staff, but also an army of 3,500 independent contractors across Minnesota.
MRCI has day-program services throughout southwest Minnesota and the southern suburbs of the Twin Cities, but also has people who work throughout the state to help clients use funds to best care for loved ones with disabilities.
“Say you have a son or daughter with disabilities and they’re in the home and you get money to help them. Our staff will work through the system and help you keep them in the home and be successful,” Westhoff said.
“It’s a very popular program that the state has encouraged people to use. We can be the fiscal intermediary for people and help them decide how they best want to use the money.”
He said the program is a win-win that helps families keep loved ones at home and saves tax money by keeping more people out of group homes or nursing homes.
Westhoff said that after the pandemic, MRCI permanently moved to a more flexible schedule for employees, something he believes they appreciate.
“We haven’t brought people back to an office setting unless it’s for a meeting or for something where we’re trying to get people together.
“That flexibility and the ability to work remotely, for many of our employees, has been very popular.”
He said they still focus on not losing touch with employees by having video meetings and holding some meetings in person.
Westhoff said that every few months they also celebrate employee anniversaries and bring those employees out to lunch.
They also have employees give updates on their departments to all employees via video conferencing.
“It lets them tell the whole staff what’s going on in their area and how it’s affecting the people they work with. It lets them share their stories and how they’re impacting people’s lives,” he said.
“Our employees embrace our mission and what we do.”
First National Bank Minnesota
The St. Peter-based bank has branches in Mankato, Gaylord and Belle Plaine. They have 70 employees.
“The bank started in 1857, a year before our statehood, and may be the oldest bank still in existence in Minnesota,” Bresnahan said.
“We do a lot of work with our culture. We adopted a system called the Entrepreneurial Operating System. It’s a way to operate our organization and to hold everyone accountable and allows all employees to have input and tasks and expectations. It makes things clear for all of us.”
He said the bank focuses on team work that centers on good customer experience.
“We hold everyone up to our standards and measure the success of our teams. It provides the backbone to build and maintain our culture,” Bresnahan said.
He said they also do an employee survey at least once a year. “It’s to see if we’re slipping in any areas. It’s all anonymous. The questions have a rating of 1-5. We combine all the answers and we shoot for having at least 80% satisfaction from employees,” he said.
“We talk about being comfortable with being uncomfortable. If our website is clunky, we want people to be able to say that. We ask if we have the right people in the right place.”
He said the bank also gets employees together for fun outings, including bus trips to Twins games or Canterbury Downs, at least once a year.