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Employee Morale Is High At Congilose & Associates
December
22, 2005
By NJJobMarket.com
This month, NJJobMarket.com
interviews Kerry Stachowski, Vice President Business Development at Congilose & Associates of Manasquan, NJ, to learn more about how her company handles
Employee Retention particularly employee morale and satisfaction.
NJJM= NJJobMarket.com
KS = Kerry Stachowski
NJJM: What techniques does your company use to retain employees?
KM:
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A mentorship program. All representatives in their first year are required to mentor with several successful experienced producers.
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We begin working with the candidate on their marketing plan prior to their hire date. We do not believe in “cold calling”.
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Regular training sessions are held in the office twice a week.
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Representatives are encouraged to expand their practice by earning additional designations and certifications.
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Representatives meet regularly with their managers for planning, coaching and support.
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There are several in-house specialists that representatives have as a resource, both product and marketing specialists.
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Sales and support tools in-agency and online. One major state of the art sales and support tool is proprietary and no other organization has anything similar to it.
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A very broad and comprehensive product portfolio of protection products and securities.
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A very positive company culture.
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Generous compensation program that includes, commission, bonuses, renewals and few expenses .
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Recognition and Rewards – Representatives can earn Council or club conferences, qualify for MDRT (Million Dollar Round Table)
NJJM: Has retaining employees ever hurt the company in terms of hiring newer, more qualified employees?
KM: No. Applicants are stringently reviewed so that we can be certain that they are a good fit for the organization and also we want them to be certain that this career is for them and they will be successful over the long term.
NJJM: To what degree do you track employee satisfaction? How do you track it?
KM: As a small office we do not see ourselves as being part of the “big financial machine” that other large financial institutions are. The management team has an open door policy and with regular agency meetings we have a good perception of employee satisfaction.
NJJM: What exercises outside the office are used to improve employee morale? (softball, company picnics)
KM: Holiday party, company picnic, a group of employees run the Jersey Shore Relay, golf outings, lunches, dinners, fundraising, community projects.
Recently, a representative was named Citizen of the Year in a local town and
members of the office staff attended the recognition dinner.
NJJM: What percentage of employees have you retained? What is your turn-over ratio?
KM: Our 4 year retention ratio is 70% which is higher than the industry average. One measure of the industry average is LIMRA International’s 2005 Agent Producer & Survival Survey of 31 small, midsize and large companies and cites a
13% Retention ratio.
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