INVEST IN YOUR COMPANY CULTURE The right company culture is often the difference between someone simply having a job and being invested in their career. BY DAVID INDURSKY
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reating a great company culture — with an emphasis on safety — has been at the forefront of our core values since my father, Marty Indursky, started the business in 1968. When I reflect on what he did during the first 30 years before I took over as president, it’s clear he always valued the importance of strong company culture.
Because our jobs can be stressful, it’s important to reward and recognize everyone’s achievements and accomplishments. team members only and family-inclusive events for significant others and children.
When we look through the company’s photo albums from the past five decades, they’re full of pictures from the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s of ENCON’s softball teams, employee rafting trips and basketball games, etc. Back then, it was an intimate group of close-knit employees who celebrated everything together, from birthdays and holidays to weddings.
TEAM BUILDING
Our team was engaged with each other outside of the office, and my father laid that foundation. ENCON has always had a family feel.
In 2017, we did a bowling event in Sea Girt, N.J., and we intentionally divided the teams into people who didn’t know each other well and paired them together to socialize. Then, we tasked them with coming up with a creative team name to brainstorm together and, ultimately, root for one another on the same team.
When I took over in 2000, I expanded on his legacy by emphasizing company outings and allotting more budget toward events. When I think about building a company culture, we break it into two silos:
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I started with all external events … we had paintball and golf outings and annual holiday parties and family picnics each summer. Some of my favorite family events were our trips to Monmouth Park Racetrack to watch the horse races each summer.
Some of my favorite events are when
HVACR BUSINESS OCTOBER 2021
there’s some friendly competition — pickup basketball games and volleyball — because, inevitably, when Monday rolls around at the office, we’re still riffing on one another about the game a few days ago.
FAMILY ATMOSPHERE A few years ago, we celebrated 50 years of ENCON at Black Bear Lake Day Camp with tons of outdoor activities for the whole family, such as swimming in the lake, a ropes course, crafts, ping pong and volleyball. We understand our team spends a large portion of their waking hours at work, and we want to create a culture where they want to come to work and feel happy and safe. However, because our jobs can be stressful, it’s essential to reward and recognize everyone’s achievements and accomplishments.
During the COVID-19 pandemic this past year, several of our company events were postponed. In September 2020, we coordinated a “Socially Distant Family Fun Day,” upholding our annual tradition and amazing company culture safely during the pandemic. The entire value of these outings is for everyone to gather without work pressures and have fun in a relaxed environment. It’s meaningful when families get to meet each other, build memories and form friendships. It’s nice that a significant other get to know their partner’s co-workers, whom they often hear about at night after work — it helps to put a face to the name. There’s a tremendous value to fostering a company culture; it makes it about more than a paycheck — it is often the difference between someone having a job or investing in their career. Even when someone’s having a rough time personally — when someone’s ill or their family member is — we rally around to help. We had someone out for a year
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