Midlands Business Journal • MARCH 26, 2021 •
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Employee Trends A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal
Employers must boost morale to sustain success by Gabby Hellbusch
Building morale is an important component for all business leaders to consider in order to maintain team engagement. With the shift to a more remote and/or hybrid work environment, Debbie Ferrara-Van Roy, vice president of human resources at Cox Communications, said many employees are having to balance work and home now more than ever before. “Employees are managing child care, elder care, schooling from home, financial stressors amongst many other things,” Ferrara-Van Roy said. Sedky “Therefore, now more than ever, providing employees with support and resources to balance work and home and have a sense of belonging is critical.” Cox Communications has a focus on empowering employees to provide a culture of meaning, growth, respect and inclusion, she noted. “This includes connecting our employees’ work and goals with a bigger purpose, maintaining trusting relationships by communicating openly and thoughtfully, valuing every voice and a strong focus on driving personal development journeys,” she said. Additionally, Cox Communications has implemented wellness programs such as fitness and nutrition programs, back-up care for children and seniors, resources for managing stress, financial planning and schooling from home to support employees in creating work and home synergies. “As each employee has their own unique desires and challenges, connecting with employees individually and knowing what is important to them is critical,” Ferrara-Van Roy said. Mart Sedky, vice president of human capital at OPPD, said it’s important to build morale among the team by providing opportunities for flexibility in where and how work gets done. “We’ve recently launched a new platform for employee recognition, Motivosity, that provides for both supervisor and peer recognition,” Sedky said. “Having opportunities for growth and development is something that is very important to our current and future workforce, and we are building various methodologies for employees to access learning opportunities.” She said team-building events are also important, and teams have gotten very creative
Debbie Ferrara-Van Roy, vice president, human resources at Cox Communications. about what those look like, including playing data about how we can improve morale. The trivia games, hosting a campfire or doing a consequence of not doing so is that employees show and tell. disengage and don’t give discretionary effort “The morale of our workforce is critically to make the organization successful.” important, as it determines the level of emKarla Gochenour, vice president of human ployee engagement which drives productivity resources at WoodmenLife, said it is so imand results,” Sedky said. “We do an annual en- portant to have a strong tie between associates, gagement survey, which provides us with rich their leaders, their team and the organization
March 26, 2021
as a whole. “We have also been transparent in our communications, especially from senior leaders,” she said. Part of staying connected means ensuring everyone has the right technology, Gochenour said, so WoodmenLife deployed cameras to those who didn’t have them to create a “camera-on” culture. “Along with encouraging frequent touch-bases during the work week, we also wanted to make time for fun,” she said. “Leaders have been hosting optional virtual activities to create the sense of connection and boost social interaction.” Right now, the biggest trends present Gochenour across all businesses are increases in stress, a greater potential for burnout and a pivot toward mental well-being. “Associate morale and engagement go hand-in-hand,” Gochenour said. “When a workforce has high morale, there are so many benefits, like more collaboration, less conflict, lower stress levels and better productivity and customer service. If associates know they can count on their workplace to be a positive space during difficult times, they feel empowered to still do their best work and contribute, whether they are on site or working from their home.”
Employee Trends — inside MARCH 26, 2021
THE BUSINESS NEWSPAPER OF GREATER OMAHA, LINCOLN AND COUNCIL BLUFFS
THIS WEEK ’S ISSUE:
$2.00
VOL. 47 NO. 13
1623 Farnam data center expands with renovation by Richard D. Brown
Fremont Automation excels with made-to-order business model. – Page 2
40 er d Un 40 Personal experiences inform FordRobbins’ work helping others. – Page 4
s ing d ed W Focus shifting to smaller, intimate weddings with an eye on experience. – Page 25
Todd J. Cushing, president of Omaha’s 1623 Farnam — a data center emerging out of a 76,000-squarefoot multi-story building on the southeast corner of 17th & Farnam streets — might be surprised if there’s not more rubbernecking going on from motorists passing the very active construction site. The seven-year-old data center is taking over the entire building that formerly housed the headquarters of a savings and loan company and a number of smaller professional services offices. “Omaha is hot with innovation,” Cushing said. “1623 Farnam services over five million eyeballs and multiple Fortune 500 companies in our region.” The seven-employee firm that he heads is benefiting, in part, from Nebraska being the 15th fastest growing tech state and the 20th fastest population growing state in the nation. Cushing said more than $40 million is being invested in the heavy renovation work of the former Nebraska Savings & Loan/American Charter Continued on page 9.
President Todd J. Cushing … The edge data center is expanding its physical presence as Omaha remains (Photo by Roger Humphries) hot in the tech industry.
Omaha’s Universal Group poised for expansion across eight states by Michelle Leach
Since 2013, Universal Group, LTD has gone from three employees to 40, and from one office in Omaha to seven locations — spanning Arizona, to Tennessee and Wyoming, to South Carolina — with most of the growth that necessitated and supported its expansion occurring within the past two years. The multifaceted independent insurance agency has
balanced this flurry of activity with its continued commitment to local, personalized services built by the Loring family around 75 years ago. “Dan’s vision was to grow the company into other states and other markets,” said Controller Jessica Headlee of her husband, President and CEO Daniel R. Headlee. “Within the last several months, we have Continued on page 9.
Founding Partner Michael Hilgers … Capitalizing on the huband-spoke model with a family-friendly work environment, the firm attracts top tier talent to Lincoln area.
Marking 10 years, Lincoln-based Hilgers Graben firm has grown to six U.S. cities by Becky McCarville
President and CEO Dan Headlee … Independent insurance agency distinguishes with long history of local, one-on-one service; array of solutions ranging from specialized, industry specific programs to HR and wellness community and coaching.
When Founding Partner Michael Hilgers started litigation firm Hilgers Graben from his northwest Lincoln basement after working as a litigator for a number of years at a big law firm in Dallas, Texas, he knew he wanted a practice that did “sophisticated, interesting work” with a “good culture” and a “no
jerks core value.” Ten years later, the firm has grown to over 40 full- and parttime employees in six cities across the nation — Nebraska (Lincoln/Omaha area), Dallas, Atlanta, Denver, Miami and San Diego. Growth didn’t happen overnight. In fact, most of the growth Continued on page 8.