Aha Moment Leads to Award-winning
Employee Engagement Program   

By Masha Empringham
Head of HR, RED Digital Cinema 
RED Digital Cinema is C2HR’s 2021 Employee Engagement Award Winner  

Have you ever wondered what force drives us and shapes our emotions, actions, quality of life and, ultimately, our destinies? Have you thought about your team and how you can better understand or lead the people you work with? Do you feel like your job could be more fulfilling, but you’re not sure what’s missing? Would you like to better understand what, exactly, motivates people? Most of you probably answered yes to at least one of the questions. Allow me to share my personal experience that pushed me to discover something simple yet profound. I have used this knowledge with my coworkers, friends, and family to create stronger engagement and connections.  

Coming to the United States at the age of 11 from the former Soviet Union, I watched my parents leave everything behind and move across the world to provide a better life for my sister and me. They taught us the importance of solid education and hard work. They valued stability and performance. They told us to get good grades, attend a good college, and get a well-paying and stable job. This was the path they engrained in us. This was the path I followed. Even though I was getting accolades and feeling like I knew what tomorrow would bring, deep down, I didn't feel fulfilled.  

These six needs drive most of the bad, good, and ugly decisions we make each and every day. Understanding, appreciating and utilizing the six human needs has allowed me to better understand myself, my kids, friends, and coworkers. All of us have these six needs, but which need has the most importance differs from person to person and can vary from situation to situation.  

In my current role as a Head of HR for RED Digital Cinema, a professional camera manufacturer for the entertainment industry, I have incorporated the six human needs into every aspect of our HR team’s work. 

The Little Engine that Could  

The popular childhood book is a perfect analogy for RED Digital Cinema’s small, but mighty human resources (HR) team. We are known as a team for making the seemingly impossible possible.  

While our company was launched in 2005, the HR team came together just two years ago. In this short time, we defined our company values and developed our mission statement which is to Innovate, Create, and Disrupt. We try to practice all three in every project that we implement. 

We launched goal setting workshops, a health fair, leadership development training courses, wellness programs and Brain Trust Leadership planning sessions. We established procedures and protocols to lead the charge through COVID-19, transitioning over 200 global employees to a remote work environment overnight. Through it all, we have proudly supported over 270 global employees located in the USA, United Kingdom, Korea, Singapore, India, Turkey and China. We strive to ensure that everything from onboarding to separation has a personal touch. “People First” has been our closing statement in most of our communications. 

First, We Listened  

One of our main goals for 2020 was to retain our key employees, especially during the challenges of the pandemic. We established a new precedent by conducting Stay Interviews with at least two to three employees per week. We took the time to listen, truly understand the needs of our team and act.  

We also launched a company-wide employee survey. It was the first time RED provided an anonymous platform for team members to give feedback and share what they truly valued. Our goal was to have at least 70% of our employees participate; we achieved 91% participation.  

Through the stay interviews and employee survey, we were able to identify what mattered most to our employees. As a result, we implemented quarterly Town Halls, introduced a monthly employee magazine and launched RED RECHARGED.   

RED RECHARGED Fuels Productivity  

We believed that by allowing employees take time to recharge during the workday, productivity would increase. RED RECHARGED offers employees access to three virtual classes a week at no charge. Topics include everything from yoga and meditation, to live instruction from top fitness experts. Our leadership team supports and encourages employees to participate. Since the classes began, RED’s engineering team’s productivity increased by 13%.  

Recognition Program Reduces Turnover by 11% 

We kicked off 2020 with a plan and well thought out goals, including launching a new professional camera for the entertainment industry. When COVID hit, we realized everything would need to be adjusted and repeatedly revisited. The HR team and company leaders quickly realized that the only thing that was in our control was our people. Our amazing, strong, resilient, and innovating team. With nearly 300 employees across the world, we needed a plan to bring our people together. 

In response, RED Digital Cinema partnered with BucketList to launch a platform for our employees to share, recognize, reward and connect. We integrated the platform into our email server, which made it easy for all the employees to access and use the platform.  

When an employee takes the time to recognize another via BucketList, the employee earns points that can be redeemed for gift cards, experiences and special company surprises like lunch with the CEO or a new camera. It was an instant success! Employees use Bucketlist to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, as well as big accomplishments. We share laughs as well as tears. Currently, our BucketList averages over 20 post per day. 

The result? Despite the pandemic and geographical distance among employees, Red Digital Cinema’s team members feel connected with one another. Our company’s Glassdoor rating has gone from 2.8 to 3.8, and our turnover rate dropped to 2% from 13%. By creating a supportive and collaborative environment, we hit our first quarter sales goal in 2021. Our collective efforts also earned Red Digital Cinema the honor of being C2HR’s 2021 Employee Engagement Award winner.  

 

RELATED RESOURCES  The HR Knowledge Center features a curated collection of articles and resources about employee engagement and numerous other HR topics.    Elevating Engagement in a Virtual World (2021 C2HR CON Session)