Welcoming – and acting on – employee feedback is critical to cultivating a resilient culture, say the team at CWB Optimum
Every year, CMP puts out the call for the best and the brightest brokerages, recognizing those employers that faced challenges head-on, while ensuring they provided a supportive workplace environment for their staff.
This year, with the impact of COVID-19 still looming large, brokerages had to prioritize investment in their most valuable resource – their people – by being agile, understanding, and, most importantly, willing to listen to their employees. CMP identified top employers by inviting organizations to fill out a form highlighting their offerings and practices, and then asking the nominated companies’ employees to evaluate their workplaces based on factors such as job satisfaction, bonus and incentive programs, career development opportunities, and commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Those on CMP’s 2022 list are the cream of the crop: the ones that took steps to apply that feedback, provide the tools for their employees to be successful, and nurture a vibrant – and resilient – culture. CWB Optimum once again made the cut and sat down with CMP TV to discuss what the win means to the company.
“The best way to describe who we are is we’re a wow culture,” Frank Giacomini, AVP, national sales, told CMP TV. “We want to wow everybody we come across: our clients, our brokers and each other.”
One of CWB Optimum’s organization-wide goals is to be a destination for top talent, and “if we have a reputation around that, what we’re doing is working,” said Rejean Roberge, vice president. “We’ve put in a lot of work to maintain a culture people want to be a part of. This award matters because it lets us know we’re doing the right thing by our employees, While multiple factors play a role in maintaining a positive workplace, it’s really about investing in your employees, said Marcia Lindberg, director of sales and marketing. Over the last two years CWB Optimum leaned into work-life balance and day-to-day flexibility, promoting employee wellbeing and, critically, welcoming their voices at the table.
“Their feedback is highly impactful for us, and we really do value and encourage it,” she said. “Their perspective matters, and it does shape our business and our decision-making.”
A stellar culture cannot exist without a diverse and inclusive working environment, and this, too, represents a perpetual goal for the lender. Creating conversation is always a first step, and various initiatives are encouraged to ensure CWB Optimum is a safe place for everyone to bring their best, most authentic selves to work. That pays off in multiple ways, for the business and for clients as well, Roberge said, because it impacts “what we bring to the table in terms of innovation, service and ideas.”
Ultimately, Giacomini is not surprised that CWB Optimum has once again been given the nod as an Employer of Choice.
“We’re a diverse bunch, an inclusive bunch and a fun-loving bunch,” he said. “We work hard, play hard and are passionate about every-thing – but especially our people.”
