Human resources professionals recognize that keeping your current workforce happy and engaged at work can be the key to both keeping and growing your team. Satisfied employees are more productive, and they are more likely to bring quality new hires who will stay with the company longer than other recruitment methods.

But how do you create that strong staff that will stick around? One major factor is company culture.
CoCal Landscape Services, Inc., Denver, has served the Denver metro area for more than 20 years, and many of their employees have been around for most of that time.

According to CoCal’s executive team, some of the successful aspects of their company culture were borne out of listening to employees and responding to their needs and interests. One of those is CoCal University, the company onboarding and training program

Employees learn from the start that if they show potential, they can have more than just a job at the company. Through CoCal University, they learn that senior staff can work with them to learn what they want to do and help them grow into that position.

Cross-training is another big factor in the company culture. Says Mari Medrano, Human Resources Manager for CoCal, “Cross training staff helps people learn to respect each other by seeing what their jobs require.” She shared how last year a field supervisor went out to make cold calls that a sales person would normally do, and “he came back with a new appreciation of the challenges faced by team members in another role.”

Cross training also gives employees a window into another area of the business that might interest them and can lead to career mobility. One employee began as a spray tech and, by working his way through the company and taking advantage of training opportunities has become a top member of the sales team. “We cater to what individuals want to learn because it keeps them more engaged,” says designer Stacey Parcell. If they want to understand Xeriscape, for example, she will teach them.

CoCal’s executive team prides itself on building a culture of family and a culture that rewards initiative and accomplishment. It’s what has helped the organization grow to a “family” of more than 200 satisfied employees.

Look for more stories of CoCal’s successful company culture in the January/February 2016 issue of Colorado Green.

Interested in education sessions about building your own successful culture? Check out ProGreen 2016, where you’ll find sessions like “The Company Experience” with Jeff & Steve Rak (Rak Consulting) and “Retaining and Engaging Employees: What Employees Really Care About” with David Cabrera (Mountain States Employers Council).

Read more in this issue of Colorado Green NOW:
Micro-volunteering can reap big rewards
Video: Leadership & organizational development
Finish the year strong
Building a more sustainable business