Corporate Culture, Why Paying Installers by the Hour is A WIN/WIN
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast!” is a quote that Brent and I like. In other words, a company can have the best business strategies in the world, but if the culture of a company sucks, those strategies are useless. Nothing gets me more excited than creating a great culture. As a stay-at-home mom for almost two decades, I did this intentionally in our home. As a business owner, I continue to do the same.
Culture starts at the top and trickles down. There is no room for hypocrisy, people emulate the people running the show. We know how we treat our team is how they will in turn treat one another, us, and eventually the customer.
So how does a permanent light company create a culture where customers are honoured?
Simple. The company first honours their employees. The easiest way to honour staff is to pay well. For this reason, we pay our installers by the hour. This is rare in the business of permanent lights where most are paid by the linear foot. We view paying installers by the foot as a problem for both our installers and our customers because:
It means an installer working on a home must move on to the next job as quickly as they can. Time is not in their favour, speed is - cutting corners can feel like a necessity for the installer. Working under these conditions is demoralizing.
A high turnover rate of installers is created under this system which means many installs are completed by inexperienced installers.
Attention to detail is not prioritized because installers are not compensated for taking the necessary time to create finished work.
When homes are large, and the rooflines are complicated, installers cannot progress at the usual speed. For instance, the more angles there are, the more cuts must be made, resulting in hours spent putting up a few feet of channel. These jobs are naturally more time-consuming. Installers are essentially penalized for these more complex jobs, creating low morale and jealousy when one installer is given a less complex job than another.
Customer questions and inquiries are seen as impeding pay and therefore clients may not be provided with the adequate attention they deserve from their installer.
Despite the clear benefits of paying our installers by the hour, other permanent light companies justify not doing so because they worry that installers will lack productivity and waste time. As we honour properly so too do our employees. Furthermore, as a business owner, why would we dishonour a customer by sending an installer to work on their property who we believe must be paid by the linear foot because we cannot trust their integrity? Secondly, companies that pay by the linear foot make more profit. Although we are business owners and are not confused about the goal of profit-making, we believe there is a worthwhile return on honouring people that goes beyond the immediate monetary. Shortsighted profit-making is not conducive to long-term success.
Years ago, I discovered the importance of knowing one’s values. If you are familiar with Brenee Brown’s work then you will know exactly what I am speaking about. Values underpin everything a person does and when lived out provide clarity and inner alignment. Honour best describes my core value. Creating a culture of honour at iStar Lights is one of the most meaningful parts of my job.
Thanks for stopping by!