Serving the community is the goal of the Omaha, Neb., Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center. Having exceptional and engaged employees is vital to that objective.
“We implemented concrete steps to reinforce our commitment to making the Kroc Center an excellent workplace,” said Captain Alex Yanez, senior Kroc officer.
The Omaha Kroc Center refocused and energized its “Fun Squad” composed of staff from all levels at the center to develop and execute fun opportunities to show recognition and appreciation to the team. An “Employee Development Reserve” was developed and funded to support ongoing professional development opportunities and let employees know the center is committed to their growth. Significant time during the center’s annual maintenance and closure week was dedicated to the employees, not only for fun and recognition, but to train and connect them to the key values and mission.
The leadership of the Omaha Kroc Center is committed to creating a collaborative environment where frontline staff can freely approach leaders with ideas and suggestions in a healthy and safe environment. Even if those ideas ultimately cannot be implemented, the reason is communicated, and staff know their voice was heard and valued. Lastly, Omaha Kroc leadership is deliberate about sharing the gospel with the team by choosing a monthly scripture verse, incorporating prayer and scripture in meetings, encouraging prayer requests, and providing pastoral counseling.
As a result, the Omaha Kroc Center was certified as a Best Christian Workplace in 2022 by the Best Christian Workplaces Institute (BCWI). This honor was achieved by averaging a score over four on a five-point scale on BCWI’s employee engagement survey.
The BCWI surveys employees and evaluates their opinions on eight key factors of a flourishing workplace: fantastic teams, life-giving work, outstanding talent, uplifting growth, rewarding compensation, inspirational leadership, sustainable strategy, and healthy communication. The survey responses are kept strictly confidential, assuring the opinions are honest and fair.
“What makes the survey so valuable is that it’s collected from the opinions of the employees, not just the opinion of leadership, so it truly reflects the health of the organization,” said Jonathan Kuebler, Omaha Kroc Center general manager.
Beyond the survey itself, valuable data and professional assistance in interpreting the data is provided to leadership. Tara VanderSande from BCWI assisted the Omaha Kroc leaders in understanding and highlighting key areas of success, but also areas of opportunity in interpreting the responses to assist in making strategic decisions.
Captain Alex reinforced, “There is still a long way to go, but we work hard every day to make the Omaha Kroc a good place to work and are blessed with a great team.”
