Boosting Community Involvement & Employee Loyalty: Lessons from Guarantee Restoration

In the most recent podcast episode of The Restoration Playbook Podcast, industry leader Guarantee Restoration, unpacked how their focus on community involvement has provided a huge boost to their employee loyalty. In a volatile industry with high turnover rates, the significance of this can't be understated. We wanted to dive deeper into what Guarantee Restoration was doing right, and what we could learn from their example.

Drawing from their experience and insights, here are some of the key strategies and tactics restoration companies across North America can employ if they're looking to give back to their communities and create a more fulfilling work environment for their employees at the same time.

Prioritize Community Involvement

As Marcie Richardson and Shawn Folks unpacked in the Restoration Playbook podcast, Guarantee Restoration believes in being an active member of their community. They actively show support for their employees' families by contributing to their children's organizations, like sponsoring local sports teams, and donating school supplies to local schools during back-to-school drives. By actively participating in community activities, restoration companies can create a positive impact while reinforcing their commitment to the local community, and to the causes that are important to their employees.

Hire for Heart

When recruiting employees, Guarantee Restoration looks for individuals who are passionate about their work and eager to make a difference. They know the best employees are going to come into work and give their 100% day in and day out, so they try to screen for that in the earliest parts of the hiring process.

How does this show up tangibly? In the interview, they share their mission statement and values and ask prospective candidates what resonates with them. The goal is to determine if this person is going to be bought in or not in the day-to-day. Is this just another job for this employee? Or will they bring their best self to work? By hiring individuals who find meaning in their jobs, businesses can create a dedicated workforce that is committed to the company's goals and values, and begin to self-police and advance those values.

Encourage Passion and Involvement

Passion is contagious. Guarantee Restoration encourages employees to share their interests and passions with each other, even if they're not work related. Examples of these include supporting company-wide charity events, or forming groups to participate in local volunteer opportunities.

The goal is to create a supportive work environment that gets staff excited to share what is going on with their personal lives with team members. This builds camaraderie and deeper relationships among the team, builds trust, and helps Guarantee strengthen their connection to the community as well.

Be Authentic in Community Engagement

For Guarantee Restoration, this community involvement isn't forced, or is just one more thing they tack onto an already busy schedule.

Instead, they let employees lead the charge. They do the work to discover what it is employees are passionate about; the causes they're already involved in outside of work. This allows them to build a relationship with the community around them in a way that doesn't feel forced or corporate, but instead grows organically and authentically from the ground up.

Every restoration company wants to grow employee loyalty, but few are willing to invest in community initiatives that feel like they don't immediate provide the "return on investment" many senior leaders are looking for. Guarantee Restoration has proven that focusing on community, especially when its led by employees can pay big dividends in the long run.

For more information on Guarantee Restoration, visit their website.