Workplace Culture: What Makes Reverie Special

By Andrew Gough

Every now and again we take time to reflect on what is going on at Reverie from the perspective of our staff. We are lucky to work in an environment filled with such bright, talented and committed people. Our team is filled with folks from all walks of life, each providing a unique perspective we celebrate and do our acknowledge and understand. When we check-in with the teams to take a pulse on the company heartbeat, we learn about their Why's and make plans for how we work together to continue to build a positive work culture.

In reflecting this, I'm reminded we have had very low turnover the last three years.And the majority of our team that has moved on have moved up to pursue other great causes. 

PEOPLE JUST DON'T WANT TO WORK

I've paid close attention to people sharing their observations about today's workforce. A common phrase I hear virtually everywhere is "people just don't want to work anymore". When I enter conversations with anyone about our business and how we are holding up, the conversation always ends up on the subject of staffing and employees. "Have you had a difficult time hiring?"  is the most popular question I'm asked. My answer is without a doubt, "No". A surprised look on their face is expected at this point. I explain the last job posting we made on Indeed.com yielded over 144 applicant responses within the first 48 hours. And from that pool of applicants, I estimate we got at least 20% that met our requirements, prompting a request for interview. 

We have no problem finding new hires and I am convinced this is the result of a strong work culture focused on the needs of our staff. How do we do this? By listening to our team. And with this approach, I believe we are doing our best to create a work environment built upon mutual understandings of each other's needs. The results are clear; low turnover, overall positive environment, strong performance, timeliness, and staff contributing to the vision and success of the company. 

ABOUT THEM

By listening to our team, we've made decisions to craft a workplace inclusive of several great ideas viewed as a starting point for creating great culture. Two-and-a-half years ago we implemented a $15/hour minimum earnings rate for ALL employees to assure each member of the team has the ability to earn a living wage. For nearly seven years we have offered 2-weeks Paid-Time-Off to give staff time to recoup from illness or take much needed vacations without worrying about how to pay for missing work. We offer an employee assistance program through EMPAC to all employees to have access to counseling and mental health care services at no cost. We have created multiple layers of leadership to allow for input to directly from the leadership team all the way to the front lines. And together, as a team, we actively work to be supportive of all of the varying degrees of differences between each of the unique people we work with. Inclusiveness isn't something we achieve; it's something we always continue to pursue. 

ABOUT US

In addition to building a business with the employee at the center of our success, we have collectively designed a business that models what we think is important to our community. This starts with something as simple as choosing to work with as many locally sourced ingredients as possible (check our our Demonstrating Localism page for more details) to the local partnerships we have accumulated with area service providers. Because we cannot afford to help every cause, we have chosen to narrow our focus to projects that make real impact within our communities. Learn more about this on our Giving Page. And we continue to push coffee culture in Wichita to new heights by leading by example. Great service and products help push customer expectations further, but there's more to building a coffee community than actually making coffee. Reverie continues to host latte art throwdowns for regional baristas to congregate as a community. And we've created several special events (the Wicked Brew Tour) and social media communities (Midwest Barista Collective) for coffee professionals and coffee lovers from the region. 

THE CONVERSATION

So, when people ask me about employees and my experience finding new talent, I respond with a conversation about how investing in creating great culture is our key to success. And I boldly suggest that if an employer isn't satisfied with the current workforce, they need to take a look inwards and determine if they may be fostering a work culture that isn't desired by the workers of today. We fully recognize the workers of today get to be picky about where they go to work. They desire working for employers who treat them poorly, even if the pay is better. Life isn't all about where you work. I have recognized this personally, so why would I expect my staff to think any differently?

A CALL TO ACTION

If you have read this far, I thank you for that. Perhaps something I wrote will inspire you to rethink your work situation. If you're a decision maker, how will you continue to evolve your mindset to suit the needs of your staff as much as your customer? No matter what business you are in, you will be a better business if you put your employees first. Or, if you think I'm full of baloney, let me know. I'd love to have a cup of coffee to discuss workplace culture. I'll even buy the cup of coffee....I know a great place full of caring staff who will be happy to serve us. 

Have a wonderful week. I look forward to seeing you sometime soon in one of our wonderful cafes.

Andrew Gough

(Owner & Chief Conversation Starter)