At Isaac, the Employee Comes First
Repeat Winner Says Happy Workers Create Happier Clients
By B. Checket-Hanks Of The NEWS Staff
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — This year, we are happy to name a well-deserved repeat winner. Isaac Heating and Air Conditioning first won The NEWS' Best Contractor to Work for contest in 2003. The essentials haven't changed: It's still a family business for more than one family. The compensation and benefits are excellent. And training opportunities have grown through the contractor's in-house institution, Isaac University.
But those aren't the only reasons why the company has won this prestigious award. "Back in 2003, our whole way of leading the organization was different," said president Ray Isaac. "We were selected in 2010 for a whole different set of reasons."
Employees First
Among today's priorities is the goal of putting employees first. "We feel it's a great approach." The contractor gleaned the idea from a local food market.
"It makes sense," Isaac said. There are plenty of companies that say the customer comes first … but the staff is miserable. When that's the case, it's unlikely that the customer is really going to feel like number one.
The contractor's idea is to make sure employees know that they are more important than the client. "We've fired clients," he said. With new customers it still makes more sense to take the employee's word over the client's. After all, he's known the employees longer.
This kind of prioritization "frees you to make decisions that are in the best interest of the company," in addition to keeping the workplace fun and healthy. And at Isaac, having fun is nearly as important as any other benefit.
The Fun Benefit
Christina Westmiller, Marketing & Events Coordinator, said, "I've had jobs where I dreaded going in. Not here. It's fun. We all have stress and deadlines, but if you enjoy the people you work with, it's so much better!"
Christina Westmiller, who nominated the company in this contest, described some of the ways the contractor creates a fun workplace. In addition to benefits like company vehicles for techs, uniforms purchased and laundered by the company, and tool accounts, employees receive discounted cell phone plans, technicians get company cell phones to use, and the salesmen have smart phones. "Each employee also receives a holiday bonus," she wrote, "and we continually do drawings for the employees to win free concert tickets, sporting event tickets, etc."
An employee empowerment fund (EEF) gives each employee $200-$300 to make customers happy and it can be applied based on their own judgment, with an EEF notation on the invoice. "It comes right out of marketing budget," Westmiller said. That offers its own kind of fun, based in job satisfaction and just feeling good about what you're doing.
A Tech's Perspective
"I feel lucky to be here," said Troy Anderson, a 28-year-old service technician. "People from other companies have told me they would stay at Isaac as long as they could." He appreciates the things management does to make the company better.
Anderson came to Isaac with no experience in HVAC; he had been working as a painter, but two and a half years ago, he started looking for something else. He read an ad for a free, 10-week course at Isaac; the company said it would select up to 30 people for the class from the 200 that applied. "I did well in class and they hired me," Anderson said. "I did ride alongs, then went to Isaac U." Now he is NATE Certified for furnaces, a/c, and boilers. Because he was so young, the company appreciated that he didn't have bad habits to break that older techs may have.
Technicians with little experience are placed in level one, or the first year of training, at Isaac U. During the first six weeks of training, they attend weekly training and ride along with a seasoned tech. After they finish the first year, techs advance to the next level in training. When they complete subsequent years, they complete certification through North American Technician Excellence (NATE).
"I interview every employee before we hire them," said Ray Isaac. "I need to make sure there's a good fit. There are a lot of good men and women, but they shouldn't all be married."
After hire when talking with employees he said he usually will only ask them 2 questions when he sees them; 1. "Do you need anything? 2. Are you having fun?"
"Since I've been here, it's been employees' needs before customers'," Anderson said. For instance, "If the roof is icy, they won't send you up. With this company, they try to make it seem like no one is a number." In addition to birthday cards from the president, and thank you notes for hard work, he said he appreciates having a good backup staff. "There's always someone you can call. If you've got questions, call.
"They're more worried if you don't call," he added. "They like to hear questions." This helps ensure that jobs are done right the first time; if it's not, "you're just setting yourself up to come back out."
On twice-yearly reviews, callbacks are the number-one performance measurement. Management also wants to ensure that techs and salespeople are offering customers the best value rather than lowest cost, Anderson said. This means knowing how to educate customers on the best payback.
His favorite thing about the job, though, is the job itself. "No two days are alike.
"Our customers are very loyal to Isaac," Anderson continued. "We may be priced a little higher, but they get better quality. It's the right formula."
"People have left here, gone to a competitor, then came back," said Christina Westmiller. What strikes them is "how much more a technician is given to get the job done and make sure the client is taken care of. Going someplace else is like a culture shock."
Raving Fans
The company's "Raving Fan" Program offers additional rewards directly related to a customer satisfaction. "When a customer calls in or sends a 'Raving Fan' review on an employee, we reward the employee with Raving Fan Bucks," Westmiller said. Employees can spend these on things such as HD TVs, X Boxes, bikes, gift cards, or other items out of a catalog.
Each entry is reviewed by each department VP and Ray Isaac. Every employee that is mentioned will receive Raving Fan Bucks.
The company conducts an Employee Loyalty and Satisfaction survey annually to look for ways in which it can improve, as well as for areas employees are happy in. An open-door policy gives each employee access to their immediate supervisor, VP, or HR, all the way up to the president of the company, at all times.
An employee advisory committee, comprised of 20 employees from various departments, was set up to be a direct link between employees and the president. At monthly meetings, this committee does things like initiating new programs, policies, and benefits (such as sick days, health care, etc.) that come from suggestions they receive from the Employee Loyalty and Satisfaction surveys, as well as from direct feedback from other employees themselves
In addition to a large number of charities, the company takes care of its own. One installer had a heart attack while he was at a customer's house, recalled Christina Westmiller. "He was out of work for a while, and it was financially killing him, so everybody pitched in to help him." After all, families stick together.
"I love coming in every day," said Ray Isaac. "My idea of a family business is, working on things as a family. You can have a disagreement but you're still family. It's a more sincere and genuine relationship."