Winning Glassdoor Employees' Choice Award Changes Everything

I have to admit to being thrilled when I heard Kareo was named a Glassdoor Best Place to Work. Being selected as the 22nd Best Place To Work among small and midsize businesses in the U.S. changes everything. Not just for me as a recruiter, but for the whole company and everyone who works here. How we did it I’ve been asked how we went from just a few reviews on Glassdoor two years ago to winning this award. It wasn’t extremely difficult, but it does require some key ingredients that I am happy to share. We had to make it a priority, create a plan, and set some clear measurable goals just like you would for any project to be successful. We had nine reviews on Glassdoor back in 2013. I talked to our leadership about why I thought this was important and what their involvement would be. We decided to strive for 50 reviews in 90 days. Not only did we reach that goal, we exceeded it. Weeks before our deadline we received over 50 reviews! I believe this was a combination of the way we engaged our employees, the great company culture at Kareo, and the commitment and involvement of our leadership team. I met with leaders at all levels early on to talk about requesting reviews from their teams. We really wanted to encourage all employees to contribute, and I didn’t want gravy train reviews. I told all the managers not to cherry pick, but instead to really get everyone to share their honest perspectives. “Getting candid honest reviews brings real validity to what people are saying and it gives Kareo a chance to address any problem areas.” In the end, most of the reviews were positive due to the outstanding culture of transparency we have at Kareo. Our CEO, Dan Rodrigues, said this when we won the award: “At Kareo, we continually strive to create an environment where our employees feel valued, motivated, and passionate about our core mission of serving as an ally for independent medical practices. This award is testament to the fact that satisfied employees are the backbone for a successful company.” Leadership enforces culture Our culture here is reinforced within our leadership team. Each member is engaged and committed to hearing what employees have to say as well as ready to make changes based on their feedback. This is the piece I would say has the biggest impact, and it’s what I’d recommend to other companies. If feedback is not met with change (or at least dialogue), then the feedback was not well utilized and can’t have the positive impact that was intended. We’ve learned that stewardship of company culture has to come from the highest levels of the company. Our CEO reads every review on Glassdoor. He responds to comments personally and takes the feedback seriously. He is committed to making changes to improve the company when a problem is raised in the reviews. Knowing that the leadership team is reading and responding to the reviews and takes them seriously also acts like a carrot to get employees to post. Why Glassdoor matters to us We are leveraging the Glassdoor platform as a feedback portal from employees and candidates so that we can continue to improve. Employees know that no company is perfect, but that there is great value in knowing that their leadership team is listening. It is such an honor to receive this award because it validates all the work that Kareo has done to be a truly progressive employer. Kareo now has access to the best, most selective talent, which is great. But, just as important, the company will continue to nurture the team we already have because we know it is great for them, for our company, and for our customers.