Putting people first isn’t just a gimmick. It’s an attitude, a mentality, a way of thinking that helps organizations reflect the vibrant and dynamic people that keep it running. Companies with people-first or people-centric cultures value the happiness of employees as much as the bottom line. Growth-oriented companies understand the link between people-first cultures and profitability and are making sincere efforts towards this goal. Truly people-first companies are rare, which is why I’m happy to highlight those that are or are working towards it. One such organization is The Answer Company, a British Columbia-based ERP consulting group that helps businesses maximize efficiencies, optimize their workflows and undergo their digital transformation journey through customized software solutions.
As an organization driven by the desire to improve how businesses operate, The Answer Company knows that there are three key factors that every employee needs in order to be their most engaged and most productive self: A sense of autonomy, the ability to progress and the knowledge of their work’s importance and greater purpose. With their focus on creating an exceptional employee experience, it’s not surprising to see that 97% of employees have told us that this is a great place to work.
As a testament to this, Great Place to Work Canada has recognized the company on this year’s Best Workplaces in Professional Services list, Best Workplaces in British Columbia list and the Best Workplaces for Giving Back list. Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling this is not the last we’ll be hearing of this progressive organization.
A Culture of Collaboration
At the Answer Company, they’ve always emphasized a strong culture of collaboration and support which has enabled them to recruit and retain the best talent over the years. Employee no. 1 joined the company in 1994 and still works here today, proving that building a culture of respect and letting employees know they’re valued for their abilities, qualities and achievements pays off!
No matter their job title, duties or years of experience, each and every employee at The Answer Company plays a valuable part in contributing to the overall success of the business. Employees here take pride in what they do and strive to deliver the best possible experiences for their clients.
In fact, 96% of employees say they look forward to coming to work and 89% believe that their clients would rate the service they deliver as “excellent”.
“The most rewarding part of the Trust Index Survey is the written employee feedback section. It’s a heart-warming read and I’m glad that our team is as proud as I am to be a part of The Answer Company.”
- Shawn Ostheimer, Founder & President
Building Better Businesses
With a vision to lead a Best-In-class Business – from systems and solutions to partners and people, The Answer Company is committed to providing clients with the very best solutions designed to improve operations, reduce manual work and help organizations and their people to reach their highest potential.
You know you’ve succeeded in doing this when your clients become your strongest advocates, your secret weapon against the competition and the ones shouting your name from the rooftops. The Answer Company’s unmatched ability to satisfy clients, keep them coming back and influence others to do the same is just another reason why they should be on your radar.
“Our priority is building long-lasting relationships, and this goes for our customers as well as our customer’s people. Our client relationships take the form of a partnership rather than a business transaction, as we strive for long-lasting bonds that are built on mutual respect and trust. The Answer Company is about Propelling Businesses Forward, so we do just that by finding the right technology solutions for their unique needs.”
- Shawn Ostheimer, Founder & President
Answering The Call
As a team, The Answer Company have contributed over 25,000 volunteer hours and countless donations to community initiatives through their corporate social responsibility program, Answering The Call. Giving back is woven into the fabric of this organization and employees spend 4 full days every year volunteering as a team for causes that are close to their hearts, in addition to 4 additional days to continue their personal volunteer efforts
In recent years, the team has donated $1.4 million in services, in addition to event sponsorship to the Down Syndrome Resource Foundation (DSRF). Their involvement with the Down Syndrome Resource Foundation’s annual fundraising event, “Up the Down Market” dates back to 2016 but events of the last year pushed the company to find a truly innovative way to give back to this community.
With social distancing restrictions in place, the annual fundraiser needed to pivot to become an entirely virtual experience and the team worked tirelessly to develop an application that enabled the foundation to smoothly transition to a paperless event. It was a huge success and brought in over $200,000, dedicated to empowering individuals with Down Syndrome to live their best lives.
In addition to cash donations and event sponsorships, they’ve also contributed $93,000 in in-kind implementations for non-profit organizations with heavy discounts on services in 2020 and 2021 alone. These contributions have a long-term impact and help maximize the efforts of the non-profits they support.
Not that we need more evidence of this being a company who cares, but I can’t stop praising them just yet. An impressive 99% of employees say they feel good about the ways they contribute to the community, with their efforts being directed at several worthy causes such as The Canucks Autism Network, Covenant House, and Room to Read.
On top of all that they do to support non-profit organizations, The Answer Company makes a conscious effort to consider the greater impact of their business decisions. They’ve started their B-corp certification journey this past year and hope to join a community of leaders driving a global movement of change.
The Bottom Line
People matter. Organizations can’t succeed without considering the impact of their business - on their people, their clients, and the greater community. The Answer Company knows this and that’s why they place People at the center of everything they do. It’s clear that their employees are happy to show up and contribute as much as they can every day and those positive feelings transfer over to every interaction the team has.
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