Employee Recognition and Retaining the Best Employees

Hiring and retaining good employees is harder to do today than ever before. With the emergence of the Great Resignation, also known as the Big Quit, in 2021, talented employees began to realize they have lucrative, viable employment choices and are in high demand. This has led an unprecedented number of employees in the United States to leave their jobs.  In fact, according to the United States Bureau of Labor in 2021, 47.8 million Americans voluntarily quit their jobs.  Today, employees are continuing to bid farewell to their jobs, leaving many organizations short-staffed and stressed out. But adding in employee recognition and getting employees engaged can go a long way and save organizations a lot of money in the long run. 

When it comes to losing an employee, it can cost companies big. 

According to a 2019 Glassdoor study, it costs an average of $4,000 to hire and train an hourly employee. Forbes reports that it costs about 33% of an employee’s annual salary to replace them. For example, if an account executive earns $50,000 annually, it would cost about $16,500 to hire and train their replacement. And with the mass exodus we’re currently seeing, this can really add up. 

But, in the long run, the full consequences far outweigh just these replacement costs, and the losses are even greater. Research shows that, on average, it takes about two years for a new hire to perform at the same level as the person they replaced. What’s more, continual turnover at companies can result in other detrimental consequences such as:

• Declines in employee morale
• Decreases in the ability to attract talented workers
• Lower client satisfaction ratings
• Increases in expenses
• Decreases in revenue

Organizations with high turnover rates often see a carousel of new faces interacting with clients, learning the ropes, getting acquainted with coworkers, and more.  This can be frustrating, at best, for clients as well as other employees. When there’s ongoing turnover at an organization, customers question the overall stability of the company and are more likely to go to your competitors. 

Today, it’s vital to not only hire the right people but also retain them. 

Hiring and Retaining Talent

The strategies for hiring and retaining talent continue to expand. There are multiple approaches to hiring and keeping good people. One of the best ways to retain good employees is to be sure you hire people whose own goals and values align with the organization’s.  According to an IBM report, 80% of employees felt more engaged when their work was consistent with the company’s core values and mission. Getting and keeping employees engaged is key to employee retention. A report from Achievers, an organization that pioneers HR innovation, found that lack of feelings of engagement is the reason 64% of employees left their jobs in 2020.

In addition, according to that same study, 90% of employees reported that they would be more likely to stay at their jobs if employers took the time to listen to feedback and ideas–and act on them. Engaging and listening to employees results in happy, productive team members who like their jobs and stay.  When employees are happier, teams are more productive, customer satisfaction scores improve, revenue increases, and everyone wins. It pays for companies to take the time to not only hire the right talent but also listen to and invest in them. 

While all this may sound great in theory, but is it actually attainable? It is! 

CallTrackingMetrics is a leader not only in call tracking and marketing attribution, but also in creating a workplace where employees thrive, where only the best candidates are hired, consistent employee recognition is a daily occurrence, employees are invested in the company’s success, and where ideas are welcomed and rewarded. And it’s working! In 2021 CTM was awarded the Excellence in Company Culture award from Inc.

CallTrackingMetrics’ Employees: The Best of the Best 

CallTrackingMetrics invests in hiring and retaining the best talent–and keeping them. At CTM, you need more than just a great portfolio or resume to get in the door. The human resources team at CTM is dedicated to finding and hiring not just the best candidates, but those who are a match with the company culture and whose values align with the company’s.  

What’s more, CTM’s leadership knows that just hiring great employees isn’t enough. Employees need to be heard, invested in, recognized, and trusted to do their job. At CTM, all employees are encouraged to share ideas, suggestions, and feedback. And, the leadership teams listens! Employee recognition is an important part of the culture at CTM. The leadership team believes it’s vital to take the time to recognize and reward employees who work hard, contribute their unique skills and talents, and consistently demonstrate CTM’s core values.  

These core values are: 

• Community-driven
• Customer-centric
• Champions of Innovation
• Work with Purpose 

This year, CTM took the time to recognize those employees who don’t just talk the talk but walk the walk–CTM style! In the First Annual CTMmys, four different employees were recognized for consistently showing one of the four core values. Each of the awards was well-deserved by the recipients. 

Recognizing Employees: Meet Kevin “Midas Touch” Pedini

One of these employees is Kevin Pedini. Kevin is the Creative Team Lead for the marketing department. At this year’s First Annual CTMmys Kevin was presented with the award for demonstrating the core value of Champions of Innovation. 

At the employee recognition awards ceremony, Kevin received high praise from company leaders and coworkers alike. They all expressed gratitude to work with such a talented, dedicated, and creative person. During the celebration, Laure Fisher, COO and co-founder of CTM read quotes coworkers had written about Kevin. One coworker said the following about Kevin, 

“Kevin truly has the Midas touch—everything he touches turns to gold“

This sentiment is echoed by many on the leadership team, as well as Kevin’s coworkers. Innovation is vital to company growth and success. When it comes to business, innovation can be the difference between leading the pack or falling behind. This is one reason why being Champions of Innovation is so important at CTM and part of the core values. Innovation is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as the introduction of something new, a new idea, method, or device. Innovation is crucial in any organization, particularly in the fast-moving SaaS world.  

Innovation is just one of many skills Kevin brings to the table. Innovation, creativity, and a positive attitude come naturally to Kevin. His innovation and creativity at work have led to important changes that have played a vital role in CTM’s growth, evolution, and continued success. Kevin has been instrumental in not only propelling the marketing team to excel and thinking outside of the box but also inspiring numerous other departments to do great things, too. Erika Rollins, Vice President of Marketing said the following about him, 

“Kevin is so passionate about his work and it comes across in everything he does. His creativity inspires other teams to do great things and accelerates product innovation.”

When Kevin talks about his Champion of Innovation Award, he expresses gratitude to his team and the company for making it so easy to make suggestions, explore ideas, and implement them! He says that CTM leadership gives employees the opportunity to provide feedback and are open to not just hearing the new ideas but acting on the ones that are viable. He said, 

“I think the ability for me to be innovative at CTM all goes back to the leadership being open to new ideas and employees being able to present new ideas to them and the rest of the team. Having confidence that you know your idea will be taken seriously and considered is a big part of it.” 

This environment of open communication at CTM comes from the top down. CEO and COO Todd and Laure Fisher have fostered a place where employees feel comfortable expressing their ideas, feedback, and opinions. This is vital to help engage employees and, as research shows, engaged employees stay.  Kevin said the following, 

“I think one of the biggest things that support innovation at CTM is the culture that Todd and Laure have created. They’ve created this environment where there’s open communication, it’s safe to express opinions, and they’re open to evolving–and want to evolve. Todd and Laure aren’t satisfied with the status quo. This makes for an exciting place to work, everyone is always interested in moving us forward.”

And moving forward is just what CTM is doing. Growing from just five employees in 2014 to more than 70 full-time team members in just eight years, CTM continues to grow, evolve, and find ways to make the workplace the very best for its employees who in turn, give the best to customers. In their ongoing efforts to create a positive work environment, CTM moved to a new building in 2022. The workspace has an innovative and open floor plan with lots of room for employees to collaborate, work in small teams, enjoy privacy in one of the several call rooms, and even blow off some steam with an epic game of ping pong. All of this is in an effort to show employees at CTM that they really do care and value them. 

Kevin said that the caring attitude and atmosphere at CTM make him enjoy coming to work each and every day. He said, 

“I look forward to coming into work, from the people on the team to the new office, Todd and Laure have invested so much in the office so we can build these great relationships with each other. That’s an evolution that’s been really incredible. The new office space is conducive to spontaneous interactions which are supported by the layout of the office. We’re  passing people all the time, saying hi, striking up conversations, getting to know more people and know people better.”

And many times these are the conversations and interactions that lead to great innovations. Kevin’s coworkers value these conversations with him and how many innovative solutions these causal interactions inspire. Lisa Salvatore, Senior Manager of Paid Media, appreciates how Kevin applies his ingenuity to creating better user experiences for customers. She said, 

“Kevin is great at putting himself in the mind of the customer, then developing user experiences based on their wants and needs. He brings new ways of thinking to the teams at CTM and encourages us all to challenge what works with the goal of finding ways to make things work better.”

Other coworkers couldn’t agree more. Rebecca Maslar, Senior Manager of Growth Marketing said the following, 

“Kevin tackles every project with a smile on his face and a positive attitude. He always goes above and beyond to make sure things get done quickly and in the best way possible”

And making things work better and more efficiently is key to any organization’s success. But even at the best jobs, staying motivated and creative can, at times, be a challenge. Kevin credits his ability to stay motivated to the feeling he gets from being creative. He said, 

“I’ve always liked creating something from nothing. I just love a blank page and the idea that you can create whatever you want there. I get excited about the day wondering what am I gonna create today, will I be designing or coding, or doing a number of other things.  I get energized when I get to work creatively.”

Creativity has been an integral part of Kevin’s life from early on. Growing up in Connecticut, he taught himself to play the guitar, drums, and piano in his teen years. Following his love of music and creativity, he went on to graduate with a degree in Music from Ithaca College. As is evident, creativity and innovation come naturally to him. 

Kevin’s creativity and innovation aren’t limited to CTM either. Today, Kevin continues to play live acoustic guitar at various venues around the Baltimore area and keeps his home base in Bel Air. There, he lives with his wife, Chrissy, as new empty-nesters. With two adult children, Duncan, 22, and Abby 19, out of the house, Kevin and Chrissy are finding fun ways to spend their new free time together. He explained, 

“My wife and I are empty-nesters. We enjoy our quality time each night doing different things. When I can, I spend time with my kids and friends, and I’m also a musician and I used to play out Pre-Covid quite a bit doing a solo acoustic thing for many years.”

Now that the kids are grown and he’s found a job he loves, what’s the next innovation for Kevin, and what are his plans for the future? 

“I think I’ll always be motivated to create. I’ve been doing it for 50 years now and can’t imagine a time when that will stop. I learned a long time ago that the trick is being able to turn that creative drive into a profession.  What’s that saying? Love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Employee Recognition and Engagement Go a Long Way

And that’s a sentiment many workers today wish they could relate to personally. With so many employees leaving their jobs, it’s important that organizations take an honest look not only at their current state of employee relations but also find ways to improve. Engaging in employee recognition is one great way to start. When direct supervisors, leadership, and even coworkers make employee recognition the norm, organizations are transformed. 

As Kevin Pedini clearly illustrates, hiring and retaining the best of the best can make a huge difference in employee dedication and innovation across the entire company. When employees like what they do, are aligned with company values and feel they can voice their opinions–and be heard, it’s a win-win for everyone. 

When employees feel like they’re contributing and valued at work—and leadership makes employee recognition a priority—workers are more likely to stay. According to a Qualtrics’ survey, employees are five times more likely to stay at their jobs when they receive consistent employee recognition for good work. 

Creating a company culture that supports and engages employees, consistently creates opportunities for employee recognition, and values their employees is key to employee retention–and company growth and success. As Kevin “Midas Touch” Pedini said, when you know leadership cares and listens, creativity and innovation grow. 

To learn more about a career you’ll love at CTM visit our People and Culture Page.