Culture is King

With today’s competitive job market, potential and current employees expect a lot more from the companies they work for.?Culture is a company’s most powerful advantage across the board. It doesn’t matter how innovative your tech is or how many coffee shops your office has – if your culture isn’t built to support and motivate your people, your business won’t thrive.

At UWM, creating an exciting and fulfilling workplace for our people is central to what we do. I like to measure our culture by asking these four questions:

1.????How Do Team Members Treat Each Other?

My biggest pet peeve is when two people cross paths in a hallway and they don’t look up at each other, don’t smile and don’t say hello. I tell all my leaders to never walk with their phones out – be present, say “hi”, and be friendly to people. You don’t have to go out and get drinks with them… just be nice.

We also ask team members to share both their personal and professional goals with their leaders, and once a month, leaders check in to see how they’re doing and how they can help them reach their goals. It’s not hard to show people that you care about them. We all want to feel supported and have other people show an interest in what we’re trying to accomplish personally and professionally.

2.????Are Team Members Being Recognized?

I love reaching out and recognizing team members doing great things, big or small. Every morning, I look at different reports that give status updates for IT projects, underwriting quality and other operational numbers to see who is going above and beyond throughout the company. Then, I leave them quick voicemails to thank them and let them know I’m proud of all they are doing.

Everyone is also encouraged to give each other “Kudos” on UZone, our internal communication system, whenever someone demonstrates one of our six core pillars: People, Service, Relationship Driven, Thumb Pointer, Continuous Improvement and Fun & Friendship. Everyone across the company can see what the person or team is being recognized for and can engage and celebrate them, too.

Taking 30 seconds to show someone else gratitude is so simple, and from the perspective of the team member who receives that message, it is a big deal. Always make sure to let people know the impact they’re making.

3.????Are Leaders Walking the Walk?

We encourage everyone to take an hour lunch away from their desk every single day. Leaders who do this set an example that everyone needs to reset, so they can come back ready to dominate the rest of the day. I often go to the Ucafe on campus and sit down with team members I don’t know. I use it as an opportunity to learn more about our people and what their interests are outside of work. I also always make sure to ask, “If you were the CEO, what is one change you would make?” so I know what matters to our people.

Being accessible is also incredibly important. I come in the office early every morning so I can get my work done and be present with our team and clients throughout the workday. It makes a big difference when team members feel their leader is present and interested in their day-to-day roles. Leaders uphold the culture, culture shapes work ethic and attitude, and that produces results.

4.????Is this a Place Team Members Are Proud Of?

I want UWM to be a place where our team members are proud to have their families and friends visit, or even work. We have a campus that we’re really proud of, and we encourage our team members to give a quick tour to anyone they bring into the office. We also hold events every year for our team members and their families that make working at our company a unique and memorable experience. The events emphasize the importance we place on family and work-life balance.

Figure 1: Every year, we throw a company fair and let all of our team members bring their families out for a day of unlimited rides and free food, drinks and games.

Figure 2: At Halloween, our team members work together to decorate our campus with different themes, and we invite our team members’ families to come trick or treat with their kids.

Figure 3: We go big for our end-of-year holiday party, where we have great food and bring in big-name performers like The Chainsmokers, Ludacris and Nelly.

While these events and activities are great parts of our culture, they are really just icing on the cake. Team members care more about the day-to-day interactions and support that they get from their peers and leaders. The key to having great culture is how you treat your people. If you take great care of your people, they will take great care of you and, ultimately, your business.

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Mat