Workspace Anywhere
In our second year of Workspace Anywhere, we continued to see increased productivity and higher quality work.
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Workspace Anywhere
Like many organizations that have shifted to a 100% remote or hybrid workforce, Businessolver experienced an increase in our efficiency, quality, and engagement metrics in 2022, demonstrating that working remotely can lead to happier and more productive employees. That’s why we are Workspace Anywhere—a policy that encourages employees to choose the workspace that’s right for them.
Considering our investment in measuring and understanding workplace empathy over the last seven years, it was only natural that we arrived at this conclusion. According to our 2022 State of Workplace Empathy Study, most (76%) employees would prefer a hybrid work schedule that allowed them to decide whether they could go into work in person or work from home. Whether Solvers choose to work from home, in an RV while traveling the country, or safely within one of our offices, the Workspace Anywhere policy allowed them to deliver delight to our clients in 2022 while enhancing their personal and family lives.
The policy continues to have a positive impact on our efforts to attract and retain a more diverse and inclusive workforce. The ability to recruit talent from anywhere allowed us to hire new Solvers from 45 states in 2022. We also experienced a 21%+ increase in the proportion of Solvers who identify as minorities.
Further, while other employers have seen an exodus of people from the workforce since the Great Resignation, we were able to retain our reputation as an employer of choice with an 85% employee retention rate.
Businessolver Foundation
Making a difference in communities nationwide.
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Businessolver Foundation
The Businessolver Foundation distributed over $400,000 to over 100 non-profit organizations in 20 communities across the nation in 2022. These deserving organizations were selected because they had a connection with the Businessolver Foundation’s three pillars of giving: mental health, STEM and career education, and DEI.
“Given the events of the last two years, we felt compelled to change our initiatives to better match our company mission and philanthropic aspirations,” said Jon Shanahan, CEO and President of Businessolver. “The Foundation’s new giving pillars allow us to make a stronger, more focused impact to the communities in which we live and serve.”
Businessolver continued their partnerships with:
• The National Alliance on Mental Illness to produce “Hearts + Minds,” a wellness program designed to educate and empower all to better manage both physical and mental health.
• The American Heart Association to sponsor STEM Goes Red mentoring initiatives in Des Moines, Denver and Chicago.
• Donated funds and volunteered for fair and equitable housing to Habitat for Humanity.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion remains top of mind
Smart teams will do amazing things, but truly diverse teams will do impossible things.” —Claudia Brind-Woody, IBM Executive.
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion remains top of mind
Building on the momentum established the year prior, our organization and individual Solvers worked hard in 2022 to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at Businessolver. One such Solver was Jamon Harrell, who was recognized for his work the previous year as an Emerging Leader by the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Workplace Excellence Awards.
2022 also marked our third annual DEI employee pulse survey, through which more than 500 Solvers rated our organization’s DEI efforts in 13 core areas. These included hiring, employee retention, internal communications, employee experience, client relationships, compensation, career advancement, and leadership involvement.
Solvers were also asked “how likely they would recommend working at Businessolver to a friend,” the results of which indicated a 46% increase in Net Promoter Score among Solvers of color, and a 20% increase firmwide. One Solver had this to say regarding DEI efforts: “It’s not just something that's mentioned once and then fades into the background. It maintains a presence which is incredibly important.”
Other successes in this area include:
• 1015 Solvers taking the DEI pledge to “Be Kind, Speak Up, and Do the Work”
• Published over 30 blogs, several thought-leadership pieces, and hosted webinars on this important topic
• 350 Solvers participating in a book club exploring Tiffany Jana and Michael Baran’s Subtle Acts of Exclusion
Workplace Empathy
Exploring the ever-changing climate of workplace empathy.
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Workplace Empathy
In our quest to demonstrate Technology with HeartTM, we published our sixth annual State of Workplace Empathy Study. Supplements to the main publication focused on: mental health benefits and support and fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
Key highlights include:
• 59% of employees fear reaching out to a manager or HR about a mental health issue could negatively affect their job security.
• 91% of employees would appreciate the option to work remotely, while only 25% of companies offer it.
• Our Empathy data shows that more than one-third of male and white employees indicate feelings of workplace bias or discrimination based on their race or gender.
Read the full 2022 State of Workplace Empathy Study
Providing Mental Health Support
Reminding employees that ‘it’s ok not to be ok.'
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Providing Mental Health Support
Dealing with collective trauma from the pandemic has thrust mental health into the national spotlight. One psychologist theorized this trauma is having ripple effects into the professional world. For example, the “Great Resignation, or the growing number of people switching careers, is a sign of post-traumatic growth.” For us, the implications of this theory are that HR professionals have a duty to provide mental health tools, not only for themselves, but for their employees.
In 2022, Businessolver supported HR professionals by producing a variety of thought-leadership pieces, including:
• Rae Shanahan, Chief Strategy Officer practices leading with empathy with a webinar entitled “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay: One Solver’s Mental Health Journey”
• An episode of Brews with Bruce discussing the compliance and legal implications of mental health in the workplace
• A report based on our 2022 Workplace Empathy data
Make-A-Wish
Businessolver employees raised over $88,000 for Make-A-Wish.
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Make-A-Wish
Businessolver employees’ fundraising efforts will enable Make-A-Wish to grant several life-changing wishes to children with critical illnesses. Through the partnership with Make-A-Wish, Businessolver will have helped grant over 18 wishes since 2016.
“One of our core values at Businessolver is ‘give back’ and our focus through the Businessolver Foundation enables us to work with philanthropic organizations in the communities in which we live and work to cultivate intentional partnerships. Solver Nation took that to heart in their fundraising efforts to make these wishes come true as our team has a strong desire to deliver care, resources, and support to those in need” said Jon Shanahan, Businessolver President and Chief Executive Officer.
One of “America’s Best Employers”
We know it, but now it’s Forbes-official
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One of “America’s Best Employers”
Forbes and Statista selected America’s Best Employers 2022 through an independent survey fielded to a vast sample of approximately 60,000 American employees at companies with more than 1,000 employees in America. Across 25 industry sectors, 1000 employers have been awarded, 500 large employers and 500 midsize employers.
“To earn a spot on any ‘best’ list for employers is an honor for any chief executive” said Jon Shanahan, Businessolver CEO and President.
