Presented at the 2013 NPEA conference by: Bottom Line

1. Creating a Culture of
Staff Satisfaction and Retention
NPEA 2013 Annual Conference: Friday, April 12
Mike Wasserman, Executive Director
E-Mail: mike@bottomline.org
Phone: 617-524-8833
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2. Background and Mission
Bottom Line is a
community-based non-profit that helps
disadvantaged studentsget in to
college, graduate from college
and go far in life by providing
one-on-one guidance and support
from college applications to
college graduation.
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3. Growth and Org Structure
Bottom Line’s Growth
2013-2014 Organizational Chart
Year Students Served # of BL # of
Annually Staff Offices
1997-1998 25 1 1 National Support Team
1998-1999 75 1 1 1 Location
1999-2000 150 2 1 6 Staff
2000-2001 250 3 1
2001-2002 448 4 1
2002-2003 530 5 1 Massachusetts New York
2003-2004 558 5.75 1 3 Locations 1 Location
2004-2005 764 10.5 1 43 Staff 16.5 Staff
2005-2006 736 9.5 1
2006-2007 820 11.5 1
2007-2008 880 13.25 1
2008-2009 1,085 16.25 2
2009-2010 1,372 21 2
2010-2011 1,593 25 2
2011-2012 1,901 33.5 3
2012-2013 2,341 49 3
2013-2014 3,037 65.5 4
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4. Staff Management Intro
Why does it matter?
o The cost of hiring is high - not just money, but time and opportunity cost
o Low morale leads to low performance and outcomes
o Organizations need developing talent to grow in order to take on new leadership
roles or replace leaders who leave
o As a mission-based organization, we should strive to live up to our values
internally as well as externally.
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5. Our Challenges
In the 2010-2011 School Year…
o The Challenge
We had nearly doubled our staff in 2 years (13 to 25)
We had recently opened a second location (Worcester, MA)
We were continuing to operate like we did when we were a small, cohesive team
o The Impact
We conducted our first staff survey and the results were clear…
Only 19.6% of staff were “very satisfied” at Bottom Line
31.8% of staff felt “very supported” by their manager
9.1% of staff felt “very supported” by management overall
At the end of the year, we only had a 62% staff retention rate
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6. Our Process for Improving
In the Spring of 2011, we hired a consultant and created a “25 Point Strategy”
The core elements of our strategy: Unifying Themes – Values and Outcomes
o Organizational Values: Focus on core values and display in the
office, incorporate into staff reviews, incorporate into daily language, use as part
of shout-outs and regular activities
o Focus on Outcomes: Use visual displays
to show goals and outcomes, encourage
teams to celebrate their success, take time
to celebrate success as an organization
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7. Our Process for Improving
The core elements of our strategy: Staff
Advancement
o Path to Promotion: Formalize senior
counselor role, share explicit standards
to be promoted, be clear about what is
the career path
o Staff Development: Make staff
members’ personal development goals a
part of their goals for the year – create a
safe space for discussing long-term
goals, add speakers and professional
development opportunities throughout
the year
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8. Our Process for Improving
The core elements of our strategy: Building Cohesion, Leadership and Culture
o Building Overall Team: annual retreat, making time for lunch, “fun committee,”
team names, ice breakers and group activities as part of meetings
o Management Team: provide training and
support to managers, help managers
learn how to coach and motivate
staff, empower team leaders with budgets
and information
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9. Three Key Measures
o Retention
We track the start and end date of every employee. Our key metrics are: (1)
average tenure of current employees, and (2) turnover rate of staff.
o Satisfaction
We send out surveys every four months to measure staff satisfaction and
compare over time.
o Performance
We give staff annual goals, and we evaluate them twice per year on their goals
and on how they live up to our 6 core values. We rank them 1 to 4, and we track
what score our staff is receiving overall.
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10. Our Outcomes
o When asking “How satisfied are you working at Bottom Line?”
– In November 2010, 54% felt very or somewhat satisfied
– From Sept 2011 to April 2012, that stayed between 87% and 97%
o When asking “Do you feel connected to the mission?”
– In November 2010, 40.9% felt very connected
– From Sept 2011 to April 2012, over 94% felt very connected
o When asking “Do you feel supported by management overall?”
– In November 2010, 9.1% felt very supported; 45.5% felt somewhat supported
– From Sept 2011 to April 2012, at least 90% felt very or somewhat supported
o Retention Results
– In 2009-2010, we had a 62% staff retention rate
– In 2011-2012, we had a 94% staff retention rate
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11. Dealing with Change
In the current year (2012-2013), we have undergone some significant changes
o The Challenge
We created a National Support Office
Our New York Office entered its second year
In one year, we grew our staff by 50%
We changed the staffing model, so every staff member had a new job description
o The Result
Our staff did struggle with these changes and morale did lower
However, the work we put into culture building made it better
At the lowest this year, more than 80% of staff felt satisfied
At the lowest this year, 80% of staff felt supported by management overall
At the lowest this year, more than 90% of staff felt connected to the mission
We expect our staff retention at the end of the year to be 90%
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12. Thank You!
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