Awards recognize that happier workers lead to happier customers

For Tom Tornow, given by the Flathead Job Service Council’s 2012 Employer of Choice Award for a business with less than 25 employees, communication makes all the difference. 

Submitted for the award by his two employees, Tornow said he had no idea he was even in the running, and found out about the award when he was presented with it. His employees cited “very good health insurance, flexible hours, ethical practices, a dog-friendly office” and the company’s contributions to the community, including providing hand wipes in local dog parks.

“A big part of the philosophy here is that people live in the Flathead Valley to recreate,” Tornow said. “I encourage the employees to take days off for healthy reasons, like rafting or to play a round of golf. I’d rather they take the day off for something like that than take a sick day.”

Tornow also gives employees a paid day of vacation for their birthdays, but there is one catch.

“They have to do something fun that day,” Tornow said. “They can’t clean the house or run errands, they have to enjoy themselves.”

When it came to creating a friendly work environment, Tornow said he simply asked his employees what they wanted.

“It’s been very valuable for me to talk to my employees and find out what they want,” he said. “It’s been so long since I was an employee, and I was surprised by some of the things they wanted.”

One of those surprises was a desire for a good health insurance plan, something Tornow personally didn’t find interesting.

“I was always a sort of cash-and-carry guy,” he said. “I wanted to make the choice myself of how I spent that money, but it was a big thing for my employees, and I had no idea until I asked. 

“Talk to your employees and make their priorities yours; they’ll be a lot happier. Employees are essential to your business, and if you don’t recognize that, you’re in a world of hurt. They are your business.”

Tornow said designing a work environment that keeps employees happy isn’t difficult, and can have some very big benefits for very little effort.

“My business is very important to me, personally,” he said. “And the people that work for me are doing that to support themselves outside of the office. That’s their priorities, and if you can design your work environment to support those goals, you get a lot of buy-in. Things like flexible hours help a lot with that. It’s about helping employees with what’s important to them.”

In fact, Tornow said the award should really go to his employees, rather than him, because they play such a large part in the everyday work environment.

“They’re the ones who said what they wanted,” he said. “They’re the ones who designed their work environment, I just facilitated it. My job is to find, hire and keep people who make me look better than I am. These two do that, and I make sure they know that.”