Incentive - October 2008 - (Page 25)

CASE STUDY “You guys are selling more than furniture, annual list of 50 Best U.S. Manufacturing work environment. And it’s not just the aren’t you?” Companies. company’s furniture that makes it stand Herman Miller also is about selling the out. Despite the fact that the company is kind of office spaces and environments situated only a few miles from Steelcase Retention Tactics that make employees want to stay, Kingand Haworth—two competitors with So what is it about Herman Miller that ma says. There’s much more that goes household name recognition—Herman makes its employees so loyal? into attracting and retaining employees Miller has a low turnover rate of 3 percent. It’s all about the company’s culture and than desks and chairs, but it’s the idea of And nearly one-quarter of its employees the way it treats and rewards its employmaking employees comfortable, of taking have worked there for 20 years or more. ees, says Dave Emenheiser, director of care of the whole person in the workIt’s the way that the company does employee services. Herman Miller places space, that Herman Miller is really trying business that lands Herman Miller on a lot of emphasis on engagement and to sell, he says. And customers who visit prestigious lists year after year. This year retaining talent, and as a result, the the company see that in action. “We treat alone, Herman Miller has earned 10 our employees as well as we treat our customers. We really practice what we preach.” For starters, the company uses its own office as a showcase for its award-winning furniture designs. And with more than $1.9 billion in revenue coming through the doors in 2007, the strategy appears to be working. The office-as-showroom tactic landed it on Fortune magazine’s short list of Coolest Corporate Headquarters earlier this year, a designation shared only with Microsoft and S.C. Johnson & Son. Known for its innovative furniture designs, Herman Miller continues to win accolades year after year. In fact, many of its pieces reside in permaClients who visit Herman Miller’s sleek, airy headquarters—complete with an espresso bar—often ask, “Are you hiring?” nent collections at New York’s Museum of Modcompany offers a number of attractive highly coveted designations. For the 20th ern Art and Whitney Museum of Ameriincentives and programs that successfully consecutive year, Herman Miller was can Art, Dearborn, Mich.–based Henry convince almost all of its 6,800 employees named the “Most Admired” company in Ford Museum and the Smithsonian Instito remain on board. its industry by Fortune magazine. It also tution in Washington, D.C. The museum Susan Whitmer is a prime example of ranked 96th on Fortune’s 100 Best Compapieces are testament to the fact that many how well the company’s retention tactics nies to Work For 2008 list. It won a Great prominent designers, including Gilbert work. The education solutions integrator Place to Work Award from the Great Rohde, Charles Eames, Alexander Girard began working for Herman Miller 18 Place to Work Institute, Fast Company magand Isamu Noguchi, have created cuttingyears ago at one of its facilities in Atlanta. azine named Herman Miller to its Fast 50 edge designs for the company. Since then, the company has allowed her list of the world’s most innovative compaBut employees who work at Herman to explore various careers, and through its nies (at number 26), and IndustryWeek Miller say there’s much more to the 85tuition reimbursement program, she magazine included the company on its year-old company than its easy-on-the-eyes incentivemag.com | October 2008 | Incentive | 25 http://www.incentivemag.com

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Incentive - October 2008 Contents Editor's Note Headlines Cover Story: Face Time with Senior Executives is the Top Motivator of Cisco Systems' Chairman's Club Winners Incentive Interview Safety Incentives: Safety Drives a Limousine Service's Motivational Efforts Case Study Primer Learning: Diving into Incentives for the Mind Enhances Both Loyalty and the Bottom Line Research: Travel IQ Travel News Florida Coast to Cost Caribbean Escape Potentials Here and Now Gadgets & Power Tools: High-End Roars Seen at the Motivation Show Advertisers Index Off the Cuff

Incentive - October 2008

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