The C.A. Short Company All-In Employee Podcast

Jimmy Spencer, Account Director for C.A. Short Company and Tawny Kesser, Chief Experience Officer for Armorous join R. Scott Russell and Kevin Gergel for this episode of the All-In Employee Podcast.  

Recognition for Armorous starts at the top. Eric Hanson, CEO for Armorous, puts focus on his employees. As a former security guard, he wanted to do things differently for his own organization – putting people over profit to create a culture that people loved to work for. The security industry isn’t known for this.  

Employees typically churn within the first 30-90 days. Armorous wanted a recognition program that recognized and engaged employees on the day they’re hired. Early recognition throughout the first 90 days of employment has made a huge difference for Armorous’ retention.  

The orientation and onboarding process for Armorous focuses on culture and the instrumental role each employee plays in the success of the company.  

Traditional methods of recognition are not enough anymore. You cannot affect retention as an organization if you wait until an employee’s one year milestone to begin recognition. C.A. Short Company’s recognition programs allow the flexibility to start recognizing employees on day one.  

In today’s world, it’s rare for an employee to show up for orientation, so employees are recognized the second they walk through the door. The tone is set immediately for our core values.  

Flexibility is key to the success of Armorous’ recognition program. Recognition is done in the following ways for their program: 

New hire 

Milestone recognition, starting at one month  

Birthdays  

Employee of the month  

Attendance  

Instant award cards for positive reviews, uniform inspection, reporting, safety, as well as going above and beyond  

As part of their culture, Armorous also has 1:1 check ins with their employees that focuses on three key questions: 

The recognition program is consistently an answer to keep doing.  

And the results speak for themselves – the average tenure of an Armorous employee has increased from 4 months to 8 months as the average tenure.

In today's episode Kevin and Chase have a sit-down with one of our close friends and clients, Teresa Eigle, with Designer Brands to discuss her role within the world of recognition. 

1. They dive into Teresa’s background and how she has stepped into the world of recognition.

2. Teresa's relationship with Designer Brands which include DSW, Lucky, etc. and her role within the company.

3. How Designer Brands' recognition program with CA Short has helped the transition of working from home, really turning into a formal hybrid company. How it has solidified a new culture with working from home.

4. The differences between previous roles and her current recognition role.

5. Discussing certain initiatives within the retail space to execute their recognition programs.

Chase Corry, C.A. Short Company Account Manager and Sarah TaylorMudd, FirstBank Benefits Sr. Representative join Scott Russell and Kevin Gergel in this episode of The All-In Employee Podcast. 

This episode discusses: 

In this episode Kevin and Scott talk about the "I can't believe this guy is eating my doughnuts" story and it's recent history and meaning...we will give you a hint...it's all about perception. Then the guys go into some discussion of Employee Engagement surveys and why it is important to gather insights from your employees. Scott provides some personal thoughts and tips as you consider a survey in your future.

R Scott and Nelsa reflect on the recent excitement surrounding Sara Blakely and SPANX...her very generous employee gift upon selling the majority stake in SPANX to an investor group. They also chat about the changes coming to the show in 2022 for Season 3.

R Scott and Nelsa spend some time chatting with Christopher Cheney, COO of CA Short Company about his journey in the recognition industry. Christopher came to CAS with more than 30 years in the business and shares his insights and thoughts.

Nelsa and R Scott talk about the current state of the workforce and the upcoming holidays...with a little discussion about a famous chicken place...tune in to find out what they have to say!

Nelsa and Scott interview longtime CA Short employee, Jimmy Spencer. Jimmy has worn many hats at CA Short and is active today in many facets of the company. Jimmy shares his work story along with some great examples of how CA Short works to build strong relationships with their clients and customers.

This elongated episode dives into the current return to work status and other current summer topics in business and life. Enjoy!

Nelsa and R Scott interview Ryan Hobbs, Product Manager at CA Short. Just what does a Product Manager do at an engagement provider? What products does he manage? Ryan's role is integral to the success of the People Are Everything recognition/engagement platform.  

R Scott and Nelsa sit down with Kyle Arnold, VP of Business Development for NUDGE to walk through who NUDGE is and why YOU should care! CA Short recently announced a special partnership with NUDGE, a leader in employee engagement through mobile communication. Deep dive into that relationship and see if NUDGE and CA Short can help your business build back better!

Recognition Professionals International is the world leader in recognition resources and they made a big announcement recently. The current President, Tonda Ferguson joins the panel to discuss the new direction for the organization and the excitement and buzz all around. We also dive into Tonda's 38 year history with SouthWest Airlines.

Nelsa and R Scott get candid with Belinda Elmore and talk about her goals and vision for supporting our clients and their program participants. We also learn about Belinda's career path and what brought her to CA Short.

Nelsa and Scott have some time with Lauren Gagne and talk about her 25+ years of experience in Rewards & Recognition and how she plays a vital role in the success of programs at CA Short. Having the right rewards...and knowing the trends in the appreciation market are important factors in a successful program. 

R Scott and Nelsa have a great conversation with a very special guest. Latecia shares how Effingham Health (Springfield, GA) has high levels of employee engagement while dealing with the COVID crisis on the frontlines. Effingham drives engagement through effective communication and a powerful recognition program. Latecia shares her expertise and some bright ideas for all!

Nelsa and Scott have a great conversation with Traci Snowden of Apto Global. Traci shares her perspective on women's empowerment in the work force and describes her journey to launch Apto. Traci is also a seasoned musician and Scott's songwriting partner. 

Special guest Ashlee Green, CRP, joins Scott and Nelsa for a robust discussion about engaging the virtual workforce in 2020 and beyond. Verizon has shifted from a call center based customer support model to a home based agent model and it has been a great success. Ashlee helps uncover some of the strategic actions that were taken to make this move a positive and how they are engaging for success.

Nelsa and Scott discuss hot topics with special guest, Chase Corry, Account Manager here at CAS.

Nelsa and Scott cover hot topics and converse with special guest and new member of the CAS team, Allison Ratkovich.

In this episode, Scott and Nelsa discuss habits to leave behind and cultivating new behaviors as 2020 approaches the fourth quarter.  Also, find out about the "Buy-Up" option at CAS in order to give the most value to your employees who use the People Are Everything platform.  Check out our website at cashort.com to find out how we can help you retain, recognize, and cultivate high employee engagement at your business!

Scott and Nelsa discuss the implications of pandemic fatigue on employee engagement and ways your company can make an impact just in time for the holidays. 

Join us for a discussion around the recent Gallup poll data regarding Employee Engagement and some fun thoughts with our VP of Incentives, Kevin Gergel.

Master life coach, trainer, and friend to CAS among other titles, Cheri' Lucas co-hosts the podcast with Scott and Nelsa and brings her expertise to the topic of well-being, especially with all the change taking place in our workforce.  Cheri' offers practical wisdom and advice on how companies can partner with employees to improve wellness in the workplace.  

In this episode, Scott and Nelsa discuss hot topics trending, including Wellness in the workplace and how that affects employee engagement, as well as ways that employers can assist their employees in increasing wellness through programming.  

In this episode, Scott and Nelsa cover current topics and the impact to employee engagement.  Special guest, Jeff Ross, CEO/CFO of CA Short Company joins the show to discuss the impact of engagement programs.  This show also covers safety incentive programs and how they impact your employee performance.