This year, Mohawk Global has had a dramatic shift in the workplace when all employees transitioned to remote work in March and April due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges and hurdles faced, Mohawk Global was still recertified as a Great Place to Work® for the seventh straight year. This recognition is based on employees’ anonymous feedback on the Trust Index® Employee Survey, which was available in July, after the entire company had already transitioned to remote work.
“We create a safe environment for people so that they can learn and grow and contribute—contribute not just to their teams and the company, but also back to the community,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Gar Grannell. “This is the foundation of our thinking and why I believe Mohawk has been a Great Place to Work for 7 consecutive years.”
The GPTW Survey allows individuals to have their voices heard and gives the company an opportunity to better itself as a workplace. Over the past seven years, Mohawk Global has improved not only in its survey score, but also in our participation level. The 2020 survey score was 94%, up 2% from last year. As far as participation goes, 97% of employees (totaling 178 people) participated this year as compared to 94% last year.
By providing the survey to employees, it encourages open communication and trust building within our organization, as we continue to improve as a workplace. We recognize that a key part of our certification is the fact that our employees participate in the survey, knowing that it is an opportunity to make a difference.
“We want people to know that their feedback is critical to our success. If we do not get feedback from people, we cannot continue to make incremental improvements in our culture and towards building trust throughout the organization,” Gar added.
Given the unexpected year that 2020 has been, building company culture throughout these difficult times has become even more relevant.
“There is a tremendous amount of camaraderie at Mohawk, and you feel it from the minute that you join the company. Even through this pandemic and everyone being remote, we have maintained that connection with people who have come on board,” said Alicia Kirkby, Chief People Officer. “The sense of community, the collaborative approach that people have, that sense of belonging that people give to each other, is a wonderful thing. There is so much compassion amongst people no matter where they sit geographically.”
Kirkby expanded on the importance and appreciation of every individual and that each person has a voice. This is unique for larger and growing companies like Mohawk Global. We acknowledge how deeply dedicated people are to each other, and to this company.
In order to create real change from each years’ survey results, Mohawk Global formed the GPTW Committee. Mohawk’s GPTW committee is driven forward by employees in every position, department, and location. The GPTW committee is made up of Mohawk peers who are committed to improving company culture by listening to feedback, using the survey as a key tool.
Account Executive, Chris Beehner who leads Mohawk’s GPTW committee meetings said, “Every year we take a survey which helps us benchmark how we are doing in particular areas, whether it’s belief in each other, how happy we are each day, or really specific things like promotions. We look at the feedback that we get both in the scores on the survey and in the comments that we get.”
The committee takes this information and breaks into groups that focus on different aspects of the results. They then come together to discuss what the company is doing well, and where they see areas for improvement.
“The idea is to make sure we are listening to people when they tell us we are doing things right and look at ways that we can make other aspects better. The committee is just your colleagues, the people you see in your everyday meeting who are here to listen to you and be thoughtful, honest and try to make everyone’s’ lives better every day. Everything we do is based on the feedback we are given and what you do with each other every day, as a part of our culture,” he concluded.
The committee’s discussion, analysis, and commitment to making Mohawk Global a Great Place to Work is ongoing. They continue to meet throughout the year and adjust to new workplace demands in order to continue the GPTW certification.
To learn more about Mohawk Global and their GTPW survey results, click here.
About Great Place to Work®
Great Place to Work® is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through proprietary assessment tools, advisory services, and certification programs, including Best Workplaces lists and workplace reviews, Great Place to Work® provides the benchmarks, framework, and expertise needed to create, sustain, and recognize outstanding workplace cultures.