Maintaining Community in a Virtual Workplace Presenters Timothy

Maintaining Community in a Virtual Workplace Presenters: Timothy Keenan, President & Founder, HPTi Michael Lacey, CEO/President, Digineer Moderator: Diane Stoneman, Director of Consulting & Training, Winning Workplaces © 2008 Winning Workplaces. May not be reproduced or distributed without expressed written permission of Winning Workplaces.

About Winning Workplaces q Founded in 2001 by co-owners of Fel-Pro, an auto manufacturer nationally recognized as a leader for progressive workplace practices. q Nonprofit committed to helping small/midsize organizations build healthy, innovative and productive work environments. q Triple bottom line: Business, People, Community.

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Top Small Workplaces Competition q In collaboration with The Wall Street Journal q 2007 Winners profiled: WSJ. com/Entrepreneur q 2007 TSW Report @ Winning. Workplaces. org q 2008 Top Small Workplaces underway q Wall Street Journal announces October 13 q TSW Conference October 14 & 15

Top Small Workplaces 2007 Top Small Workplace Winners Alaska Wildland Adventures Barclay Water Management Corporate Ink Cowden Associates Inc. Exactech, Inc. FRCH Design Worldwide Gentle Giant Moving Co. Guerra De. Berry Coody Healthwise NRG Systems, Inc. Phelps County Bank Point B Solutions Group, LLP Reflexite Corporation Restek Corporation Summit Aviation

Flexibility: sign of a winning workplace 13 out of 15 Top Small Workplaces winners offer flexible work options Tele-commuting most prevalent arrangement

2007 SHRM study Out of 600 firms, 56% offer some form of telecommuting; increase from 51% in 2006. 21% of companies let at least some workers telecommute full time; up from 19% in 2006 33% let some employees work from home on parttime basis; up from 26% 48% allow telecommuting on an ad hoc basis

Telework Coalition Report Main drivers behind the trend – – – 1990’s driven by Internet technology Better workplace balance & job satisfaction Business continuity More recent concern about fuel costs Significant savings on real estate, utilities, etc

But – here’s the rub How do you maintain strong communication channels and a sense of community when employees work virtually and seldom see one another?

Today’s agenda q Two stories of leaders with a virtual workforce q Philosophies and practices q Impact on business and workforce q Lessons learned q Questions from audience

Featured Leaders Michael Lacey CEO/President Digineer Timothy Keenan President & Founder HPTi Technology Consulting Plymouth, MN Information Technology Reston, VA 95 employees Over 325 employees 2006 Best Boss

Timothy Keenan President & Founder HPTi

HPTi’s Core Values “These are our shared values and form the foundation of our firm. ” p Great Team: we work with bright, driven, and creative people p Mutual Respect: we respect each member of the team and the value of their contributions p Career Focus: we invest in our team members’ careers as they invest and grow within the firm p Client Commitment: we make a difference for and through our clients p Integrity: our word is our commitment

HPTi’s Vision HPTi is where we build today, the “Knowledge Leaders” of tomorrow. p What: Build an innovative learning environment where all the IT talent in our industry aspires to be. p Why: This environment is characterized by exciting work, learning, leadership, culture and coaching. p How:

What we are about If it protects the safety of this nation or the men and women who wear the cloth of this nation, whether that threat is drugs, terrorists, foreign enemies or mother nature HPTi is at the leading edge of the systems used to advance the understanding of those threats. ” …Tim Keenan

HPTi’s Business

HPTi’s Customers p Air Force Weather Agency p Central Intelligence Agency p National Security Agency p National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration • Forecast Systems Lab. • Geophysical Fluid Dynamics p Army Research Laboratory p Environmental Protection Ag. p Dept. of Defense p Sandia National Laboratory p Air Force Research p Lawrence Livermore National p Naval Research Laboratory p National Institute of Health Laboratory p Corps of Engineers p Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center Laboratory p Drug Enforcement Administration p Dept. of Homeland Security

HPTi’s “Team of One” p 17 years in Federal Advanced Technology p Headquarters in Reston, VA; Offices nation-wide p Over 325 Employees p $74 Million in est. 2008 Annual Revenues; Profitable every yr in operation p Over 90% of business from repeat clients p 85% of Personnel have Security Clearances p CMMI Level III Certified p SPQA Plaque of Excellence Awardee 2006, 2007, 2008 p CARE Award Recipient 2007 p Featured Top 5 fastest growing firms in PCI 500 Index p National Capital Ethics 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 “ HPTi builds the people who build the systems that make America safe. ”

What we value most p Exciting Work p Open Communications p HPTi University (Leadership & In house Training) p Employee Benefits p Rewards and Recognition p Recreation p Community Service

HPTi Programs & Activities Open Communications – Transformation Team – Q&A – Discussion Forum – News. Flash – Bi-Weekly Gram – Monthly Columns Leadership Training – Leaders of Tomorrow – Leaders of Today – Senior Leaders Training – Executive Coaching In-house Training – PM – Proposal Development – Leadership – Friends & Family Mktg – Writing for Understanding – Learning Café Community Service – Corporate Sponsorships (30 Youth Teams to date) – Community Service Committee Benefits – Education (bonuses) Paid Certificates Paid Ph. D. , Masters – Health, Dental and Eye – Insurance – Profit Sharing 401 k – Vacation: 15 - 20 - 25 days – Paid Parking or Metro Pass Celebrations – St. Patrick’s Day (CEO house) – Annual Awards Black Tie – 1/4 All Hands Meeting – Annual Trade Show – 1/4 Promotion Dinners – Wkly Happy Hours – Win Parties Rewards and Recognition – Spot Awards: Star, Pride & Knowledge Leader Coin of Excellence – Quarterly: Hero & Customer Appreciation and $25 Lands End – Annual: Customer Advocacy, Recreation – Sponsored sports team Frizbee, Soccer Football, Softball Basketball – Employee Golf Tourney Fall Spring Field Sites – Events • Ball games • Skiing, Hiking • Bus Trip to NYC Employee of Year, Leadership, Technical, Community Service – Referral Awards • Any referral $ bonus • 1 ticket in gift program

HPTi-University Web Portal Education System q Lists individual records of all courses - Mandatory: Ethics, Leadership, Harassment - Career Enhancing: Program Mgt; Proposal Development & Professional Development q Link to Outlook Calendar to schedule courses & sends reminders q Lay out next steps to promotion and offered courses q Links to HPTi Asset Library (Knowledge Repository) for artifacts from previous classes or classes q Discussion Forum to suggest future topics

Communication Channels q Monthly Newsletter (News. Flash) q Future looking to podcasting q 2 nd Life Site q Discussion Forum – anonymous q Q&A Board – post questions & get 48 -hr response q Transformation Team – volunteer members from all parts of the firm discuss ideas for improvement q Regular Employee Surveys q Best Places to Work – Four surveys annually

CEO Touch Points q Presidential Lunches q Presidential Bi-Weekly Gram q Monthly CEO article: direction, goals, status, vision q Birthday Message – personalized email from CEO q Anniversary Message q Welcome Message q Comprehensive Orientation

Hoteling: Make people feel welcome • Every employee has two drawer file cabinet on wheels with a handle like rolling luggage. • Enter HPTi facility, check in with receptionist and she assigns desk and routes phone • The desk has a docking station, phone and place for cabinet to roll under the desk The effect: within minutes you are at home with a desk that is yours for the time you are in facility…You feel welcome!

Streamline Processes p Electronic Timesheets – Unanet product • Manager authorize charging to project and approve time regardless of physical location • Time linked to corp. accounting and billing • Capable of scheduling for 12 months in future p HPTi Finance System (Hi. Fi) • Forecasting System for future work • Allows input from any physical location • Forecast 18 months in future and links to timesheet system for single point of data entry

Recognition and Development p Promotions • Promotions hosted at a dinner at Morton’s Steakhouse near Corporate Headquarters • For employees outside Wash D. C. we either fly you down for the ceremony or take the CEO and your VP to you p Quarterly Coaching Sessions • Regardless of physical location a HPTi employee has at a minimum four career counseling sessions a year • No performance review discussions allowed • Allows a minimum of four management touch points to employees geographically remote, at customer site or both.

Our Bottom line Working with virtual and geographically dispersed personnel to enable an engaged workforce is why you became a manager in the first place so don’t look at it as a problem or issue but a wonderful and fun challenge…a puzzle to solve.

Focus on the Essentials p LISTEN!!! – Employees tell you what makes them feel like 2 nd class citizens – Act on “low hanging fruit” – The act of hearing & taking action= medicinal effect p Be Inquisitive – Forums like Winning Workplaces, Webinars, Read – Ideas have half lives…stay inquisitive p Be Shameless – Seek ideas that have worked for others and then be shameless and borrow them rapidly

Remember the Essentials q Be Relentless - Try a mix of things until mix works for your culture and Keep Listening q Be Creative - People like to know that you thought of them and their issues, esp. remote employees - Put different things in place for employees in different places: Wisconsin (fishing contest) vs. Florida (Golf Tourney)

Decide

Michael Lacey CEO/President, Digineer

About Digineer helps companies improve their performance: Management Consulting (Technology& Outsourcing) We bring value from to clients from - Quick diagnosis & remediation : Maturity Models - Speed of adoption : Quick. Start Frameworks - Best Practice Expertise: Centers of Excellence - Leading edge technology : Microsoft partnership Over 10 years continual growth and profitability

Typical Digineer Customers Healthcare United Health, Blue Cross, May Clinic, Starkey Financial Allianz, Benfield, Wells Fargo, Thrivent, US Bank Manufacturing Cargill, Taylor Corp. , CH Robinson, St. Jude Medical Retail Supervalu, Best Buy, Carlson

Recognized for Best Practices Technical Expertise Innovative Management . Net Developers Journal July 2006 Aug. 2006 Best Bosses Fortune / Winning Workplaces SQL Server 2005 Whitepaper Feb. 2007 Star Tribune SQL Server 2005 Integration Services Training Program Sales & Service Excellence St. Paul Pioneer Press Inc. Magazine Sales and Service Excellence Microsoft US Central Region Partner Excellence Q 3 FY 06 Microsoft Partner Briefing Compete Award 2007 Microsoft NC District Marketing Excellence FY 04 Q 2 Growth Twin Cities Business Journal Fast 50 2005 - #4 2006 - #7 2007 - #14 Inc. 500 / 5000 2005 - #438 2006 - #222 2007 - #692* Upsize Magazine 2006 Business Builder of the Year

Creating a Virtual Community Shared Values Shared Experiences Communication Engagement Create Trust Celebrate Differences

Shared Values q Leadership: We will lead the way for others. q Integrity: We walk the talk. q Fun: We will create an environment that brings out the best in others. q Financial Success: We will provide others with the means to achieve their goals. q Teamwork: No one of us is smarter than the rest of us.

Shared Values q Hire people who share your values q Embed values into decision making q Reinforce them, but don’t trivialize Consulting 101 Quarterly Company Meetings Performance Reviews

Shared Experiences Create compelling experiences for team Competition Teamwork Creativity Celebrate success and learn from failures You. Tube – search for Digineer

Be intentional with Communication Good communication: - Timely - Concise - With Context Listen! Vary Communication - Brown bag lunches - Newsletters, etc.

Focus on Engagement Give up control to build engagement and accountability. Company Performance Team Employee Experience Team Customer Experience Team Ohana Digi-U

Create a Trusting Work Environment Follow-through Consistency Honesty Transparency

Celebrate Differences Help people feel like they belong - Model inclusive behavior - Educate on differences - Pro 2, Lominger

Questions? www. digineer. com www. hpti. com

Sign up now for Upcoming Webinars Oct 28 Open Book Management - NOT Just About Financial Transparency Rich Armstrong, President, The Great Game of Business Nov 12 Exemplary Practices of 2008 Top Small Workplace Winners Diane Stoneman, Director of Consulting and Training, & Mary Corbitt Clark, Executive Director, Winning Workplaces Dec 10 Maintaining a Stable Workplace in an Unstable Economy Bill Brett, CEO, Barclay Water Management

Thank You! www. winningworkplaces. org