How Great Workplace THE One Prioritized Connecting with Employees During the Pandemic

October 6, 2021

Kamilia Aokal

During these uncertain times where the world is experiencing upheaval on a daily basis, Best Workplace™ THE One made connecting with employees a priority in order to create a sense of safety in the storm.

THE One not only continues to inspire customers with collections of furniture and accessories, but the organization remains true to their staff, suppliers, manufacturers, and communities for the core purpose of Changing the World Together. Year after year, THE One raises the bar by adopting best practices in the market and this year was no different.

Leadership Communication Sets the Tone from the Top Down

During the initial phases of the pandemic, CEO (Creative Emotional Officer), Thomas Lundgren made it a priority to personally engage and connect with his employees-often referred to as THE One Family, and acknowledge their feelings through memorandums and weekly letters in THE report (Thomas’ weekly magazine in which he shares a weekly motivational message in line with THE One values). Thomas also sustained daily video calls with the executive team and regional managers. For remote workers, a remote working framework of daily check-in procedures on team WhatsApp chats, team video calls, and often one-on-one calls were established to provide a platform that addresses concerns and/or opinions.

The effort to triumph against the ongoing pandemic was also gracefully handled by the executive team as they researched and implemented existing strategies with the objective to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the employees. Preparing for the lockdown period, THE One made sure all office employees had access to updated security and video conferencing software. Collaborating with an external consultant, the team received in-house training on all digital marketing platforms, including data analysis packages. A close eye was kept on high-risk frontline employees, making sure transportation was sorted or, where applicable, provided them with an option to work from home. Important documentation to all employees was communicated via THE script which provided an accessible platform to all COVID-related updates regarding salary and benefits packages.

The message that was circulated by Thomas himself was persistent: “I know you are afraid, but we will not leave anyone of you behind.”

Want to get recognized for your great culture?

Find out how you can power your people analytics function and show the world you’re a great workplace with our Great Place to Work-Certification™ process.

Reaching All Employees Through Multiple Internal Communication Channels

Furthermore, the constant communication the CEO maintained across all levels of the organization reflected well on the feedback he received from the employees. In fact, communication was so strong that a dedicated e-mail address intended for concerns around COVID never had to be used.

The strategy for connecting with employees throughout the organization includes multiple workshops and email idea dropboxes to encourage and allow employees of all levels to actively ask questions, participate in meetings and or speak to management directly. This allowed management to highlight employee stressors and communicate them back to the employees. Management used that as a guide to building a resilient workforce.

Having passed all health and safety government inspections for store reopening after lockdown, store managers took on the initiative of a safe return by introducing group counseling on COVID through daily huddles. The store managers, together with the retail operations department, were also the initiators of the ‘Hero of the Week’ online campaign to recognize extraordinary efforts from all the Family members throughout the crisis.

Additionally, an added encouragement to THE One culture is storytelling as the Family would share experiences of their work-life through daily huddles and through groups on social media to bring them even closer together.

As employees witnessed true leadership through constant engagement, this provided them with needed security, clarity, and a new sense of direction, relieved from the stresses of the ongoing crisis and placing their trust in their Family. Consequently, amid the ongoing struggles of the pandemic, THE One managed to maintain their core values by following through on their commitment to LOVE by demonstrating respect at all levels and discouraging blame culture, to LIVE with the intention of building confidence, encouraging ideas, and make everyone feel important, to DARE and encourage accountability, continuous development, and authenticity, and to finally BELIEVE by setting an example of doing good and becoming a brand ambassador.

THE One is reaping the rewards of prioritizing connecting with employees as they emerge from one of the most turbulent periods the region has ever come across.