HRG Wins Top Prize at ESOP Association Annual Awards for Communications Excellence

HRG received the top prize at the ESOP Association’s Annual Awards for Communications Excellence last week.  The award recognizes our Total Communications program extolling the benefits of employee ownership to our employees and to the public, and we were honored to receive it because ownership and communication are very important to us.

Employee ownership is more than a retirement plan to us; it’s the foundation of our company culture. As equal partners in HRG’s success, we’re committed to an open and honest exchange of ideas at all levels of the organization. Leadership shares a wealth of information about the company’s performance and goals in monthly emails from our president, videos, livestream announcements, and quarterly reports from our CFO. But, most importantly, they listen, too.

Employee-owners can offer their input through our suggestion program, online surveys, and town hall meetings.  They can play an advisory role on the ESOP committee or OPT IN team (which focuses on operational innovations). Or they can just start a conversation with a manager in the hall or break room.  Everyone – from our front desk to the CEO’s office – is friendly and accessible.  Our managers travel to each office regularly to get to know staff one-on-one and hear from them directly, and we plan fun events to build internal relationships across service groups and offices.

Communication may be formal – like our quarterly ESOP reports of financial metrics – or fun: contests and celebrations for Valuation Day and ESOP Month.  The underlying message is always the same: We are a team; we share the responsibilities and rewards of ownership equally.

Thank you to everyone on the team for your contribution to our success: Everyone who has taken the time to share their thoughts and ideas for innovation. Everyone who has shared their feedback through surveys and town hall meetings.  Everyone who has read the financial reports and strategic plans and thought about how they can use their work to help HRG reach its goals.

And thank you to the ESOP Advisory Committee – past and present members – who have done a fantastic job building our program and championing our ownership culture.