After attending a recent conference and thinking about the company culture we’re striving to build at Shepherd Financial, this quote from Richard Branson kept running through my head:
‘Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.’
It’s true. All the things we’re passionate about here (for our clients!) – creating financially healthy individuals, retirement-ready participants, and responsible plan fiduciaries – happen when we take care of our team first. While we are a young company, our growth has been rapid, and keeping this conversation about culture in the front of our minds is essential to our continued success.
Our leadership team at Shepherd has used the following questions to help guide our planning process. As you craft your own benefits package and design the structure of your retirement plan, consider asking yourself these same questions.
What is your company identity?
In other words: who are you? How did you get here? Why are you doing what you’re doing? If you can clearly articulate the answers to these questions, logical decisions about how to care for your team will follow.
What is the tie-in?
Benefits for your employees should align with what you’re trying to accomplish as a company. Consider your environment and what’s appropriate for your team – from a financial perspective, think about what you can afford, both right now and in the future. If your desire is to offer a more robust package over time, share that vision with your team.
Why do these benefits matter?
When selecting plan specifications (automatic features, vesting schedule, etc.), consider how they will be used to both recruit and retain your employees. Do your benefits meet the practical needs of the people you’ve hired? Are you putting your team members in a position to retire well? Is their hard work going to pay off in the future? How are you financially sharing corporate success with each person?
Ultimately, your retirement plan and benefits package need to reflect how you want to be seen by your employees and the community. Don’t segment your decisions – instead, consider how they impact the whole landscape of your employees’ lives. This process won’t happen overnight, but if you’re not deliberate, it won’t happen at all. Remember who comes first, and act accordingly.