nection, there are no private offices for
leaders, everyone sits in open work
spaces; and, we have invested in leadership to uphold several of our core values,
including a wellness leader, sustainability
leader, and people and culture leaders.
How is the EILEEN FISHER culture
unique compared to its competitors?
While we can’t speak to the cultures of
other companies, we do believe we have a
unique culture anchored in collaboration
and mutual respect. When people walk
into an EILEEN FISHER space, they often
comment on how different it feels from
other office environments. They sense the
joyful atmosphere, the high energy, the
openness. We have also woven our social
consciousness commitment into every
thread of the company’s work and practices. We approach business decisions
thoughtfully, often relying on our mission
to guide us. It’s not just about the bottom
line. When the people and the product
feel right, the business follows.
What were the challenges of creating
and enforcing the EILEEN FISHER
culture?
Sustaining and maturing the culture as
we’ve grown—across three corporate
locations, more than 50 retail stores and
many more department store partners—
has meant investing organizationally in
various forms of cultural support.
Ensuring employees experience the
culture consistently means committing
to generous benefits and resources for
people, whether they work in offices,
stores or from home. We recognize
individual contributions, acknowledging
people’s special accomplishments, as
well as collaborative work across teams.
To make sure the culture and messages
we need to share reach everyone, we’ve
enhanced our internal communications
efforts, offering several ways (including
an intranet site called “FISHNET”) for
employees to feel informed and knowledgeable as well as to offer their ideas
and wisdom. We strive to maintain the
balance of our culture, product and business. For this reason, we have a
Facilitating Leader Team, consisting of
our chief culture officer and two chief
operating officers, with each leader
having a specialized area of knowledge
and perspective. ■
What one lesson sums up the importance of CREATING A COMPANY
CULTURE? Read digital Pulse at
experienceispa.com to find out
Richman’s and Fisher’s thoughts,
along with their take on “periodic
firing” as a strategy to foster a strong
company culture.
August 2011
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PULSE 45