According to [ comfort zone ] Director of Education Elisabeth
Nehme, the company equips its people not only with skill training
but also with an Ethics Guide, a collection of 13 values the
company considers important to daily company life.
every one of us as employees,” Nehme says. “We believe that
employees who feel inspired, cared for, and know that they are
valued members of the team will be happier, more creative
people...their creativity leads to our innovation and growth,
and by extension, we will inspire our client partners and help
them to do the same. It’s impossible for one person to keep a
company successful. It’s a collaborative effort, and every
person matters.”
FAST
As a result of brainstorming with
staff, Spa Gregorie’s no longer
buys small bottles of hand sanitizer, instead, refills from a gallon-size container,
reducing both cost and waste. All light bulbs at
the spa were also replaced to CFLs or LEDs.
FACTS
38 PULSE
n
June 2012
“It is our people that
create our brand...”
— Elisabeth Nehme, director of education [ comfort zone ]
Game Plan
As part of its core strategy in encouraging employee collaboration, the skin-care brand developed a Carta Etica, or Ethics
Guide, which is a collection of 13 values the company considers important to daily company life. The first two values on
the list are communication and sharing, which Nehme says
are supported with weekly an d monthly calls between
members of its team, which is spread throughout the globe.
A few times a year, the company also hosts in-person team
meetings so ideas can be discussed face to face. In 2011, two
retreat meetings in Vermont allowed [ comfort zone ] employees to brainstorm in a casual environment that included
activities like s’mores and Prosecco at a bonfire and an hour
of martial arts exercises. “It gave us another way to share time
with and learn from each other,” Nehme says.
During meetings, Nehme likes to have flipcharts on the
wall with post-it sticky notes where each person can write
what comes to mind based on the topic of the meeting.
“Our entire creative team—R & D, marketing and educa-