cfx_september-2024 - 29

WORK CULTURE AWARD
FrESh Look
How Optimum Reinvented Its Workplace Culture
By E.B. Moss
In an era where ISPs aim to balance local market
presence with the demands of scale, Optimum
has a brand platform that addresses the
challenge while also revolutionizing its workplace
culture. " Where local is big time " isn't
just a catchy slogan, it's a philosophy that's reshaping
Optimum's corporate culture from the
inside out. Oh, and it also bolstered its financial
outlook and customer satisfaction metrics.
In just 18 months, Chairman and CEO Dennis
Mathew has spearheaded a transformation to
enhance and leverage a more united, engaged
workforce to deliver more personalized service
with the efficiency of a large-scale operation.
" I truly believe that the only way to drive
change, the ultimate growth of the company,
is to have the proper foundation of employee
experience and customer experience, but it's
got to start with the employees, " he explains.
This top-down approach is evident in Optimum's
core pillars: to have the best customer
experiences, customer relationships, network,
and most importantly, people. To support the
vision, Optimum launched an Employee Toolkit
to connect team members with the brand and
enable them to serve as ambassadors.
Optimum implemented a robust system of
feedback loops to ensure that each employee's
voice is heard and valued. Quarterly engagement
surveys have become a cornerstone of
this initiative, with an impressive 90% participation
rate from over 10,000 team members.
Lisa Anselmo, EVP of Communications,
highlights the transformation: " Dennis set the
stage very early on that communication is at
the forefront of everything we're doing at this
Optimum employees celebrate at a President's Club event.
company. The fact that he said that a culture
perspective is one of the top pillars... set
the expectation for all of my peers that they
needed to both embrace, listen, and work
with myself and my team to use them as
change agents. " The impact of this approach
is reflected in the rising Voice of the Employee
metric and employee pride. It's created a culture
where employees feel ownership in the
company's mission.
Optimum has woven recognition into the
fabric of its corporate culture, creating a flywheel
effect that boosts employee satisfaction
and performance. The All-Stars program
stands out as a peer-nominated recognition
system that celebrates exceptional contribuOptimum
charted a 90% employee participation
rate from its more than 10,000 team members
in quarterly engagement surveys.
A record 1,000 employees have been
nominated by their peers for the operator's
All-Stars recognition program.
Optimum's tNPS score rose 13 points YOY in Q1
2024, and more than doubled compared to 2022.
tions. For frontline excellence, the President's
Club offers top performers exclusive benefits
and an annual recognition trip.
The Everyday All-Stars program empowers
employees to continually acknowledge their
peers' contributions. Mathew emphasizes,
" Recognition is built into the DNA of the company-we
shout out employees for their wins
on a regular basis at internal meetings of various
sizes and levels of the company, ensuring
that people understand the impact of their
work and the appreciation we have for them. "
The results of Optimum's cultural transformation
speak for themselves. Employee
experience metrics are on the rise, and customer
satisfaction is following suit. In Q1 2024,
Optimum's transactional Net Promoter Score
(tNPS) was up 13 points year over year and has
more than doubled compared to 2022. Moreover,
the company's commitment to local impact
is evident in efforts like revamping a Boys
& Girls Club computer lab in West Texas.
As Optimum continues to prioritize its people,
it's setting a new standard for workplace
culture. The company's journey demonstrates
that when local truly is big time, everyone wins
big.
CablefaxTopOps.com
September 2024
Top Ops 29
http://www.CablefaxTopOps.com
cfx_september-2024

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