A Closer Look at The Landings Association’s Employee Values

The Landings Association (TLA) understands the important role a healthy environment plays in creating a productive and effective workplace. We continually strive to make the Association an organization where people take the importance of providing quality customer service seriously and likewise enjoy coming to work.

Part of the process of creating our desired culture is to define our values. Our values are the principles that guide us as we interact with our residents, customers, and each other. Simply put, they define what it means to be a TLA employee.

TLA’s core values were first established in 2008, when a group of employees volunteered to participate in workgroups to develop seven core values, including Team Spirit, Open Communication, Openness to new ideas and change, Customer-oriented, Accountability, and Knowledgeable. These values then were implemented into operations through training workshops, recruiting and hiring, and performance evaluations. In 2015, employees once again participated in workshops, this time to review the values and ensure they still represented TLA’s culture.

Last fall, as we looked toward a new decade, it once again was time to evaluate whether our values still were valid. The ever-changing landscape of our workforce has broadened to now include four generations: Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z. Each one of these generations has its own characteristics and expectations of what the workplace culture should be, and we wanted to be sure our values reflect the current work environment. Representatives from each department, both new and tenured employees, met regularly over three months to participate in exercises and discussions. We discovered that many of our core values still are valid but needed updating to reflect our dynamic and diverse culture.

We condensed our findings to four core values, which will be implemented and immersed in the work life of every employee, from the hiring process through performance evaluations. We also will hold quarterly workshops, focusing on one of our core values that are listed below.

WE VALUE: People

Our success IS customer satisfaction. We proactively seek feedback and involvement to improve customer experience and ensure our operations are seamless and user-friendly. We value individual contributions and foster our internal and external relationships. We collaborate to create a supportive team with one unified purpose – to provide outstanding customer service. We treat everyone with respect, seeking to understand our differences and leverage every individual’s strengths.

WE VALUE: Leadership in Everyone

Each employee’s ideas, initiative, and involvement are essential to ensuring our success. We depend on every team member to demonstrate consistent ownership of responsibilities and be a reliable and supportive resource to everyone as we work towards common goals. We seek out new methods, procedures, and technologies that increase our efficiency to ensure we are achieving our mission. As good stewards and leaders, we are accountable for our actions and decisions.

WE VALUE: Purposeful Communication

We demonstrate kindness and clarity in our interactions with others. We communicate openly in constructive and effective ways that build and sustain trust, engaging in active listening, and showing respect for others. We are open to and accept constructive feedback and use it to implement change. We share ideas and information with transparency, making them available to all.

WE VALUE: Fun

We seek the good in all situations and celebrate our accomplishments. We are accessible, approachable, and responsive, exhibiting flexible, positive attitudes. We recognize our successes and stay positive during challenges. We strive to create a team that supports, encourages, and includes every individual.