Setting Employees Up for Success in Q4

Q4 can be a stressful time for many businesses, and marketing agencies feel the heat as much as anyone (maybe more than anyone if they work with a ton of eCommerce clients). At JDM, we proactively take steps to ensure employees have the support they need to finish the rest of the year successfully. Here are five ways we do that.

Summer Fridays

(Yes, I realize that summer does not happen during Q4🤪.) The leadership team implements a Summer Friday schedule where employees rotate having Fridays off for three months – which generally works out to one Friday off a month per employee. 

Employees use this to recharge and relax. Making sure that employees are able to rest and recharge during a time that is not as busy as Q4 helps to set them up for success. As the saying goes, you can’t serve from an empty vessel.

Career Growth Plan

At JDM, every employee has an Alliance Agreement, which managers use to guide the employer-employee relationship. The agreement states goals that the company has for the employee, and goals the employee wants to achieve during their time at the company. 

The company takes this a step further: once a quarter, employees set “Rocks” or goals that help them work towards their goals in the Alliance Agreement. These goals can be related to client work, internal process, or learning and development goals. One of the most often-cited reasons why an employee leaves their job is lack of career development and growth opportunities, and JDM has found that Alliance Agreements + Quarterly Rocks helps everyone keep forward momentum. 

Culture Building

Q4 is also the time where some of JDM’s most anticipated culture initiatives take place. These small touchpoints are ways to connect with each other during an otherwise busy time. 

What culture initiatives, you might ask? JDM is now in its second year of its 🏈 NFL Pick ‘em league (with weekly prizes for winners) and also recently implemented its first Bachelor First Impression Fantasy League🌹. JDM has a Halloween Costume Contest and Holiday Party. Since we are fully remote, we sometimes have the Holiday Party in person, which brings extra excitement around visiting a new city plus gathering in person for some fun.

Peer Acknowledgment

At JDM, there is a Slack channel dedicated to employee acknowledgement. Anyone can give a special shoutout to a colleague who has exemplified one of the company’s core values. These acknowledgements can be incorporated into reviews, and the CEO also reads them out during the company-wide All Hands meeting. 

Employee Check-Ins

The last and arguably most important is employee check-ins. These check-ins can be with managers, skip-level managers, the CEO, or People Operations. They’re helpful to keep a pulse on how people are doing and help anticipate areas that need to be addressed, including potential hurdles the team may be facing. Being intentional about how and when we check in with employees has been key in helping employees succeed in their roles.

If all of this helps JDM sound like a place you might want to work, keep an eye on our Careers page for openings!