Employee Appreciation Month 
Every August, Redwood dedicates a month to employee appreciation. In 2023, celebration came in the form of regional and home office events, company-wide gifts, as well as an extra four hours of paid time off that employees can use this calendar year. In addition, Redwood opened nominations for Redwood Cares, the company’s multifaceted philanthropic program that identifies organizations to receive monetary donations from Redwood, but also the full support of the people who power Redwood—in the form of volunteer hours, promotion and more. In 2022, Redwood Cares resulted in $45,000 in contributions to the communities it serves. 

Other ongoing efforts are happening daily, monthly, and quarterly to show appreciation and recognize team members 

“It’s not always about grand gestures,” said Taylor Haley, vice president of property operations. “A little can go a long way when it comes to employee appreciation. Those things add up and help our employees truly feel like they are a part of something bigger. They want to work hard for their teams and perform.” 

Monthly Redwood Rock Stars 
Redwood employees (as well as residents) can nominate Redwood team members who exemplify Redwood’s Core Values for monthly recognition as a Redwood Rock Star. One Rock Star is selected each month. The winner is gifted a piece of Redwood-branded apparel of their choice, a sweet treat from Sugarwish and a commemorative certificate. That person is also spotlighted in the company’s monthly newsletter “Branching Out,” as well as on Redwood’s social media channels.  

Regular regional recognition  
Field employees who are staffed in regions encompassing all of Redwood’s neighborhoods have some unique ways of incentivizing and recognizing team members. For example, every time a resident submits a 5-star review, that neighborhood team is entered into a quarterly drawing to win iPads. Regional teams also host their own ongoing recognition efforts and team outings to stay connected and celebrate their wins. 

“This type of comradery is so important,” Haley explained. “We never want our team members in the field to feel isolated or disconnected, so it’s critical to promote team building and continue to find ways to shine the spotlight on all the impactful efforts that are happening day in and day out in our neighborhoods.” 

Milestone celebrations 
Redwood team members enjoy special acknowledgements throughout their careers to celebrate milestones of every kind. From birthday cards filled with gift cards, to work anniversary recognition, to special gifts in celebration of weddings and births/adoptions, to Redwood-branded retirement gifts – no big moment goes unnoticed. Birthdays, work anniversaries, promotions and transfers are also promoted in HR’s monthly “Movers and Shakers” newsletter. No matter how large the Redwood team becomes, gestures like these ensure each individual employee feels uniquely valued.  

Lessons learned from national workforce challenges have helped shape Redwood’s approach to employee recognition 

Recruiting and retaining top talent is critical to the success of any organization. A multitude of factors have challenged companies to find new and effective ways to entice top-level employees over the last several years.  

Recognizing the changing nature of today’s workforce, Redwood has leveraged every opportunity to scale and adapt its programs to continue to meet and exceed the needs of the team. 

For example, employees expressed an interest to continue the hybrid work model that was utilized during the pandemic. Since autonomy proved to be rewarding for employees, and they in turn proved it could work, Redwood expanded its work-from-home opportunities. 

Redwood also initiated and expanded management training programs to help develop future leaders and open doors for advancement opportunities. And whether an employee is in the corporate office or out in the field, Redwood works hard to make sure the team stays connected and accomplishments are celebrated.  

To do so, Redwood prioritizes technology, which has allowed the company to create the processes and platforms needed to effectively communicate to the growing team and appropriately recognize their efforts on a company-wide scale. By maximizing the frequency and reach of communication, Redwood helps ensure that as many people as possible, both internally and externally, know about all the great things happening throughout the organization. 

Employee recognition + company benefits continue to evolve to meet the needs of a modern workforce 

“Employee recognition has improved ten-fold since I started back in 2016,” said Aimee Rainwater, vice president of property operations. “Redwood continues to find ways to keep employees engaged and happy. In fact, one of the comments I’ve heard on multiple occasions at award events and team outings is that those special times when we stop and recognize our individual and collective achievements is what makes all the hard work worth it.” 

And these success stories have fueled Redwood to continue doing more. Looking ahead, the need for employee appreciation and recognition will become increasingly important. The company plans to continue its efforts of regularly surveying the team to best understand how they want to be recognized while finding new and innovative ways to do so. Part of that effort also includes annually assessing and benchmarking compensation and benefits packages. The performance review process has also been digitally enhanced so performance tracking is more readily available, and employees have a more visible and accurate view of their path to recognition.  

Some recent additions to Redwood’s growing list of programs and benefits include expanded opportunities to volunteer and give back, established hybrid work arrangements for eligible employees, ongoing education and communication efforts focused around diversity, equity and inclusion topics, as well as access to exclusive savings on a variety of products and services via The Redwood Perks Program. 

Additionally, Redwood’s recognition efforts are an important element in building a foundation for the future – identifying top performers and ensuring they’re motivated to stay and grow.  

“Redwood’s product is consistent no matter what Redwood Neighborhood you call home. We build and manage single-story apartment homes and work hard to ensure that our product is best in class,” Haley said. “But at the end of the day, it’s our people that make the difference. There is no denying that employee engagement is directly tied to productivity. When our team is happy, our service is at its best. You can feel it in the vibe of our neighborhoods. The people are the brand.”