At Improving - Houston, employess aren’t afraid to use the ‘L’ word - Houston Chronicle

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Improving - Houston has topped the small company category of the Chronicle’s Top Workplaces list for three years running, and a glimpse into why might be found in the big backyard smoker owned by its president, Devlin Liles.

As it became clear that the coronavirus pandemic wasn’t going to end anytime soon, Liles looked for ways to capture in remote fashion what has made the information technology services firm click when its 75 employees - which he calls Improvers - are together in the office.

“We spent two weekends barbecuing,” Liles said. “Our leadership team cooked something like 280, 300 pounds of meat and then delivered it to Improvers and their families for Sunday dinner, basically going, ‘Hey, we want to provide dinner for you, so you don't have to cook this Sunday. You don't need to worry about it. We got you.’”

And when you press Liles on just what it is that keeps his employees happy, he earnestly and unapologetically uses the “L” word: Love. That bag of barbecue delivered to each employee’s home came with a message — literally.

“It came with a note on the bag that was just like, ‘Hey, we put in all this effort because we're loved because you're loved’,” Liles said.

New challenges

Relationships are key, he said, both between employees and between employees and their clients. From companies as big as airlines and big-box home improvement chains to as small as local nonprofits, Liles said the goal is to extend that culture of love both within and outside the company.

But as with most businesses, the pandemic has brought challenges to the Houston office of Improving, which is headquartered in Plano. A corporate culture that relies on human interaction was strained when lockdowns hit and clients suddenly pulled back on their plans.

A 42 percent drop in revenues meant there had to be layoffs. Eight Improvers were let go, Liles said. The management team made sure their staff knew about mental health benefits.

Some employees stepped up and offered to take pay cuts to avoid more layoffs.

“We had 83 folks around North America, I think just shy of 10 here in Houston, who voluntarily said, ‘Hey, I want to help,’ What they did saved quite a few roles.”

Down to trust

In past years, Top Workplaces surveys, employees expressed glee about free beer, pizza and the pool table recently installed as the result of hitting top goals. Those perks aren’t accessible in 2020, but the survey comments reflected deeper benefits.

This one summed it up:

“Everyone I work with is incredibly smart and best of all they are thrilled to help you. Everything revolves around trust. I have never been trusted so much in a workplace.”

dwight.silverman@chron.com

twitter.com/dsilverman

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At Improving - Houston, employess aren’t afraid to use the ‘L’ word - Houston Chronicle
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