Company: BDS Marketing, Inc., Irvine, CA
Company Description: BDSmktg is the marketing agency that delivers sales. Our high-performance teams generate sell-through and our client service specialists offer expertise to enhance your marketing strategy. BDS offers Marketing Analytics, Training & Learning Incentives, Market Development, Performance Selling, Brand Advocacy and Merchandising services.
Nomination Category: Human Resources Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Human Resources Department of the Year

Nomination Title: Human Resources Re-invented: Motivated Employees Improve Agency Performance

Tell the story about what this nominated organization/department achieved since January 1 2012 (up to 525 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

BDSmktg does what so many companies aspire to do: provide a balance of social responsibility, celebrate the differences in people, and promote personal life development all while motivating personal accountability to drive great results for clients. Through a number of recruitment, work-life balance, and professional development programs, BDS’ Human Resources Department has found the formula to keeping employees happy and advancing professionally, while achieving bottom line results.

In 2012, the Human Resources Department launched a variety of strategic initiatives to drive employee happiness and performance to an all-time high:

- Performance Engagement Coaching: The department spent the year coaching managers on BDS’ proprietary approach to integrating performance management and employee engagement that drives commitment from the heart versus compliance from the head. BDS managers learned to provide constructive feedback, set expectations, and drive accountability as employees come to their own conclusions and evaluate themselves against set goals.

- Recruiting Competency Internalized: The department transitioned from outsourcing all recruitment capabilities to launching it entirely in-house. This increased hiring manager satisfaction with recruiting services.

- BDS University Re-branding: BDS’ proprietary learning platform and management system offers comprehensive employee development plans, curriculums and course offerings that prepare employees for the next step in their career paths.

- New Work-Life Balance Services: Introduced Workplace Chaplains, CareCounsel and Socials in addition to BDS’ long-standing tradition of In-house Massages, Happy Hours and Off-site Events.

As an outcome of these initiatives, BDS’ Human Resources Department achieved the following results:

- BDS Named Top Place to Work in Orange County:  BDS was listed as one of Orange County’s top workplaces by both The Orange County Business Journal and The Orange County Register in 2012. Averaging 4.1 out of 5 in employment satisfaction surveys, employees noted a great culture and work-life balance at BDS. 

- 44% Increase in Number of New Applicants: In 2012 alone, 15,038 new candidates applied for positions with BDS, a 44% increase over 2011.  Aggressive hiring translated to a 42% increase in the BDS employee base from 2011.

- Ready-to-go & A-List Pools Saved BDS $176,129:  By building out the talent pool and recruiting pipeline, the department tripled the size of the recruiting team while keeping costs down. Also, there was a 50% lower cost per hire than outsourcing for part-time employees, and 100% lower than outsourcing for full-time positions compared to 2011.

- 21% of All Hires Derived from Referrals:  Due to the increase in social media engagement, BDS doubled its referral rate from 2011. An augmented social media presence resulted in an 88% increase in Facebook followers and a 114% increase in followers on LinkedIn.

- 42% of New Positions Filled by Promoted Employees: Due to comprehensive employee development plans, curriculums and course offerings on BDS University.

- BDS University Course Completions Increased by 53% from 2011: New courses focused on behavioral soft-skill training to drive career development.

- Turnover Rates Decreased Significantly: Market Development Manager turnover decreased by 14%, while Field Specialist turnover decreased by 21%.

- Mitigated Health Benefit Costs: Despite introducing new services in 2012, there was no financial increase to the employee premium packages and costs ran 7% below the national benchmark.

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Provide a brief (up to 125 words) biography about the leader(s) of the nominated organization/department:

Petra Fetters, Director, Human Resources

With over 14 years of experience in Human Resources, Petra has spent the past eight with BDS’ Human Resources team. Petra is responsible for the employment lifecycle functions for BDS; including Workforce Planning, Recruitment, Employee Relations, Employment Law & Compliance, Benefits, Compensation, Employee Communications and Internal Training. She is the driving force behind BDS’ relationship-based employment platform that is focused on Performance Engagement between employees and managers in order to capitalize on individual strengths and opportunities.