Strengthens Engagement and Culture in a Hybrid Workplace by Enhancing Employee Listening bc

The Company

Since 2012, Home Partners of America (Home Partners) has helped over 62,000 people move into their desired single-family homes. 

The private real estate investment trust (REIT) is headquartered in Chicago but serves more than 2,200 cities nationwide. It provides an alternative path to homeownership for those who would otherwise be locked out of the housing market.

Home Partners has purchased over 28,000 homes and provided attractive lease structures with the right to buy the home later. Its flexible and transparent lease purchase program empowers responsible households to move into great homes and communities. 

The Challenge

Home Partners, a growing company looking to scale culture and engagement, understands the importance of enhancing its employee listening strategy. They believe that employees and their experiences are as valuable as the investments made in real estate. 

Dynamic interactions among teammates and between different teams were a norm before Covid-19. Nevertheless, shockwaves from the pandemic immediately impacted employee engagement. The company’s diverse workforce grappled with issues such as seeing someone of their ethnicity being harmed in the news, an inability to connect with their peers and workgroups, and the struggles of separating work and home life. 

Home Partners has since successfully navigated communication obstacles but pivoting to the hybrid workplace model surfaced new challenges in keeping remote employees engaged. The goal is to build upon an inclusive culture where employees feel safe bringing their whole selves to the table. 

The Solution

Equipped with Quantum Workplace’s comprehensive employee survey solutions, the company worked on uncovering the current needs and perceptions of its employees. 

To overcome the challenge of engaging employees who do not always work from the office, Home Partners leaned on Quantum Workplace’s integration with workplace communication tools. Employees received survey invitations and reminders via the company’s regular communication channels, resulting in a seamless and user-friendly experience—and an impressive 97% response rate to the annual employee engagement survey.  

Following the results of the survey, new engagement initiatives were launched to spark authentic connections among employees. In addition to employee resource groups (ERGs) that foster diversity and inclusion, Home Partners created focus groups to improve in the areas where their engagement scores are the lowest. Employees also receive daily emails that inform and uplift them. 

“Through using Quantum Workplace’s tools, we have continued to see a year-over-year increase in employee engagement. We are incredibly proud that our goal of increasing favorability was met—from 73.9% to 80.1%—even as we now operate in a hybrid workplace model and doubled in headcount over the last two years.” 

Understanding and acting on the results of employee surveys has empowered Home Partners to improve onboarding, strengthen culture, and retain top talent in a hybrid work environment. 

Home Partners of America utilizes Quantum Workplace’s data-driven survey tools to: 

• Engage employees and get their feedback, no matter where they are
• Take targeted action to move the needle on culture and engagement
• Build trust, connection, and a sense of belonging in the hybrid workplace
• Enhance retention to drive employee and business success 
  

“Our engagement scores continue to rise, cutting the number of disengaged employees by half. We have also continued to decrease our turnover rate by retaining talent through engagement.”  

                                                                                                                              - Cody Fuerst, Human Resources Business Partner