Inside one CEO’s secret to positive employee morale, culture
Sheldon Yellen adds a personal touch – thousands of them – to his employees’ experiences at his company.
Belfor, a multinational property restoration company that specializes in disaster recovery, employs more than 9,000 workers. Per the company’s website, Belfor employees often work long, non-traditional hours in order to perform emergency restoration services around the clock.
“These situations happen every single day … and every single day our employees knock it out of the park,” the site reads.
To demonstrate his appreciation from the top down, Yellen drafts a handwritten, personalized birthday card for every single one of his employees.
Yellen grew up the oldest of four boys and dropped out of high school to support his family, landing a sales job at his brother-in-law’s company, Quality Awning and Construction. Yellen became CEO of that firm, which evolved into Belfor, in 2001.
Yellen has expressed in interviews and in an Emmy-nominated episode of “Undercover Boss” that the birthday cards contribute to an "empathetic and understanding culture" – no small feat for a company whose employees see destroyed and damaged homes and livelihoods firsthand as part of their vocation.
“My philosophy is simple,” Yellen told Thrive magazine. “If you take care of your people, your team will, in turn, take care of your customers!”
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Employees showed their appreciation by responding in kind to the executive. Yellen received more than 8,000 cards of his own from employees for his 60th birthday last year.
The CEO has said he prefers the personal notes to any monetary or tangible gifts and has expanded his operation to include anniversaries, thank-you notes, and get-well cards.