Enabling and inspiring a lifetime of healthy eating™ – that’s our mission at Real Food for Real Kids. Being connected to a company’s values can drive employees more than any other factor at work. That’s why Canadian Business reached out to RFRK to learn more about our purpose-driven work culture and how we received a reputation of an employer of choice!
Oh behalf of Lulu and David, thank you to all of the dedicated, hard-working RFRK employees.
Special shout out to Katie Gardon who’s amazing work is shown throughout this document, though she wasn’t mentioned in the article.
CAST STUDY: MASTER THE PURPOSE PRINCIPLE
When employees know their work matters, job satisfaction and productivity soar. Here’s how one business forges the connection…
The decor at the Real Food for Real Kids building in downtown Toronto is a vibrant medley of bright hues. Step into the cooking facility and you’ll see epoxy floorÂing in a deep Mediterranean blue – none of the blood red typically found on the floors of food-processing spaces. Lulu Cohen-FarÂnell and David Farnell, the duo behind the catering company, purposely picked blue because it’s common in the daycare centres and elementary schools the company serves. The colour, which has the bonus of conveyÂing calm and cheerfulness, serves as a subtle reminder to employees – who bop to music and wave friendly hellos to passersby – of their purpose: feeding healthy foods to more than 15,000 kids every day. “We were told blue would be harder to maintain, but we went for it anyway,” says Farnell as he points to the assembly line of kale and cheese sandÂwiches being distributed that day. “It’s a less stressful colour, and it’s a contributing factor to why our deliveries go out on time.”
Using colours cleverly is just one of the tactics the husband-and-wife team has impleÂmented to connect employees to their “why” – a purpose that’s bigger than making money. While compensation and benefits matter to workers, research from Gallup shows that zeroing in on a mission is linked to higher engagement, better retention rates, and increased productivity. Yet, according to a study by Deloitte University Press, more than a third affirms struggle to instil purÂpose and passion in their staff. Not so at RFRK, which has increased both its employee retention (in the high-turnover food-service industry, no less) and its rep as an employer of choice (the firm recently got 350 applicaÂtions for an admin position) by making its people feel something very powerful: that their work matters.
At Real Food for Real Kids, rallying employÂees around a mission starts with the hiring process. Each one of its 92 employees (and 90 contract lunch club coaches) have been carefully selected to ensure they fit into the company’s playful but purpose-driven culÂture, whether their jobs involve packing up applesauce, mopping floors or maintaining client databases. It begins, believe it or not, with the job descriptions. For example, a posting for “super drivers” called for canÂdidates who feel comfortable chatting with moms and who operate “like a cross between Captain Planet, a human GPS, and Santa.” Sounds a lot more remarkable than “delivÂery guy,” doesn’t it?
This is a simple solution for weeding out people who may not care about your comÂpany’s mission, says Chelsea Wiliness, an associate professor who specializes in organizational behaviour at the University of Saskatchewan. “The language signals that this is a fun place to work that cares about children,” she says.
Once employees are hired at RFRK, they go through a comprehensive onboarding process in which they meet with the ownÂers as a group for up to an hour to learn more about the company’s inception – a story that involves two fed-up parents on a misÂsion to give kids healthier food options. The meeting is meant to be personal, educational and stirring. “I tell employees that some child-care centres don’t concern themselves with nutrition, but I say the change can start with us,” says Cohen-Farnell. “We can make food that will give kids fuel so they can grow and thrive.” It’s powerful stuff.
As far as perks go, RFRK’s skew toward those that deepen employee health and wellÂness. Its staff amenities – which include organic beverages, biking contests and standÂing desks-reinforce that the firm’s mission is not just “fluff,” says Wiliness; that its efforts to make people healthier don’t just apply to paying clients but to its workforce, too. Cohen-Farnell and Farnell have been at it long enough to know that even the most· ardent zeal can fade over time, so they have built mechanisms to keep apathy at bay. The company holds quarterly town hall meetings and produces monthly newsletÂters, and both are filled with praise and tesÂtimonials from the communities it serves. This consistent celebration of jobs well done reminds people that their work is helping others, says Denise Lloyd, founder of the consultancy Engaged HR in Victoria. It’s something that is especially useful for employÂees who might never get to meet the kids or who only hear about complaints. “EmployÂees need to know how they’re making an impact,” says Lloyd. “When we do a good job and get feedback, we want to do it again because it feels good. It’s a fabulous cycle.”
All this is easier to do, of course, when your company’s line of work is as noble as nourishing children. It might be less clear when you’re, say, manufacturÂing pipes or providing IT services. If you can’t give your employees a feel-good “why,” “focus on the unmet need you’re filling, and tell the story of how this is makÂing a difference for your customÂers,” advises John Hagel, coÂchairman of Deloitte LLP’s Center for the Edge research institute and author of several reports on staff passion and purpose.
Although RFRK is all about feeding little eaters, not every employee gets to be directly responsible for that outcome, such as cusÂtodians and data-entry assistants. Still, no matter how far removed employees are from the kitchen, RFRK makes sure they get a taste of their impact. Literally. At lunch, workers sample the meals that are delivered to the children – the jerk chicken is particuÂlarly popular – so they get to taste the difÂference the company’s work has in lunchÂrooms and, tacitly, understand how their roles make it happen.
“It’s like we’re eating our values,” explains Cohen-Farnell. “We’re planting a seed every day and instilling a purpose of being better and healthier.” -MAI NGUYEN