To celebrate and recognize employees for their commitment and years of service, Cone has created the “Bubbling with Thanks” program. On each anniversary that an employee celebrates at Cone, the employee is publicly recognized at staff meetings and presented with a bottle of champagne to mark the celebration.
Another noteworthy benefit is the celebration of milestone anniversaries. When an employee hits their 5, 10, or 15 year anniversary they receive a bonus of increasing increments and additional time-off.
Cone’s Star and Galaxy Award Programs are employee recognition programs meant to foster a “culture of recognition,” which is vitally important within Cone. Both awards are given at each staff meeting in order to publicly recognize an employee or team for exceptional contributions. Recipients select from a variety of gift cards and also receive a certificate to proudly hang in their office or cubicle. Furthermore, Cone uses its Facebook page to recognize employee achievements, anniversaries and volunteer efforts.
Additionally, Cone employees are encouraged to be mindful of potential new business opportunities, and bring those opportunities to the attention of the agency. Biz Bucks is a financial incentive program that rewards those employees with a monetary bonus for proactively identifying new business opportunities. The intent of this policy is to increase the number of new business opportunities with new clients.
Cone is also dedicated to the personal and professional growth of its employees, offering a training and skills development program called “Cone College” with over 40 courses offered each year. Sessions are taught by mid-level and senior Cone experts and cover everything from client service to a “one hour marketing MBA.”
Cone also hosts “In the Know” sessions. During the 30-minute sessions colleagues share case studies, new business presentations, award winning campaigns, or new research in an informal setting over lunch. The goal is to highlight exemplary work and share with staff across agency disciplines. This format provides a great environment to practice presentation skills for junior to mid-level staff.