The Des Moines register names Decorah Bank & Trust Winner of the Iowa 2018 Top Workplaces Award
September 17, 2018 – Decorah Bank & Trust Company, together with its affiliate Cresco Bank & Trust, has been awarded a 2018 Top Workplaces honor by The Des Moines Register. The winner list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by research partner Energage, LLC. The anonymous survey measures several aspects of workplace culture, including alignment, effectiveness, execution, and connection.
“To be a Top Workplace, the business must meet our strict standards for organizational health. The Top Workplace award is not something you can buy, nor does it have fancy perks or benefits,” says Doug Claffey, CEO of Energage. “Our research shows organizations that earn the award have leaders that prioritize and support a healthy workplace culture, attract and retain top talent, and are better equipped to deliver results. It’s a big deal.”
This is the first time Decorah Bank employee-owners participated in this survey. The reason for taking the survey was not disclosed to encourage complete honesty. Feedback from employee-owners provided insight of the organization’s overall health. According to executive vice president, Joe Grimstad, “We were provided survey results to use as a benchmark from other aspiring top workplaces across the nation in financial services. We scored higher than benchmark in all categories, with the exception of one area. This tells us there’s always room for improvement. We shared an overview of the results with our team so together we can celebrate matters of strength and move forward on our focus areas.”
Decorah Bank employee-owners were asked to rank statements on a seven point scale and were encouraged to add anonymous comments in the survey. One such comment from an employee-owner was “It is the first place I’ve worked that truly values family-work life balance. The morale and culture here is positive.” Another commented, “The Bank wants to be progressive and is interested in hearing from staff and customers on ways to improve.”
Grimstad adds, “An organization is only as good as its employees and a quality team doesn’t materialize by happenstance. It takes people who strive for excellence and are passionate about helping others succeed. We’re humbled and happy to be recognized as a Top Workplace in Iowa.”
About Decorah Bank
Decorah Bank & Trust is owned by the Grimstad family and its employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Over 90 employee-owners serve NE Iowa, SE Minnesota, and assist customers in all 50 states and 22 countries with their financial needs.
About Energage, LLC
Energage is a leading provider of technology-based employee engagement tools and has surveyed more than 47,000 organizations representing well over 16 million employees in the United States.