Corporate Culture
JBS’s commitment to high-quality work—and life—is the cornerstone of our corporate culture. The hallmarks of this culture include (1) a high regard for all staff and the value of each individual’s contribution; (2) an emphasis on collaboration, teamwork, and relationship building, both internally and with clients; (3) a commitment to undertaking complex work that improves people’s lives across the life span; and (4) a steadfast adherence to ethical business practices.
One gauge of a firm’s success is its employee retention rate; another is what employees say about their employer. A 2007 survey conducted by HumanR, Inc., an organizational development company, showed that JBS had a 91.4 percent retention rate compared with an industry (other Federal contractors) average of 81.9 percent. As HumanR put it, “Turnover at JBS is substantially less than in the industry as a whole.”
This corporate culture is a fundamental factor in our ability to recruit and retain staff and is reflected in our key values:
- An open-door policy, upheld by all managers
- Respect for staff diversity in terms of cultural background, sexual orientation and identity, and physical ability
- Fair and equitable agreements with all business partners
- An emphasis on the ability to work and play well with others, commonly referred to as having well-developed “sandbox” skills
- Opportunities for career growth, reflected in our strong record of promoting from within
- A commitment to learning, substantiated by a recent change in benefits to more than double the money available for tuition reimbursement, support for offsite conferences and internal communities of practice, and implementation of a formal mentoring program
- A family-focused atmosphere with flexible work schedules and holiday celebrations that include staff’s families
- Support throughout busy periods with childcare stipends, onsite massage therapy, and nutritious meals and snacks for staff working late on deliverables or proposals
- Social interaction throughout the year with parties, luncheons, and other events
Wellness Mission Statement
JBS is committed to establishing and maintaining a workplace that encourages healthful lifestyles. We fulfill this mission by:
- Promoting a workplace culture that supports employees’ desire to make healthful lifestyle choices
- Providing policies, opportunities, and environmental and social supports to facilitate adoption of habits and attitudes that contribute to positive well-being
Examples:
- Family-focused atmosphere
- Employee satisfaction surveys
- Health and wellness fair, planned with a staff workgroup and an interactive survey of staff needs
- Red Cross blood bank drive
Green (Environmental) Mission Statement
JBS is committed to promoting environmental responsibility in its work and its workplace. We fulfill this mission by:
- Engaging in and adopting socially responsible and environmentally safe practices
- Incorporating environmental responsibility into JBS corporate values for social responsibility
- Promoting sustainable business practices by striving to:
- Buy and use environmentally friendly products
- Partner with and support vendors and businesses that adopt sustainability
Examples:
- JBS staff Green Team that reviews practices, identifies more sustainable options, and recommends policy and practice changes to executive leadership
- Inclusion of sustainability practices in review criteria for selecting meeting sites; partnering with chains that have adopted sustainable practices
- Institution of composting in addition to routine recycling of paper, cardboard, newspaper, glass, plastic, aluminum, and printer cartridges
- Elimination of plasticware and paper cups
- Provision of more meeting materials in electronic formats rather than on paper
- Lease in a Platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified facility for the Olympia, WA, office