Carolina Alban-Stoughton
Director of Communication & Engagement
Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce

Early last month, jobless claims in the United States hit the lowest level in 52 years. The data released by the U.S. Department of Labor was remarkable, as the country continues to bounce back from the deep economic crisis caused by a global pandemic that seems to have no end in sight. With companies across all industries eager to hire talent, the opportunities are endless for new job seekers and for those who patiently rode the beginning of the pandemic at their workplaces, even when wanting to make a move. In this environment, a new phenomenon known as the Great Resignation of 2021 has been affecting employers throughout all industries, who have struggled to retain good talent as they face fierce competition with so many jobs opening up.

To get some insight about how employers could protect themselves from a disruptive massive exodus or losing amazing talent, we reached out to Dynamic Space Solutions, Inc. Co-Founders Susette Hill and Kate Mood. In October of last year, this Carlsbad-based company received the 2021 CBAD Award for Best Place to Work, by showcasing a strong company culture that helped them thrive during the pandemic.

The power of adaptability

One of the things that stood out about Dynamic was that as a firm specializing in corporate relocations, space planning, facility support, and construction coordination, the culture of the company was flexible and remote at its core. Hill and Mood recognize that these two aspects were key for them to survive and thrive during the past two years. “Because we do not all work in the same building, our company culture includes effort and understanding toward keeping the glue and real-time in our connections,” says Mood. “Our culture is built upon the idea that work is part of your life but not your whole life. Our work is service-oriented and project based and we have built redundancy so that when weddings land on the same weekend as a move, we have skilled teammates that can step in and keep our service delivery at top level.” Hill says there are a few ways to make sure no projects are left unattended should conflicts arise. “We create and review our teams schedule every week to make sure it still ‘works’ or if it needs to be revised. We look at any upcoming PTO or appointments our team might have, look at commute / traffic concerns with locations of our client sites, and anything else that might be impactful to the schedule. We make adjustments constantly to try to accommodate our employees and client needs. It’s a very fluid situation, but we really aim to give our employees the balance to be present for other areas in their life. We also allow our team to work from home whenever the assignment or project allows, making sure they are set-up with a sit-stand ergonomic desk and equipment at home.”

Safety first

Even before the pandemic, Dynamic had safety as a priority in their company culture, welcoming new employees with Ready America Emergency kits. “We have a ‘safety corner’ in our staff meetings and we include family and personal safety. Our employees have the option for CPR and First Aid training. We also take time annually for our employees to revisit their emergency evacuation plans,” says Mood. Hill adds that the company’s emphasis on safety started from its foundation, when San Diego was hit by several wildfires. “Our goal with safety is that our team is so well prepared that we can easily secure and take care of our own families, neighbors, teammates, and then expand our reach to help out the community. If you are individually prepared, you are no longer a ‘burden’ on the community, you are an asset and can reach out wherever is needed,” says Hill. Needless to say, this emphasis on emergency preparedness, response and recovery came in handy during the pandemic. Not only did they understand the urgency of the situation and, after a brief pause, continued operations keeping their employees safe, but also when PPE was scarce they were covered with the N95 masks from their Ready America Emergency kits. Their commitment to safety also played a key role as they helped some of their clients turn into COVID-19 testing sites, which in some cases meant they had to double or triple in size overnight.

Recruiting and retaining talent

Hill and Mood are very aware that the job market is currently hot. In fact, just a few weeks ago, one of their employees decided to leave. This awareness, does not deter the Dynamic leadership from making their employees experience at the company the best it can be. “One motto we have for our employees is that we invest in everyone like they are going to stay forever! We want to provide them with the training and hands-on experience that helps with the big picture. It is very hard to tell who will make this a lifelong career (we have several that have been with us over 15 years!), and who might end up continuing their career in a different direction. If someone does decide to continue in a different direction, and we were a stepping stone in their path, we are committed to making their experience at Dynamic the best stepping stone they could have been on!”

For Mood this “stepping stone” is a combination of support, growth and challenge. It also helps to always be on the lookout for good talent. “We are always interested in keeping what we call a ‘bench’. We interview potential candidates with the idea that regardless if they are hired, it’s a chance to build a relationship that may turn into a referral. We have business contacts that we trust and we reach out to them and ask if they know of anyone,” says Mood.

Mood and Hill believe the Great Resignation will last for a while, and that most businesses have experienced some form of it and are accepting it and adapting. “The pandemic introduced a new way to work and we were brought to a point of introspection in defining what is important. This is true for personal and for business. You can see businesses changing their work models and employees changing how they want to work. It’s an exciting time and simultaneously daunting because of the speed of change and the courage needed to say ‘yes’, ‘no’ and ‘let’s try’ in the right places. There are more options and people are willing to take risks. We have found that as we try some of the ideas, we are growing in ways we might not have seen before. Which brings more opportunity. In a way, we have to welcome the Great Resignation – people are finding what they want to do and that’s the people we all want on our team,” says Mood.





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