The Best Places to Work in Direct Selling contest was designed by Direct Selling News with several goals in mind:
- To spotlight the channel as a positive job-creating engine.
- To recognize and honor companies that have created positive work environments and become employers of choice.
- To identify and share best practices with the wider direct selling community.
- To provide valuable feedback and data to participating companies that will assist them in measuring levels of employee satisfaction and engagement.
We all know that direct selling is a people business.
Measuring field engagement is critical to any company’s success, and consistently delivering on that is a hallmark of the channel. But the field is only part of the people equation. Best Places to Work in Direct Selling celebrates the important role companies play as employers in the marketplace and highlights those companies that are setting the bar for establishing and nurturing work experiences and environments that bring out the very best in people.
Congratulations to 4 Time Winner Scentsy!!
HEADQUARTERS | Meridian, Idaho
NUMBER OF FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES | 1,700
YEAR FOUNDED | 2004
What sets your company apart as one of the Best Places to Work in Direct Selling?
That’s easy—our people! We care about each other, and we care about doing things right for our Consultants and customers. We have a large, unique support center where we focus on our Consultants and treat them like family. We don’t have scripts; we have conversations. Co-owners, Heidi and Orville Thompson consider themselves caretakers of this business. They help us to put our focus on being the best we can be and helping others (our Consultants) to be their best. We get to work in an inspiring 770,000 square-foot office, manufacturing, warehouse and distribution space on a stunning 73-acre campus. Every inch of it was designed with employees in mind: Three miles of fragrant walking paths, bright working spaces and a “family kitchen” as a central gathering place. Our family atmosphere extends to our distribution centers in Texas and South Carolina, our call center in Poland, a regional office in Canada and our employees in Australia and the UK.
How does your company bring the same red-carpet treatment to your employees that you give to your distributors?
The Thompsons believe in “contributing more than you take,” and that generous philosophy is infused in everything they do for employees. In 2021, our revenue reached an incredible benchmark! As we achieved monthly and annual revenue milestones, we thanked employees for their hard work by providing bonus paid time off at the end of the year. This resulted in employees receiving up to 17 additional days of pay! Another bonus we provide to employees to recognize their dedication to Scentsy is our Long-Term Contribution Bonus which generously rewards employees for their service to Scentsy. Each year we host an all-day employee “convention,” called Employee Culture Day. On this day, the entire company shuts down to celebrate with learning from keynote speakers; attending workshops; participating in a health and wellness expo; enjoying team-building activities; and receiving product giveaways. Class offerings range from personal development to professional development and include a wide range of interests, from gardening to project management.
What’s the “definitive elevator pitch” that you would offer to a prospective employee about why they would want to work for your company? Can you describe your culture in just a few sentences?
Our business philosophy comes from a quote by Albert Einstein, “Try not to become a man of success. Rather, become a man of value. A successful man takes out of life more than he puts in. A man of value will give more than he receives.” This philosophy, combined with our values of authenticity, simplicity and generosity, has provided a solid foundation for Scentsy’s culture, and we feel the strength of our culture is one of the primary things that sets us apart as a company. By continuing to be our true selves, and embracing our differences and diversity, we never have to “sell” our company culture. It’s on full display naturally by sharing who we are and what we do.
What is your top priority when it comes to maintaining a great work environment? How had that changed as people balance working in the office and working from home? what does that look like for your company?
When you walk into Scentsy’s main lobby, you are greeted with our company’s values, posted for all to see: Simplicity, Authenticity and Generosity. We strive to make this a workplace where every employee has an opportunity to come as they are as well as learn and grow. We want employees to bring their whole self to work. We are hyper aware of keeping the “Scentsy spirit” alive and we continue to learn how to keep our culture in balance. One great tool we have to help employees feel connected is called Scentral. This is our internal social and communication platform. It is an incredible way for employees all over the world to engage. Whether employees are sharing pictures of their furry friends on National Love Your Pet Day, posting about team building events or sharing photos of new babies, they can see what everyone is doing and share in their experiences.
How does your company support team members in their personal and professional development?
We place a high value on opportunities for employees to learn, grow and thrive. We provide tuition reimbursement for degree-seeking employees, and we provide development funds for employees seeking certifications or skill-building in their specific profession. Through our “Scentsy U,” we offer personal and professional development opportunities for groups and individuals on everything from fragrance to team communication. Scentsy U also partners with vendors for world-class content including Franklin Covey, Crucial Learning, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Gallup (CliftonStrengths). We also offer formal leadership development opportunities to help leaders develop and enhance their leadership skills while networking with leaders from all departments. One highly-successful program we offer is Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. This helps employees build their financial acumen and gives them the tools to move towards financial freedom. In 2021, employees who took the course paid off $128,148 in debt! Our Career Exploration program allows employees to explore other career opportunities at Scentsy through formal meetings and job shadow experiences.
The only thing constant in 2021 was change. How have you managed the constant pivots required during the pandemic? How are you maintaining and building a sense of community?
Like all companies worldwide, we continue to navigate the ongoing pandemic, responding to unique challenges as they arise. Scentsy has always prided itself on agility and being able to adjust to changing business climates, but in the past two years, it’s been imperative that we stay nimble enough to respond to the new normal—whatever that may be. In the early stages of the pandemic, we leaned heavily on our culture and our values to guide our decisions as we did everything we could to keep employees safe and to allow our Consultants to continue to operate their businesses online. In response, our Consultants, our employees and our customers rallied to lift Scentsy to new heights. In 2021, we reached our highest revenue in the company’s history, reaching a historic $1 billion milestone. Hope is contagious, and we’re so grateful that Scentsy is a place that provides hope during uncertain times. Our response to the challenges of the global pandemic has reinforced our values and strengthened our culture and our business.
Our 2022 contest was open to direct selling companies with at least 40 fulltime employees based in North America. Any employer or employee could have nominated their company during the open period last fall, which ended on October 25, 2021. Each nomination included a contact person who received all of the communications from Quantum. After the nomination period ended, Quantum sent out an official invitation to each company to begin the survey process. Employees were invited to complete an anonymous and confidential survey. A certain percentage of employees at each company, based on size, had to complete the survey in order for the company to reach the threshold to be included. After the survey period was over, the team at Quantum calculated the responses to determine overall scoring and ranking. Only companies who met the threshold determined by Quantum as the baseline for a Best Places to Work environment were announced as Honorees for 2022.
Read full feature article on Best Places to Work in Direct Selling 2022. From the April 2022 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.
