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Employee feedback reflects a workplace culture where staff feel safe, supported and heard.
This year, The Salvation Army Suisun City (California) Kroc Center was named a “Best Christian Workplace” for 2023—the first Kroc Center in the Western Territory to receive the distinction and a testament to the impact a Kroc Center can have not only on the community but also on its staff.
“It’s very humbling to speak about it. It was definitely a team effort,” said Officer Services Secretary Major Joanne Louangamath, who served at the Kroc Center during the certification process.
Best Christian Workplaces (BCW), a nonprofit organization, aims to help Christian organizations worldwide create healthy workplace environments. It supplies participating organizations with surveys and consulting services, and through its certification process—refined over 20 years—organizations can discover both strengths and areas of opportunity.
“We are an organization that desires to see Christian-led organizations set the standard as the best, most effective places to work in the world,” said Tara VanderSande, Senior Engagement and Talent Consultant at BCW.
Organizations are not competing with each other for certification. Any organization that earns an overall score of 4.0 or above on a five-point scale, as determined by its employees, receives the distinction.
For 2023, in the Kroc Center’s category—parachurch and missions—62 percent of 148 participating organizations earned BCW status. VanderSande said three Kroc Centers received certification this year, the other two being the Omaha (Nebraska) and Ashland (Ohio) Kroc Centers.
With its 26 U.S. Kroc Centers, The Salvation Army aims to revitalize previously underserved communities by offering programs and services for people of all ages.
Steve Bireley, former Director of Operations and Coordinator for the Western Territory’s seven Kroc Centers, got the centers involved with BCW in 2023, believing the results would be valuable.
“To me, the key to success at any center is how engaged the employees are,” Bireley said. “I wanted to be able to measure that—to measure their engagement with our program and with our ministry. This is a great way to do it.”
A recent Gallup workplace study found employees working in a positive work environment are more likely to thrive overall, with more positive life experiences and enhanced mental health.
Suisun City Kroc Center HR Specialist Mary May said the entire BCW process lasted about six weeks. Employees could voluntarily fill out the survey with 56 statements that participants responded to using a scale of 1–5 (strongly disagree to strongly agree).
“You know, we call it a team, but we’re more like a family. Each associate has trust in each other…We all just kind of rally up together to do God’s work.”
Ron Kinney, Suisun City (California) Kroc Center Director
Among others, the statements included: The Kroc Center promotes highly capable staff/employees; My supervisor cares about me as a person; In the past year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow; The mission and goals at the Kroc Center make me feel my work is important; and I have fun at work.
May credited the center’s 90 percent employee participation to the department managers and Kroc Center Director Ron Kinney.
“It wasn’t presented as a report card,” May said. “It was presented as an opportunity to know what we’ve done well and what we need to improve upon, and what we can put in place to ensure that the associates’ voices have been heard.”
The Suisun City Kroc Center scored 4.09 overall, with 37 of the 56 questions above a 4.0. VanderSande provided highlights from the results, including one of the center’s highest scores—an appreciation for the center’s diversity. Scores also reflected the center’s safe and encouraging environment and a consensus that the Kroc Center reflects Christ to the world and leaders demonstrate compassion to all people.
Kinney said they celebrated the results with cake for the staff.
“There was a real sense of pride, a sense of accomplishment, but there was something humbling about it as well,” May said. “It takes every single person to make a difference.”
She also credited Kinney’s leadership.
“The way he paints the picture of the vision and stays consistent with it throughout the entire year is uncanny,” she said.
The survey affirmed employees can catch that vision, which Kinney said is “to create a warm and secure environment that fosters inspiration, compassion and outreach while embracing the opportunity to transform the body, mind and spirit.”
For his part, Kinney credited the compassionate leadership of the Louangamaths, saying that under their leadership, he learned to be a compassionate leader to his team.
According to May, the survey revealed employees want more involvement in decision-making for the center. In response, several committees were formed, including engagement, safety and development. The first meetings are scheduled for November, with full implementation in January.
“Each associate has trust in each other,” Kinney said. “We all just kind of rally up together to do God’s work.”
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