As seen in the O.C. Register, written by Bill Quinnan
When Chief Executive Officer Ed Lorette learned that his company, Western Resources Title, had been nominated for a Top Workplaces award by one of its employees last year, he saw it as an opportunity to make his company even better.
“I felt that getting the feedback from the survey process was more important than winning, because it gave us an opportunity to find out what concerns employees had with the company so that we could either change those things or at least explain why they couldn’t be changed,” he said.
The fact that the company did make the Orange County Register’s Top Workplaces list was just an added bonus. Lorette said what made the recognition meaningful was that it truly came from the employees rather than the leaders of the company.
As to what makes Western Resources Title a Top Workplace, “Number one, I think, is the company’s culture, which focuses on helping everybody be successful,” he said. This begins with putting the right employees into the right positions, so that they are not only competent at their jobs, but also enjoy the work they do.
Being the right person for the position means more than having the necessary skills, Lorette explained. Even more important is being able to fit into the company culture and work successfully with fellow employees.
“Another key is finding people who are self-managed and self-disciplined, so you don’t have to micro-manage them,” Lorette said. “Our culture just doesn’t accommodate people who want to be told what to do every day.”
Lorette noted that maintaining a positive work environment is an ongoing process requiring constant reinforcement. Employers cannot expect to make major improvements by making one or two changes on occasion.
Western Resources Title is one of the top 10 independent title agencies in California and one of the top five independent title agencies in Southern California.
The Orange-based firm is a full-service provider of Real Estate title insurance and escrow services for residential and commercial property. The firm provides a range of products serving real-estate agents, lenders, and attorneys, both statewide and nationwide. With three additional offices, including one in Escondido and two in San Diego, Western Resources Title serves the five Southern California counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego.
Click here to read entire article.
