How a Growing Company Used PerformYard to Transform Team Engagement

About the Company

Aero Simulation Inc. is a dynamic aviation and aerospace company with a rapid growth success story. In just three years, ASI has hired nearly 200 employees, scaling to a substantial enterprise with diverse workforce categories including direct employees, union workers, consultants, and subcontractors.

What sets ASI apart is its commitment to employee engagement even during periods of explosive growth. The leadership team had always prioritized listening to employees, using creative approaches like suggestion boxes and informal polling to stay connected with their workforce as they scaled.

When ASI recognized the need for its first dedicated HR professional, it brought in Dr. Sherry Mathews as HR Manager to build upon its existing foundation while implementing more sophisticated systems to support its continued expansion. ASI’s investment in proper HR infrastructure demonstrates their understanding that engaged employees are essential for sustainable growth.

Challenge

"I started here in January of '22 as the first HR person that they had here... HR was being done by the CFO so it was just basically payroll and and other basic human resource functions."

— Dr. Mathews, HR Manager

When Dr. Mathews joined as the company's first dedicated HR professional, she inherited an approach to employee feedback that had served the company during its early growth phase:

• Informal engagement measurement - Use of Microsoft Forms for "question of the week" polls
• Physical feedback collection - Break room suggestion boxes with handwritten responses
• Basic data analysis - Manual processing of feedback without specialized analytics tools
• Multiple employee tracking systems - Separate lists maintained for employees, union workers, consultants, and subcontractors
• Resource allocation challenges - HR responsibilities handled alongside other duties during rapid growth

As ASI expanded dramatically, hiring nearly 200 employees in three years, it became clear that more sophisticated systems would be needed to maintain the same level of attention to employee engagement while supporting continued growth. 

Solution

Dr. Mathews selected PerformYard's integrated performance and engagement platform to address both immediate needs and long-term scalability. The comprehensive implementation included:

Strategic Survey Design

• Regular pulse surveys every 3-4 weeks
• Combination of standard PerformYard questions and custom queries
• Strategic initiative-specific questions
• Supervisor and HR-focused questions
• Department and demographic-specific analysis

Advanced Cohort Analysis

• Extensive segmentation by functional groups
• Demographic breakdowns (gender, education, tenure)
• Work arrangement categories (remote, compressed schedules)
• Recruitment source tracking
• Union vs. non-union employee analysis

Unified Employee Database

• Single system of record for all worker categories
• Integration of employees, union workers, consultants, and subcontractors
• Comprehensive reporting capabilities across all groups

Results

When referring to one group in the company that was struggling, Dr. Mathews stated, "I just looked at their score for the last 30 days and... it's increased 91 points."

The implementation of PerformYard's engagement platform delivered a remarkable transformation:

Dramatic Turnaround

• One group’s eNPS improvement: 91-point increase in one department’s eNPS scores. 
• Consistent participation: 50 employees per survey cycle
• Real-time trend analysis enabling proactive intervention
• Board-level reporting with actionable insights

Advanced Analytics

• Comprehensive cohort analysis across multiple dimensions
• Trend tracking rather than single-point-in-time snapshots
• Targeted interventions based on specific group performance
• Professional data analysis without requiring specialized skills

Enhanced Operational Efficiency

• Streamlined processes building on existing feedback systems
• Unified employee database consolidating multiple tracking systems
• Regular board presentations with comprehensive insights
• Scalable systems designed to support continued rapid growth

"I look at it more, not just the last survey, but I look at trends like, are we trending up, trending down? I also created a ton of cohorts in PerformYard."

Implementation Spotlight: Group Transformation

The most compelling success story involved a specific group identified by their low eNPS scores.

The Challenge

• Poor Employee Net Promoter Score
• History of having to navigate issues
• Low trust in survey confidentiality

The Intervention Strategy

1. Transparent data sharing - Brought computer with PerformYard data directly to the struggling group
2. Alternative feedback channels - Provided notebooks and physical lock boxes for concerns
3. Comprehensive issue analysis - Consolidated 4-5 pages of written feedback
4. Regular leadership coaching - Bi-weekly meetings with new group leader
5. Addressing small but significant issues - Relocating supervisor's desk for privacy

The Results

• 91-point improvement in Employee Net Promoter Score
• Demonstrated listening - Staff felt heard and valued
• Trust building - Even unchangeable policies were explained transparently

"Honestly, even the employees hearing something can't be done is almost as important as doing something about it, because either way the employees feel heard."

Why PerformYard?

ASI selected PerformYard after evaluating 3-4 different platforms for several key advantages:

"We looked at three or four different platforms and then PerformYard was the one that most closely met our needs."

✓ Comprehensive Cohort Analysis

• Maximum utilization of cohort features
• Multi-dimensional employee segmentation
• Trend analysis across different groups
• Demographic and functional breakdowns

✓ Integrated Platform Approach

• Combined performance and engagement management
• Single system of record for all employee categories
• Streamlined data management and reporting

✓ Enhanced Analytics and Efficiency

• Built-in data analysis and visualization
• Time-saving automated calculations and reporting
• Board-ready insights without manual data processing
• Professional analytics capabilities accessible to any HR professional

✓ Scalability for Growth

• Handles diverse workforce categories
• Supports rapid hiring and expansion
• Reduces manual administrative burden
• Maintains data consistency across growth

"I don't necessarily have that data analysis background. I can do it, but having it done for me in PerformYard just saves me a ton of time."

Looking Ahead:

With their engagement measurement system now established, the company continues to leverage PerformYard for:

• Regular pulse surveys every 3-4 weeks
• Board-level reporting at bi-weekly director meetings
• Targeted interventions based on cohort analysis
• Trend monitoring across all employee categories
• Scaling support for continued rapid growth

Dr. Mathews has maximized the platform's cohort capabilities and continues to find new ways to segment and analyze their diverse workforce for actionable insights.