Urban Outfitters Incorporated: The Study of a For-Profit Organization

Communication Audit For BHLDN Seattle, Washington

By: Anthony Hester & Kilee Jones

Abstract 

This research project examines what a small for-profit business, that is a part of a large for-profit company, communicates as a team and how to better the communication within the organization. This paper will explore and observe BHLDN in Seattle, Washington. This paper will show the introduction and background of the organization URBN and how it blossomed, research methodologies, the results, recommendations, and a follow up with the business while conducting a communication audit. 

Introduction

Urban Outfitters Inc. also known as URBN,  is a lifestyle retail corporation. URBN has many different faces and names for their numerous brands including Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, BHLDN, Terrain, Menus & Venues, and Nuuly. URBN is a worldwide brand operating in the United States, Sweden, United Kingdom, Spain, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Belgium, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Israel, Poland, and the United Arab Emirates. Although URBN Inc. is a worldwide brand, its headquarters is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. URBN Inc. started as one small storefront space branded “Free People.” In 1970 at 23 years old, Dick Hayne, his college roommate Scott Belair, and Judy Wicks brainstormed the idea of opening up a retail store. The first store “Free People” was located across the street from the University of Pennsylvania. The mission and concept of the store were to provide second-hand clothing, furniture, jewelry, and home decor, curated for college-aged customers in a casual and fun environment. Since the first store Free People, the company started to gain traction. Since then, the company has strived to connect with customers by engaging in a unique store design and to continue creating unique products. To continue creating their unique brand, instead of transforming their storefront building into something new, they have continued to preserve the building’s original features. This trait has become their company’s signature look, which is very on-brand for the business front. URBN has been known for even stripping back paint to its first layer, exposing brick walls, and using original pieces as displays and fixtures. This approach goes beyond historical preservation. It is about highlighting  and maintaining a layered history, but “infusing a new, fresh atmosphere.” 

By the 1990s, Dick went on to build a lifestyle brand that catered to creative 30-45-year-old women. The storefront Anthropologie was born and in 1992, the first storefront opened in a refurbished automobile shop in Wayne, Pennsylvania which was very “on brand” for URBN Inc. Anthropologie is a store designed to discover new and unique things for the customer – offering a shopping destination with a mix of clothing, accessories, gifts, and home décor that reflect personal style and individual passions. In 1993, URBN Inc. went public and began to sell shares in an initial public offering for $18 a share. 

Urban Outfitters was the first brand of URBN inc. brand to branch across the world into different countries. In 1998, URBN inc. opened their first store in London. Eleven years later, Anthropologie opened its first store in London. Soon after, the brand opened another location. In 1998, Anthropologie released its first online catalog with circulation more than doubling before the end of the year. In that same year, Anthropologie.com was established. Site visits and online orders were well above the initial expectations, which fueled investments. It wasn’t long after that when URBN Inc.’s other brands opened a web store. Urban Outfitters opened in 2000 and Free People opened in 2004.

 On Valentine’s Day 2011, URBN Inc. entered into the world of bridal with the launch of their new brand BHLDN. BHLDN offers brides-to-be an assortment of wedding gowns, bridal party dresses, accessories, gifts, and décor that caters to the bride “in search of unusually beautiful things.” BHLDN  started online only. BHLDN opened its first storefront location in Houston, Texas, in August 2011. Since then, the brand has expanded, opening another location in Chicago and several shop-in-shops in Anthropologie locations. BHLDN now offers one-on-one styling services. I (Kilee Jones) still remember my first time walking into a URBN inc. store. It was Urban Outfitters in boulder, colorado. The building was older and made out of brick, URBN had stuck to its roots by preserving the historical building. It had brick walls and used original displays and lighting fixtures. I remember the atmosphere feeling very different than any shop I had ever been to before. It was almost like I stepped into the high school popular kid’s party or a fun college kickback. I also remember going to my first Anthropologie in Seattle, Washington; the one that I would be working at years later, but didn’t know at the time. At Anthropologie, there are 22 employees. For the Organization Audit, we specifically focused on their bridal store BHLDN, which is located on the second floor within Antrhopologie. At BHLDN, there are 9 employees, which totals 31 employees including managers and higher up personnel.

In my experience (Kilee Jones), managers are easily accessible and have years of experience in the retail industry. Haley Hyde, the bridal shop manager at BHLDN has been in the wedding and bridal industry for over ten years. Not only does she know the ins and outs of all things bridal, but also all things on the managerial level. The type of leadership that is profoundly shown throughout BHLDN is a combination of a visionary and autocratic style of leadership. An autocratic leadership style is an authoritative approach. Managers attain complete authority and control over the team. This style of leadership tends to be goal-oriented, which is evident in BHLDN. The visionary leadership style engages people towards a vision set out by the manager. Visionary leaders tend to brainstorm and create a new direction for the business.  Emily is BHLDN’s head manager. She is the highest-ranked person in the store’s company. The next ranked person is Gina. She is the RBL of the store. Below Gina is the senior brand leader, Danielle. Below Danielle is the BHLDN brand ambassador, Haleh. Haley Hyde, the shop manager reports to her, Sophie Ledingham is the shop supervisor and reports to both Haley Hyde and Emily. The next ranked person is the senior stylist, Emily Edwards. She reports to Emily, Haley Hyde, and Sophie Ledingham. All of the employees under these people report to Haley Hyde, Sophie, Emily E, and in special cases, report to Emily and Gina.

Job Title	Employee Name	Reports to
Head Manager	Emily	Doesn’t Report to Anyone
RBL	Gina	Reports to Emily
Senior Brand Leader	Danielle	Reports to Emily and Gina
Brand Ambassador	Haleh	Reports to Emily, Gina, and Danielle
Shop Manager	Hayley	Reports to Emily, Gina,  Danielle, and Haleh
Shop Supervisor	Sophie	Reports to Emily, Gina, and Hayley
Senior Stylist	Emily E	Reports to Hayley and Emily. Occasionally Emily and Gina
Stylist	6 Stylists	Reports to Hayley and Sophie. Occasionally Emily, Emily E, and Gina.

Methodology

The methodology that was utilized for evaluating the organizational communication included various surveys and interviews. There were 4 surveys conducted and sent out to members of the BHLDN team. Out of 8 staff members, 7 employees responded (87.5%) to the five various surveys. There were also three interviews conducted with staff over Zoom due to COVID restrictions. The largest concern for the interviews and surveys was the ability to get honest answers and viewpoints, which is why we chose for the surveys to remain anonymous and the interviews were for the employees willing to come forward and share their honest opinions. The manager, Haley Hyde expressed to employees through an email regarding the possible concern of employees wanting to remain anonymous and assured them that no matter what they said, it wouldn’t affect their work relationship or job. Since BHLDN is considered quite small when it comes to the number of employees that work, we pushed the surveys and sent reminders to ensure that we would have as many responses as possible. As we expected, it was more difficult to find employees willing to do an interview. With the employees that were willing to interview, we were able to get real insight and the different opinions on the communication in BHLDN. When forming questions to ask in the interview, we strived to create open-ended questions. This was a purposeful tactic to ensure that we were able to get as many detailed responses as possible and avoid one or two worded answers. For one of the interview questions that we used: “If you could change anything about the communication in the company, what would it be?” This specific question was straight forward and intentional to find out what the employee may think isn’t working so well with the company. The other question we asked: “How do you feel about the communication in the company?” Is an open-ended question where we were able to find out how employees were feeling about communication throughout the organization. 

The surveys we distributed were centered around four main categories: Employee Satisfaction, Employee Engagement, Employee Evaluation, and Company Culture. The categories assisted us in differentiating the data that we received from the BHLDN employees, which provided us with a thorough understanding of the structure of the organization and how it impacts its employees. Our decision in doing this was influenced by our experiences in sales, which has given us an exceptional understanding of employee needs and expectations when working for a successful retail business. Of the 4 surveys that we sent to the BHLDN employees, the employee satisfaction survey was the first survey to be conducted. This survey evaluates employee gratification through various aspects including trust, communication, leadership. In our survey, we asked “Does your manager communicate expectations and feedback clearly and professionally” and “Do you have all the necessary tools you need to do your best work”, which brings the aspect of trust into question. Trust is referred to as the reliability and predictability between team members. When the employee’s trust is high, it benefits the team by helping them work more efficiently, thereby reducing the cost to operate. If employees don’t trust that their managers will communicate effective feedback and expectations or that their employer will provide them the proper essentials to complete their job then they will not be satisfied with their job. According to our survey, 33% of the recipients said that their manager does NOT communicate expectations and feedback clearly and professionally, while the remaining 67% said otherwise. With that being said there is still room for growth within the organization regarding fostering trust between employees and their managers. Another question that was asked was “If you encounter a problem or unusual situation, do you know where to go for a solution?” This question examines the role of leadership and communication in regards to conflicts that the employees may face during their operational hours.  Retail workers are constantly challenged to work towards advancing at their jobs while also competing with coworkers who are also seeking similar advancements. Though they rely on each other to do their jobs effectively, it can be frustrating when they perceive a coworker trying to prevent them from earning advancement due to their own goal to achieve the same thing. This can lead to several interferences with one another, due to their incompatible goals. The employee engagement survey asked 6 questions including 2 important questions, “Do you feel valued as an employee of this organization” and “How comfortable are you contributing to meetings, projects, and problem-solving with your supervisor and peers”? Despite there only being 6 questions in the employee engagement survey, this survey examines the emotions as well as the emotional labor that the employees might have endured while working for the corporation. The last 2 surveys that we conducted evaluated the BHLDN employee tactics and its company culture according to their employees. 

Results  

Based on the anonymous surveys, observations, and the Zoom interviews that were conducted, we were able to collect various points of data on how the employee’s opinions on communication in the workplace. According to the responses from the various surveys conducted, the majority of employees are satisfied and have a clear understanding of what they are asked to do. Few employees disagree that managers communicate expectations and feedback clearly and professionally and if they encounter a problem or unusual situation, they do not know where to go for a solution. Also, employees believe they don’t have a strong understanding of the company’s mission statement, the company could be more diverse. All of the employees said if they could change one thing, it would be time-off. All of the employees also said they take the lead and make sure each team member can contribute their strengths. Although the majority of employees are happy with BHLDN’s culture and their work, we can see there is room for improvement in communication between employees and managers. What we learned about communication in this organization is that it is not always clear for employees what is expected of them and where they should go when they need help. Some of the communicative strengths that were visible based on observations, surveys, and interviews, is asking supervisors, other stylists, and managers questions if there are concerns during bridal appointments. If there is not a clear answer to a question, employees are willing to work together to find an answer. Another strength that was noticed is how well the shop manager Haley communicated important information to employees through emails. If employees aren’t working, they don’t have to miss out on important information because it has been sent to them. Another strength that was noticed during a day of observation is at the end of the night, the supervisor that was working creates an email draft highlighting keynotes and important information for managers and employees that are working the next day. With this important communicative tactic, employees can have a clear understanding of the day before and if anything is expected of them. Also, the supervisor the night before prints out the next-day agenda and schedule for the stylists. This way, when the stylists come in for work in the morning, they already have their schedules printed out for the day with all of the information for each bride laid out for them. This not only organizes things but also helps brides and communicates what is needed of them for that day. Another observation that was made is when stylists come in for their shift, the supervisor has what they call a “chat-in” which is for the supervisor to relay a new message or instructions that need to be communicated to the team. When observing the normal working days at BHLDN, we also noticed that the supervisors and managers didn’t relay important messages and had poor communication specifically with the senior stylist, Emily. This caused a lot of confusion between the team because stylists communicate with Emily before discussing matters with the higher management. For example, Haley, the shop manager, was tested for COVID and her results came back positive. We were told that she then proceeded to go on vacation to Florida. Haley told the shop supervisor Sophie, that she didn’t want anyone to know it was her that had COVID. Gina, the RBL sent out an email to all employees at BHLDN communicating that someone on the team had COVID and let the employees know the last day this person worked but didn’t disclose who that person was. Unfortunately, this scenario caused a lot of trouble among the BHLDN employees. Employees were trying to guess who it was, and when two people didn’t show up to work one day, employees talked amongst themselves guessing which person had tested positive. Emily, the senior stylist, decided to take it upon herself and tell the stylists who had COVID because she said, “the employees deserved to know” and didn’t care if she suffered consequences for speaking out. Because of this, girls had to leave work early to get tested because they worked with her the previous days before she tested positive and were worried they might have contracted the virus. This lack of communication weakened the relationships between employees and created a lack of trust between employees and managers. 

Many of the employees that took part in the interviews and surveys stated that their managers do a great job at fulfilling the daily opening and closing checklist, which ensures that the communication regarding tasks is transparent from one day to the next, yet there is still room to improve communication in other areas. The communication at BHLDN is particularly weak in regards to manager-employee relations, executing and assigning tasks, teaching and understanding company culture and values, and in situations of conflict. Communication in these areas is essential for running a successful business. If a company does not uphold its responsibility in these categories, its consumers may begin to question the organization’s integrity. We found our discovery to be very surprising given that this particular company is known for its strong communication and relationships amongst customers and employees, yet the organization still struggles with the use of viable communication. Another aspect of the company that has room for improvement is the diversity aspect. Despite BHLDN’s Seattle location having an entirely female staff, some of the survey recipients stated that the company should increase their diversity. In today’s society organizations have become more comprehensive in regards to hiring individuals from different backgrounds; race, gender, and class. These organizations have implemented tactics that help their company become more inclusive and assists in preventing discrimination. We were shocked to discover 62.5 % of the recipients responded, “No to our question “Is your job performed in a diverse atmosphere?” Given our results, we did more research and discovered that 87.5% of the employees are of European descent. We essentially learned that communication concerns arose within the company, yet they have not been discussed due to a lack of communication. This lack of communication has resulted in both confusion and a lack of trust.

Flow Chart 

Application of Course Concepts

There are various concepts from class that are profound and relevant to BHLDN as an organization. For example, the section of “Emotion in the Workplace” (Page 144) in Organizational Communication by Edward C Brewer and Jim Westerman. The first sentence in this section is pertinent and very important. The book says, “ Employees bring their emotions to work with them every day.” Employees bring their emotions to work with them every day. Emotions can be positive for organizations. For example, when I am in a good mood and I am feeling happy, that energy radiates off of me to the customer and I can give them the best customer service possible. Working at BHLDN, employees, and customers are surrounded by emotions. There is an incident that I observed while spending time at BHLDN. During a bridal appointment that was going decently well, an employee told a bride who when she came in, was under the impression that she was a size 6 in dresses, that she was a size 12. The mother of the bride got very upset, charged near the employee, and yelled at her. She told her, “Don’t call her a size 12 again.” From observing this event, I was aware that the bride was crying in the dressing room. I am unsure if it was from her mother or the employee telling her she was a size 12 in gowns. The guests ended up abruptly leaving early before their appointment was supposed to end. The employee was very upset by this and ended up crying in the back room while talking to other employees about the conflict. She told us how she was a people pleaser and would never hurt someone like that. It’s inevitable to feel and have emotions, but specifically in the workplace, it is common for emotions to be suppressed to please the company. This employee didn’t leave while she was upset, but moved to a secluded and private space. At BHLDN and most organizations, there are certain standards for employees when it comes to a physical appearance and presence, which sets the tone for an employee’s attitude at work. There are even certain words stylists are asked to refrain from using when describing brides and gowns. For example, employees should refrain from using terms like “cute, pretty, sexy” but instead, “elegant, beautiful, classic.”  

The next concept that has been highlighted and to improve throughout BHLDN is the idea of Role Clarity (Page 6). The text starts by explaining that, “Understanding one’s role in the workplace is knowing more than just what to do; it also involves patterns of communication” and next sentence continues to define Role Clarity as, “When individuals know exactly what is expected of them, they have role clarity.” This concept is very interesting because it magnifies Role Clarity in circumstances where an employee or person sticks to a script they are given or expected of. BHLDN has certain criteria or some would even call it a “script” for stylists. When leading an appointment, certain key points need to be hit on every appointment. Knowing one’s place and script within an organization can be productive, but Role Ambiguity (opposite of role clarity) can become useful. Role Ambiguity leaves the opportunity to push boundaries and introduce new ideas. While observing at BHLDN, there were many instances where new ideas were being created. During a styling exercise where stylists try on different gowns and accessories, the other stylists discuss the different looks which allow open space for new ideas and creativity to thrive.

The section on Organizational Identity (Page 80) in Organizational Communication applies to the identity at BHLDN. Organizational culture provides employees with a sense of who they are, a sense of identity and belonging. It helps them understand how they are expected to behave. Culture develops and has learned over time. As it evolves, it often strengthens, becoming recognizable enough to distinguish one group from another. Seven primary characteristics capture the court aspects of an organization’s culture. The first one is innovation and risk-taking. The second one is attention to detail, the third one is Outcome orientation, The fourth one is people orientation, the fifth one is team orientation, the sixth one is aggressiveness, and the last one is stability. At BHLDN, they have a program called “SPARKED.” This is a program to distinguish and showcase the diversity within the BHLDN team. On the board, every employee has a photo of themselves, and every week, coworkers can anonymously write kind things to each other. If something is inspiring, excited by, or something someone does that another employee likes, they can write something down to make their co worker’s day. This board creates a space to celebrate one’s self and the diversity between employees. While observing, we noticed that employees were very excited to write compliments to each other and try to guess who wrote what.

Recommendations: 

     Needs Improvement

One of the key elements that BHLDN could improve within the corporation is improving its communication across all boards. The lack of communication between managers and employees has been the leading cause of conflicts and confusion within the company. According to our interview responses, the majority of the employees (non-managers) have stated that their biggest concern is the manager’s lack of communication in regards to work expectations and providing effective feedback. We recommend that BHLDN and its managers perform monthly workshops and meetings with employees so that they can ensure that ALL of their employees have a thorough understanding of their tasks and expectations. Managers should also work towards facilitating useful communication during their day to day operations to improve manager-employee relations, build employee confidence and awareness, and help employees build an understanding of company culture and procedures.

 Another issue that we noticed within the organization was the lack of ethical leadership and holding one another accountable. All employees, especially managers should be held accountable for their actions. If a company decides not to discipline one of its employees who has broken one of the company’s policies, it may result in others doing the same. During the incident with the shop manager Haley, there was a noticeable lack of transparency between her and her employees. This as a result, negatively impacted her relationship with many of the employees. In this scenario, BHLDN should address Haley’s leadership behavior and the impact that it had on the team and have a follow-up discussion with Haley and her employees to discuss company policy and apologize for her unethical practices. This will benefit Haley and the other managers by assisting them in fostering strong relationships with their employees and building a better working environment for all parties. In all, BHLDN needs to examine the behavioral theory of leadership: a leader’s approach to their field of focus has a greater impact on determining their success and their team’s success, rather than their traits. This will benefit the corporation helping them get a better understanding of its managers, which will further prevent future conflicts.

Strengths Within The BHLDN Communication

In our organizational communication course, we learned that “power derives from joining with others”(pg.9, Brewer & Westerman). According to our research BHLDN emphasizes the use of shared control: the need for a shared sense of control within corporations. Based on the information we gathered during our interviews BHLDN focuses on the use of groups and teamwork within corporations, which is used to increase the efficiency of its workers and its management team by devising the workload amongst various people rather than a singular person. This, as a result, improved the communication between the various levels of employees within the company substantially increasing productivity. 

Follow-up

Following the completion of our research project on Urban Outfitters bridal brand BHLDN my partner and I decided to reflect on our discoveries and how they played a role in our experiences as students and retail employees. 

• We got a better understanding of organizational communication and how it applies to a multitude of corporations.
• We learned that ethical communication is essentially the cure for the majority of the conflicts experienced within corporations; big and small. 
• People’s agendas and emotions play a major role in their actions and decision making in the workplace.
• We learned that it takes an ethical leader to ensure that the knowledge surrounding company policies and culture is understood and appreciated by their employees.
• We learned that for an employee to continue to grow with a corporation there has to be a shared sense of trust between them and management (and their employer).
• My partner and I learned that teamwork is essential not only at work but in our day to day relationships with others (partners, family, friends, etc.).
• We learned that for a corporation to grow and retain employees, officials must take into account the various perspectives, opinions, and ways of thinking amongst its employees.
• I (Anthony Hester) learned that most of the concerns that we discovered within our research are commonly found in many other major corporations like for example my employer Zumiez.

Appendix 

Interview Questions & Responses

• How would you describe good/effective communication?
  • Key Responses
    • Emily (Head Manager): Good effective communication in a working setting from a superior is giving clear concise instructions on assignments and allowing questions for clarification. For an employee, it is giving frequent status updates on projects and feeling safe to ask for help.
    • Sophie (Shop Supervisor): Good communication includes a clear and concise understanding of all facts needed to be known. When something needs to be communicated, including any information that can be elucidated The conversation is preferred. In terms of responding when needed, I appreciate quick, timely responses that fully answer any questions. In terms of mood or energy and communication, I appreciate when there is empathy in a sense of humanity and what can be a stuffy, and impersonal state of facts. 

• If you could change anything about the communication in the company, what would it be?
  • Key Responses
    • Gina (RBL): In the company, communication could improve on policy updates, especially concerning Covid policy changes, since that has been a recent issue our store has faced
    • Haley (Shop Manager):I would prefer that the company would inform employees of all need to nose instead of telling us what may be the bare minimum. I feel that we have a right to know things about the store in the company we represent. Sometimes I also get the sense of a classist hierarchy and I would like more connection throughout staff levels. I know we technically have the lowest responsibility compared to managers who are home office employees, but we are still serving the company. Otherwise, I have no proper complaints or issues at hand.

•  How do you feel about the communication in the company?
  • Key Responses
    • Haleh (Brand Ambassador): Overall for day-to-day tasks, communication is clear and respect of our supervisors, and I have a clear understanding of what is expected of me in this position
    • Haley (Shop Manager):   It feels as if there is a world of communication via email that I need to know and nothing more. Then there’s a world of communication that is in-person and more telling up reality. There is an odd dichotomy. It can be hard to tell what I should pay more attention to. I tend to trust the word of what I hear directly from my managers from their mouth or their emails. Knowing who the human is behind it helps me understand more of what I hear. That may just be a personal preference, but I barely know who anyone is in the company aside from the people I see every day

•  Do you know who to talk to when you have an issue? If so, who? 
• Key Responses
  • Emily (Head Manager): Yes, I think there’s a clean line of hierarchy from supervisors to district managers, and I know whom to go to for issues
  • Haleh (Brand Ambassador): If I have any issues, I am comfortable going to my head supervisor, brand leader, or anyone in my office in all honesty. Communication in my store has been quite exceptional and I haven’t ever had any proper issues in terms of communication.

• Please describe your communication experiences while working at BHLDN.
• Key Responses
  • Danielle (Senior Brand Manager): Communication in the job I would say it’s comparable to past jobs I have had, however, I’ve been within the urban company for three years. The daily task for Clara, but I think when it comes to hiring policy changes or more operational communication there could be more communication. We recently had an employee test positive for the coronavirus, and I think I, along with many other coworkers, didn’t have a clear understanding of what extra was needed from us and the safety of returning to work.
  • Haley (Shop Manager): My communication with the company truly extends to the hiring process and then scheduling once employed. That is truly just with My store supervisor and manager, no one else in the urban company. Any communication I’ve had has always been efficient and results in maybe a couple of emails at most. In terms of getting in touch with people, communication has been great.

• How does working for BHLDN compare to other jobs?
• Key Response
  • Gina (RBL): My other jobs in the past I’ve had issues communicating and responding when needed. Are used to be in jobs where deadlines and time frames were more sensitive and I almost always had complications getting timely answers. If I passed with other employment in the urban company, I hadn’t had a real need to communicate but with being a stylist At BHLDN, Much more communication is necessary. That’s far in this role, my communication here has been more constant more efficient than any job I’ve had before

Survey Questions & Responses

• Employee satisfaction survey questions & responses
  • Are you satisfied with the opportunities to grow your career at this company, and is there a clear plan available for you to do so?
    • Yes (75%), No (25%)
  • Does your manager communicate expectations and feedback clearly and professionally?
    • Yes ( 25%) , No (75 %)
  • Do you have all the necessary tools you need to do your best work? 
  • Yes ( 87.5%) , No (12.5 %)
  • If you encounter a problem or unusual situation, do you know where to go for a solution?
    • Yes ( 50%) , No ( 50%)
  • Please rate the quality of the facilities and equipment used during your day to day work (very good, good, unsure, bad, very bad)
    • Very Good ( 75%) , Good ( 12.5%) , Unsure ( 12.5%) , Bad ( 0 %) , Very Bad ( 0 %)
• Employee engagement survey questions & responses
  • How comfortable are you contributing to meetings, projects, and problem-solving with your supervisor and peers? (1-5)
    • 1: ( 0 %) , 2: ( 0 %) , 3: ( 0 %) , 4: ( 12.5%) , 5: ( 87.5%)
  • Does your team/department support and encourage your best work?
    • Yes (75%) , No ( 25%)
  • Are there any concerns regarding the day to day communication within the company?
    • Yes (12.5 %) , No (87.5 %)
      • (If Yes) – “Sometimes things are left unsaid because it might create an uncomfortable environment”
  • Is your job performed in a diverse atmosphere?
    • Yes(37.5% ) , No (62.5%)
  • What do you think about the company’s approach to work/life balance?
    • Good
    • I think they want what’s best for us.
  • Do you feel valued as an employee of this organization?
    • Yes ( 62.5 %) , No ( 37.5 %)
  • How would you rate the clarity of instruction? (1-5)
    • 1: ( 0 %) ,  2: (0  %) , 3( 0 %) , 4( 62.5%) , 5: ( 37.5%)
• Employee evaluation survey questions & responses
  • How do you respond to feedback?
    • I usually respond very well! I’m always open to it!
    • Pretty well. I welcome it
  • Can Urban Inc. count on you to work well under pressure?
    • Yes ( 100%) , No ( 0 %) 
  • Select the answer that best describes your approach to teamwork:
    • You take the lead and make sure each team member can contribute their strengths. ( 75 %)
    • You tend to follow another person’s lead and support the overall goals. ( 12.5 %)
    • You take ownership of their expertise and defer to others when appropriate.  ( 12.5 %)
    • You tend to work alone or alongside other colleagues, but you always align goals. ( 0 %)
    • You work as part of a team grudgingly and show little engagement when asked to collaborate. ( 0 %)
  • Rate yourself on the following qualities:
    • Proactiveness and the ability to anticipate problems and solutions. (1-5) 
      • 1: ( 0 %) ,  2: ( 0 %) , 3( 0 %) , 4( 50 %) , 5: ( 50 %)
    • Accountability to meet deadlines and deliver high-quality work. (1-5)1: ( 0 %) ,  2: ( 0 %) , 3( 0 %) , 4( 0 %) , 5: ( 100%)
    • Innovation and creative thinking with follow-through. (1-5)
      • 1: ( 0 %) ,  2: ( 0 %) , 3( 0 %) , 4( 0 %) , 5: ( 100 %)
• Company culture survey questions & responses
  • Is the company’s mission statement clear, and does it inspire you to contribute your best work?
    • Yes ( 50 %) , No ( 50 %) 
  • Do you feel the company fosters inclusion and protects employees from discrimination and harassment?
    • Yes ( 100 %) , No ( 0 %) 
  • Does this company take the time to celebrate your success?
    • Yes ( 100 %) , No ( 0 %) 
  • How likely would you say are you to recommend this company to a friend? 
    • Very Likely ( 25 %) , Likely( 75 %) , Unsure ( 0 %) , Unlikely( 0 %) , Very Unlikely ( 0 %)
  • If you had the option to change/improve 2 of the Urban Inc. employee essentitives (Time-off, Discounts, Health Care, 401k) which 2 would you choose? (Type in text box)   
    • Time-off, 401k
    • Time off and discounts
  • How would you describe the company’s culture?  
    • Inclusive
    • Women driven

Observation Notes 

•  At BHLDN, they have a program called “SPARKED.” This is a program to distinguish and showcase the diversity within the BHLDN team. On the board, every employee has a photo of themselves, and every week, coworkers can anonymously write kind things to each other. If something is inspiring, excited by, or something someone does that another employee likes, they can write something down to make their co-worker’s day.

– While observing at BHLDN, there were many instances where new ideas were being created. During a styling exercise where stylists try on different gowns and accessories, the other stylists discuss the different looks which allow open space for new ideas and creativity to thrive.

–  There is an incident that I observed while spending time at BHLDN. During a bridal appointment that was going decently well, an employee told a bride who when she came in, was under the impression that she was a size 6 in dresses, that she was a size 12. The mother of the bride got very upset, charged near the employee, and yelled at her. She told her, “Don’t call her a size 12 again.” From observing this event, I was aware that the bride was crying in the dressing room. I am unsure if it was from her mother or the employee telling her she was a size 12 in gowns.

– The supervisor the night before prints out the next-day agenda and schedule for the stylists. This way, when the stylists come in for work in the morning, they already have their schedules printed out for the day with all of the information for each bride laid out for them. This not only organizes things but also helps brides and communicates what is needed of them for that day. Another observation that was made is when stylists come in for their shift, the supervisor has what they call a “chat-in” which is for the supervisor to relay a new message or instructions that need to be communicated to the team. 

– When observing the normal working days at BHLDN, we also noticed that the supervisors and managers didn’t relay important messages and had poor communication specifically with the senior stylist, Emily. 

Work Cited

• Brewer, E., & Westerman, J. (2018). Organizational communication: Today’s professional life in context. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Data & Information provided by Urban Outfitters Inc. employees.
• URBN. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.urbn.com