Debt collection rarely, if ever, has a positive connotation. Joe Erickson, Director of HR at IC System, spoke with Eric Johannes, Director of Corporate Marketing at IC System, about how this relates to the significance of creating a positive culture in this sector.
Erickson has worked for IC System, a family business founded by his grandmother, for 22 years. He sees the main benefit of working for a private-owned company as is being able to say when something is wrong and act with integrity, even when difficult. “Our core values are something that we’ve stuck by, and we have held to even when it is inconvenient,” he stated. “Being a private-owned company, we’re able to be more flexible, we’re able to do what’s right for our clients maybe more and were able to do what’s right for our employees maybe more.”
Because collections has a negative connotation, it’s crucial for IC System to spread the message that they are trying to do good. “We’re really trying to be the good guy and be an extension of our clients and treat people the way we’d want to be treated out there,” Erickson explained. This involves finding the right people to do the job and being a good steward of clients, the community, and employees.
IC System creates a culture of buy-in where employees believe in their vision. “If you have people that are not living your core values, it can spoil the water and it can make it bad for everybody else. And I think that we protect that, we protect our core values, and we really don’t make our people work with people that don’t align with us,” Erickson said.
To learn more about IC System and how they instill positive culture, subscribe to Closing the Books on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
