The Challenge

In the past five years, Mortenson, Matzelle & Meldrum in Madison, Wisconsin, has more than doubled in size. The company has become one of the largest agencies in Wisconsin selling employee benefits and property and casualty insurance. Company President Charlie Meldrum understands that meeting the demands of such rapid expansion requires strategic management of the company’s human resources function.

“We have made the mistake of hiring people because they interviewed well, were friendly, and we just liked them,” relates Meludrum describing an employee selection process that is used—misguided as it is—by a majority of companies. The result in most cases is poorly aligned company needs and employee skills, measurable in unforeseen training costs and lost productivity.

The Strategy

Meldrum draws upon Wipfli’s people systems expertise and the Predictive Index® to help meet this challenge. The Predictive Index helps Mortenson, Matzelle & Meldrum tap the natural drives employees bring to the workplace. The management system provides a reliable measure of the vital personality traits required for each position within a company, allowing for an objective assessment of an applicant’s suitability for the job.

The Results

Meldrum points out that the information Mortenson, Matzelle & Meldrum receives from the Predictive Index allows the members of his company to work together better because they are able to assign responsibilities and structure rewards in a way that reflects each employee’s motivation. As a result, the company enjoys very high employee satisfaction and retention.