Making Space to Thrive:
How AdNet’s dedication to employee wellbeing has helped them succeed for over 33 years and counting.
"Everyone is welcomed at our table."
Since Betsy Cerulo started AdNet in 1990, she has made it her mission to help her employees thrive within a compassionate, listening-oriented company culture. We sat down and spoke with Betsy about what drives her, how she got here, and what keeps her employees coming back to AdNet.
Betsy Cerulo, owner of AdNet, is all about listening. After 33 years in business, you can often find the self-described “in the trenches, pull-up-your-sleeves kind of CEO” on a phone call with an employee asking how things are going. “The key to employee retention is paying attention to your employee’s mental health. When there is a struggle, I make it a point to listen. If an employee is struggling and a customer comes to us, our policy is, let’s have a conversation. I’m a certified executive coach, another staff member here is a former social worker. We have conversations, and sometimes that’s all it takes to turn it around. It takes a small shift to make a big change. And I believe that all employees deserve that.” And this policy has made a big difference for the business. Since 1990, AdNet has grown from a small executive search firm to a strong presence on the commercial staffing side, 60 percent of which is in federal government contracts. And a big part of winning those contracts is having every advantage when it comes to certification.
“We are a women-owned, LGBT certified business. We were actually one of the first LGBT owned business to get 8(a) certified through the federal government based on LGBT status, which is a big deal, not only for the community but because having 8a status gives you a small playing field in which to bid for government contracts. Certifications allow small businesses to have access to more contracts which helps to grow a business faster. After we became LGBT certified in 2012, ‘coming out’ in a sense, it was an invitation to new hires. In the workplace, people don’t always feel safe. Sometimes it feels like basic human rights are under attack, so I have taken a stand where I can, not only for my employees but also for myself. I am a thought leader who voices my views and what I support, and on the business side, that approach has helped to build stronger bonds with our customers and employees. AdNet is a safe space, and everyone is welcomed at our table.”
“All people are good, and change starts with us.”
Walking the fine line between running a successful staffing business and letting people go can be a hard one to walk, but Cerulo does her best. When AdNet has to terminate someone, she makes it a point to do so with compassion.
“In this industry a customer can instruct us to terminate employment, so we have to make the space to make people feel safe. My policy is, terminate with dignity. So often, especially as women, we hear ‘you’re not good enough’ and we internalize it and it becomes ingrained. We have to work hard to show our greatness. So, I try to be sensitive to that when I have to release someone. I don’t want them to feel guilty or unemployable. It’s a fine line to walk, and it requires strong listening. I make sure our process is detailed, compassionate, honest, and just plain kind. It’s a small thing, but in this world, it can be hard to be kind. But my motto is that all people are good, and change starts with us."
“I stay in it because I see the difference that we make.”
Like many folks, staffing wasn’t something Cerulo sought out as a career. Instead, it found her.
“My history is that I graduated college and was guided to HR. I started in banking, but I couldn’t stand it. I was seeking a hospital admin role and wanted HR experience, and the only industry that would hire right out of college was staffing. I went to work for a firm in accounting since I had the banking experience, and I loved it. I was there for 5 years and probably would have stayed longer if the company hadn’t been sold. At times, I felt like a well-paid social worker talking to employees all the time. I was young at the time so I was talking to other college age people, and they felt that I understood them. I would say, just show up. And they would listen. And if people we're struggling, I would listen."
Back then, according to Cerulo, it was all phone calls, all the time. And the digital transformation over the past two decades have made an impact on establishing trust.
“It’s a little harder now to establish trust with email and text. But I still emphasize calls and I think people are surprised sometimes. In a world of email and text it can be disarming. Phone calls are the culture here, and my employees actually like it. The feedback I get internally is that it's enjoyable to talk to people who work for us.
At the end of the day, that’s the person who is putting food on the table for me and my employees. They are important.”
Starting her own staffing agency was a big decision, but ultimately entrepreneurship was the right call for Cerulo. While not easy, owning her own business and impacting the lives of others has been rewarding.
“It was a hard decision to start my own firm but once my previous employer was sold to a large corporation and lost the family feel, it was time. I didn’t have a lot to lose at 28, it was time to venture out into entrepreneurship. Kind of funny – the owner of my old company drove three hours to try and get me back. But once you’re an entrepreneur, it’s hard to go back. Sometimes it would be easier to let someone else make all the decisions and do it. It’s not glamorous, but it is fulfilling. I look at our culture as a laboratory to try out new processes. My employees and I get to be creative. It is at the forefront to see my employees happy, healthy, and fulfilled, and I give it my best. I’m an owner that takes it to heart, how my employees feel. When an employee is upset, I don’t sleep at night. But what keeps me going is making a positive impact. I stay in it because I see and feel the healthy difference that we make inside and outside our work culture.”