Deepening trust and keeping motivation levels high in a time of intense change

Barnett Plumbing & Water Heaters is one of California’s top installers of heat pump water heaters, with a hard-earned reputation for high-quality workmanship and conscientious service. As well as making sure their customers are happy, Barnett also prides itself on being not only a great place to work, but an environment in which employees can grow with the company while pursuing their individual goals.

Between the start of 2021 and the end of 2023, Barnett gradually transitioned from providing general plumbing services to becoming water heater specialists—a period that required a comprehensive re-evaluation of all their processes, from dispatch and warehouse management to training and marketing. While this was an exciting time of growth for the company, it has not been without its obstacles, and one of the biggest challenges was the change fatigue experienced by team members.

“We are an incredibly dynamic company for our industry and pride ourselves on a kaizen-like mentality that is always looking to improve,” says Josh Moog, Barnett’s Director of HR. “In addition to that, we are at the front line of California’s transition from natural gas water heaters to electric or heat pump water heaters, which means there is a lot to learn. These constant changes can be taxing on a team, so finding a way to keep people engaged and energized in the midst of change is huge.”

Countering Change Fatigue

One of the key ways that the company tries to mitigate change fatigue is through monthly one-on-ones between each team member and their manager, which offer a valuable opportunity to build trust, air feedback, and address any issues. And when Moog first heard about Attuned, he thought that the platform could be an effective way to introduce an additional element of understanding between each employee and their manager.  

“The biggest issue I was hoping to address was the uncertainty we had in how to best frame the never-ending list of changes we are rolling out,” recalls Moog. “Up until Attuned I had to paint with a broad stroke whenever a change was getting released because I wasn’t 100% sure what our team motivators were, so I would try and hit them all. In becoming water-heater-specialized I would talk about how it would stabilize the schedule, allow for more raises, ensure we are available to our customers in their time of need, allow us to be the best in the industry, and so on and so forth. Although there is some value to this, I think it diminishes the impact and clarity in comparison to focusing on the main motivators our team resonates with.”

Barnett plumbing Leadership Team

Using Attuned, Moog was able to see that the three top motivators across the company are Financial Needs, Feedback, and Altruism, which in turn allowed managers to adapt their communication styles accordingly, while also leaving room to switch things up for team members with different motivational needs.

“Knowing these motivators has affirmed our belief that there is a balancing act we must do to help our team understand the decisions we make from not only a financial perspective but an altruistic perspective as well. They want the opportunity to make more money and have financial stability, but also need to know that the products and services we offer are in the best interest of the customer. This is already true to our decision-making process, but the time we spend explaining how both these elements are achieved has increased,” says Moog. “It hasn’t taken the fear or insecurity that change can cause completely out of the equation, but it has reduced it and allowed our team to see the greater vision and get on board.”

Strengthening Company Culture

Another area that Barnett has used Attuned to improve is onboarding. “Attuned has impacted our new employees in two obvious ways. The first and most significant thing it has done is to reveal the heart of our company early on. Our new hires take the Attuned assessment within the first two days of employment, and from the feedback I have received it has been an eye-opening experience as they have never had a company care about their individuality in this way before. That sense of care they are experiencing is directly tied to our Altruism motivator and allows them a glimpse of that part of our company from the very start, which helps develop their buy-in and loyalty from day one,” says Moog.

“In addition to that, Attuned helps establish a shared language and rapport between the new employee and their manager. Rather than spending months working through surface-level conversations, this allows a connection to develop more quickly, and training and meetings to be more tailor-made.”

Particularly impactful, for new and existing employees alike, was the conversation that Attuned’s Intrinsic Motivation Assessment spurs between the employee and the manager to discuss the results. Moog says that this opened up areas of communication and self-awareness that may otherwise have been missed. “Many of us live with the subconscious, going about our day and completing tasks without any real understanding or acknowledgment of why we do what we do and what makes us unique,” he says. “Assessments like Attuned help bring the subconscious to the surface and provide the opportunity and tools to understand and share that with others.”

Moog adds that Attuned was also valuable in diffusing inter-department tension, specifically between the company’s dispatch and field teams. “Although we pride ourselves on the unity and support our team offers each other, the reality is there are still frustrating days. Days where a job goes longer than expected or someone calls out and we have to find a way to get to all our appointments with one less teammate. It is in these moments that tension can rise, and so knowing what language best motivates the team allows them to approach the issue together versus feeling like someone has to get the short end of the stick.”

But it’s not only in the relationships between managers and team members that Moog has found Attuned to be a valuable resource—it’s also helped the company reaffirm the direction of its leadership. “I thought it was interesting that the leadership of our company—CEO, VP, and Director—all had the same three top motivators: Altruism, Financial Needs, and Status. After seeing these results it made perfect sense as that is how we talk as a leadership team, that is how we make decisions as a leadership team, and that is why we have built the culture we have,” says Moog.

“We highly value the notion that each person is designed uniquely,” he adds, “and the more you understand yourself and those you work with, the better you can relate and accomplish the goal.”

Discover what Attuned can do for your organization