Views
1 year ago

SUMMER 2022

  • Text
  • Wwwgraphikacreativecom
  • Industrial
  • Threaded
  • Distributors
  • Bolts
  • Continued
  • Association
  • Manufacturing
  • Products
  • Fasteners
  • Fastener
Distributor's Link Magazine Summer 2022 / Vol 45 No 3

40 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S

40 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK GLOBALFASTENERNEWS.COM by JOHN WOLZ EDITOR editor@globalfastenernews.com STAFDA WEBINAR: EMPLOYEE RETENTION ABOUT MORE THAN 50 CENTS A positive company culture means the chance of employees leaving “goes down substantially. A company’s culture is what can keep stand-out employees from quitting to go down the street for 50 cents more an hour, a “chief appreciation strategist” told a Specialty Tools & Fastener Distributors Association webinar. Lisa Ryan recalled intrigue with the welding consumables industry drawing her into a job with Lawson Products where she was the only woman in the orientation class. She “fell in” by learning about metal preparation, joining assemblies and the “smell of welding.” But it was the culture of the company led by the boss that “kept me there” for seven years, Ryan recalled. At a Premier Automotive Supply Co. picnic, new employee Ryan approached CEO Mort Mandel. He took interest in meeting her and in doing so created a fan. Traditionally it could be layers of management asking “if it is ‘okay’ if Lisa says ‘hello’ to Mr. Mandel,” she said. Such personal contact can be lost in remote jobs. Particularly with working remotely during the pandemic the personal connection of “hallway conversations” are missed, Ryan found. To retain “human connections” with remote employees, Ryan suggested “keep the camera on” during remote meetings. Often an employee departing is “not about the money. They are leaving you, they are leaving your culture,” Ryan said. A positive company culture means the chance of employees leaving “goes down substantially.” Ryan said she has known employees who have taken wage decreases – even 20% less money – for a better work culture. The webinar, titled “How to Keep Your Top Talent From Becoming Someone Else’s,” Ryan refers to her experience in executive recruiting. During meetings, Ryan advised asking employees to write down three things they are grateful for. Spending 10-weeks on the positives encourages employees to be happier, she finds. You’ll have fewer headaches with happier people than with crabby ones, Ryan finds. You can expect happy employees “to do more and complain less.” Happy employees are ones you “are not afraid to send out to meet with a customer.” It is part of what Ryan terms “gratigy,” or gratitude/ strategy. Employers should be looking for the one thing that really resonates with an employee rather than the “flavor of the week,” Ryan told the STAFDA webinar. Ryan recommends a seven-point program for employee relations: ¤ Acknowledge excellence. While high performers have a six-to-one ratio of positive/negative feedback ratio, average workers come from three-to-one ratios. Conversely, low performers exhibit three negatives for every positive. ¤ Be accessible. Employees want access to company leadership – particularly younger ones, Ryan said. ¤ Express empathy. Your other employees will see and realize “they will have my back” in time of need. “Remember, the camera’s on,” Ryan said. “Even your body language shows to employees,’ she pointed out. BUSINESS FOCUS ARTICLE CONTINUED ON PAGE 124

SHARE A PAGE FROM THIS MAGAZINE

OPTION 1: Click on the share tab above, or OPTION 2: Click on the icon (far right of toolbar) and then click on the icon (top right of the page).

Copyright © Distributor's Link, Inc. All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy