Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1464021
PalletCentral • March-April 2022 23 e survey results also led to better benefits and perks for employees, including Friday donuts, spot bonuses, safety boots, coats during winter, spa gift cards, dinners for employees and spouses and team- building activities for people working remotely, said Kehneman. "We also have our own online store where employees can buy apparel." Pallet Service Corporation is not alone in its proactive benefits initiatives. At Fox Valley Wood Products, Van Zeeland feels that the company's program of benefits has been a big reason why the Great Resignation has not hit the company hard. "e 15% profit sharing bonus that we've been providing has made a big difference. Our employees think twice before they retire because they're getting a big bonus every year. Most companies will do a 401(k) match up to a certain percentage, but we're putting 15% straight into their profit-sharing plan without any employee dollars being contributed. We have about an 80% retention rate, and of that 80%, most wait until they are 62 to retire." e 15% profit sharing plan is probably the most popular benefit for workers who plan to stay with the company over the long haul, said Van Zeeland. "Short-term, the most popular benefit is probably our annual 10% year-end bonus, which is based on their hourly salary and overtime. If we're starting somebody at $18 an hour, essentially they're getting another $1.80 an hour, and they get it all at one time. e benefit really helps people save, because if that amount were paid out weekly it might not be there at the end of the year." Both programs are part of a larger field of benefits. e company offers employees attractive hours: People work 45 hours per week with most Friday afternoons off, and no nights or weekends. e company also provides fun perks such as monthly pizza catering, attendance bonuses, drawings for minor league baseball tickets, and company apparel. Remote Contacts One phenomenon of the post-COVID world poses a particular challenge to businesses: the prevalence of remote workers. At Pallet Service Corporation, about a dozen of the company's 181 employees are working from home. at includes the entire sales and accounting teams. "I work in the manufacturing sector, and it's interesting how many front office people are working from home," said John Dyer, a consultant in team- based process improvement. "Many of them deal with the resources that employees on the shop floor need to interact with, and they don't have those resources available to them quite as close as they once did. For example, in one plant all the purchasing people now work from home. So the employee who has a problem with a supplier can't walk to that person's office anymore. ey have to figure out other ways to talk with them." Dyer notes other downsides to remote work. "People feel like they're on the clock all the time. ey may feel they always have to be available, and they may work late into the night. ey miss the camaraderie of their fellow employees. ey don't get the chance to socialize and interact and develop good relationships with their work groups. And when they spend time on Zoom they don't see the full body language of others, so it's difficult to know if they have reached agreements on things or if people are feeling positive or negative." Bottom to top: iStockphoto.com/Preto_perola/nortonrsx/Belitas/fizkes/itakdalee/Acik/NanoStock