Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1464021
24 PalletCentral • March-April 2022 palletcentral.com 24 PalletCentral • March-April 2022 palletcentral.com At Pallet Service Corporation, survey responses from remote workers highlighted some of these issues, and led to a new program called Five Minutes with HR. "ese are simple calls, no more than five minutes long," says Kehneman. "We discuss everything from how they are doing physically and emotionally, to how they are following our core values, one of which is maintaining good work-life balance. It's a very simple and fun conversation to ensure they have the same level of attention they were accustomed to having when they worked in the office. I also ask if they need any tools, or if they have any problems we can solve before they get bigger." Kehneman has taken other steps to encourage good employee communications. One is a series of ongoing quarterly "All Hands Meetings" in which the entire organization comes together to share updates, ask questions, and get to know senior leadership better. "We communicate the state of the business and emphasize our shared goals," said Kehneman. "is is the time when employees can raise their hands and ask questions. If something is not going the way they think it should, they tell us." Tracking results Taking steps to ensure employee happiness is one thing. Succeeding is another. At Pallet Service Corporation, the same quarterly employee satisfaction survey that solicits insights on employee satisfaction does double-duty as a barometer of success. "When the surveys began, employee satisfaction was measured at 54%," said Kehneman. (e company defines satisfaction as the willingness of employees to suggests family members come to work at the company). "During the most recent survey it was 99%. is has been an amazing transformation." e moral is clear: Responding to employee needs is critical to success. But consistency is required. "We work at employee satisfaction every single day," says Kehneman. "It's not just a one-time thing. It's not just once in a while that we have Friday donuts or meet with employees. It's not just once a while that we say,