Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1464021
PalletCentral • March-April 2022 29 Howe Wallace Founding President PalletOne, Inc. Howe Wallace, founding president of PalletOne, has been writing messages to his staff most days since 2005. What began as a 40-day follow-up campaign to middle managers following a leadership retreat, has grown into an expansive work that now sets a positive tone daily for 1,500 men and women at 18 facilities in 10 states. He got such great feedback after writing to their pallet plant managers for 40 days (after a retreat on acting like an owner) that he kept doing it, saying, "I want to be the voice in their head when they make decisions on the job." Howe's blog posts are all online for team members to hear the same motivational messages their coworkers have absorbed for years. Wallace aims to inspire and develop the full potential of his staff, helping to shape them into better people who are more successful and effective in all aspects of their lives. Howe says, "I'm passionate about the possibilities of people, and I want our employees to be the best little league coaches, scout leaders, and PTA members in the community. We want you to leave here better every day." Robert Heys Principal RJH Consulting Somewhere back when mass layoffs and downsizings became business strategies, the loyalty bond between employer and employee started to erode. Last year, record numbers of employees voluntarily left their jobs. Lack of loyalty along with COVID fears and a tight labor market were contributors to the trend of leaving positions voluntarily. e trend is not likely to reverse itself in 2022. While COVID and a tight labor market are out of the control of employers, they do have some control over employee loyalty. Rather than the short-term fix of buying employee time and, in the process compromising margins, employers can take steps to buy loyalty. In a Gallup study, 44% of employees indicated that they would be willing to take another position for a 20% pay increase. When employees are engaged in their workplace, the study found that the percentage declines to 30%. at is worth taking note of. Employees acquire expertise in their position during their tenure. Engaging with employees to tap into that expertise builds a mutual relationship. It is a rewarding strategy for finding efficiencies in a cost- effective manner. ere are many other strategies for engaging employees. Since each employee is unique, more than one strategy may be needed to be used to maintain a valuable workforce. Encouraging learning, giving positive feedback and showing respect are just a few examples. e internet is full of other ideas. Find the ones that work best for you and your team. Nikolina Krajina Chief Marketing Officer Helioz Technologies We are constantly trying to improve work conditions for our employees and increase their happiness. Last year we started with our first annual employee feedback survey that we will continue doing every year. We created specific and "to the point" questions and asked our employees for an honest response. e survey was completely anonymous, and almost all of our employees participated. Following the survey results, we started acting on improvements step by step. For example, we started giving annual leadership reports to our employees, gave them more days off, and so on. We also listened to what employees love about working in Helioz Technologies, such as flexibility and collaboration, so we know we are on the right path and should continue with this positive practice. We are also working on a new series on social media called "Meet Our Team," where we will present our workers to our professional network – of course, we will present those employees who want to participate. We will launch that series in April as a part of our fifth anniversary celebration. Our goal is to create an atmosphere where our people can grow and feel comfortable. at's why we send them to various educational programs and organize regular team-building activities. Our team is continuously keeping track of employee happiness and employer branding best practices, and we are trying to implement those best practices in our work as much as possible. An example video promoting women at Helioz Technologies is on YouTube at https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=R9ogqFSt4ws.