Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1464021
36 PalletCentral • March-April 2022 palletcentral.com team has led to some of the greatest improvements and/or developments made company wide. In addition to annual satisfaction surveys, we have partnered with Great Place To Work to gather this feedback and have been certified since 2019. Lastly, to further increase one of the most important factors in any organization, communication, we have established Ask Us Anything lunches for employees to meet with their President/CEO and Vice President. Questions range from business to personal to everything in between. While each session is different, the outcome is always the same, an increased line of communication, greater transparency among all and a major leap forward in morale. David Colavita Manager Delisa Pallet Call it old school, old fashioned, behind the times; for more than six decades, Delisa Pallet Corporation has not strayed far from our long-standing employee retention model. Of course, we tweaked it along the way but we held true to our values, especially while enduring a global pandemic. e current workforce environment continues to become more impersonal and detached. We recognize this to be a leading factor in the current "employee exodus" trend. Several months ago we proactively evaluated our employee compensation levels. Our goal was to provide compensation rates that were at or above market levels in order to retain and attract. Money will always be a key driver but it's certainly not the only factor propelling our employees' happiness and motivation. We make it a point to personally check in with individual team members often and actively listen to them. Even prior to COVID, we made a conscious effort to let our workers know just how essential they are to us and the supply chain. is empowers them to perform their best and lead with confidence. We seek out, respect and value their opinions in the company's decision-making process which promotes employee happiness and company success. e recognitions we offer are not in a tweet or company blog. ey have always been and will continue to be face to face. Not much different than six decades ago. Kurt Larsen President & CEO Viking Engineering & Development Viking's most important asset is our people. We believe firmly in recognizing accomplishments, being transparent with our employees, and having fun as a team. We hold a quarterly "State of Viking" all employee meetings where we give everyone an update on the state of the business and industry and also award a Champion of each quarter. is is a peer- nominated award which encourages team members to recognize their teammates for going above and beyond. Once a year, we also vote on an annual Champion, distinguishing someone who exemplified our Viking Core Values day in and day out, all year long. Not only are the winners showcased in that meeting, but we also share their accomplishment on social media, letting our customers and followers know just how awesome our employees are. Our social media platforms are also a great way to welcome new hires to the organization. Every new Viking employee is recognized with a post on social media. We feel it's important to share our growing team with our followers, to put a name and a face to all the hard work that gets put into every shipped machine. As President & CEO, I believe in sharing the Viking Vision and making sure every employee understands their role in the execution of the Vision. We operate under the E.O.S Traction model which emphasizes Vision, Traction, People, Data, Process and Solving Issues. Basically the sharing of information, data, a shared vision and putting the right people in the right seats. Employees are encouraged to visit customer locations and attend conferences and expos to meet our customers and learn about their business. Last year over 20 Viking employees attended the Richmond Expo. Last but not least, we love to incorporate some fun into our workday as much as possible. We often have free food days and "treat" days such as bringing in a coffee cart or scooping ice cream in the summer. And recently, we got our entire team together for a well- deserved off-site party complete with bowling, prizes, and lots of food. We feel it's important to bond as a team and to show our staff appreciation for all that they do for Viking and our customers. We have established Ask Us Anything lunches for employees to meet with their President/CEO and Vice President. — Kirsten Williams, Ongweoweh