Kluber Lubrication employees, from left: Rob Call, production worker, Fabian Galindo Trujillo, production team lead; Wilfredo Minier, production worker; James McGinnis, production manager; and Adrian Markusic, VP of manufacturing. Courtesy photo.
Taking care of employees’ needs and wants falls to the personnel experts in the HR department, but to retain workers, you need to get personal. That’s the advice given by leaders of NH companies that have found success with employee retention in a tight job market.
So what does it take to keep valued employees when the competition will eagerly recruit them? To answer that, we turned to participants in a panel discussion focused on employee retention held during the Governor’s Advanced Manufacturing and High Technology Summit in November as well as some of the winners of the Best Companies to Work For competition. The panel included Victor Giglio, president of Data Electronic Devices in Salem; Mark St. Gelais, president of Stamping Technologies in Laconia; Lindsay Becker, vice president of human resources at Vapotherm in Exeter; and Daniel Mills, president of PSI Molded Plastics in Wolfeboro.
A workshop at the Governor’s Advanced Manufacturing and High Technology Summit. Courtesy of Zenagui Brahim.
Get to Know Your Employees
Among retention strategies companies enlist, the one with the most impact is also the most old-fashioned—get to know your employees. St. Gelais of Stamping Technologies, which makes stamped components, says every morning he walks the plant floor and makes a point of knowing not only the names of his 27 employees, but also those of their partners or spouses as well as their stories.
Becker of Vapotherm, a manufacturer of respiratory technology with more than 280 employees, says connecting with employees creates a bond. “Employee engagement is the emotional commitment that a worker has to the organization and its goals. It is important that employees connect to the company goals right from the start,” she says. Among the ways Vapotherm demonstrates how it cares for employees is by developing a “breathe-easy fund” which helps employees in need. The request can come from the individual or a coworker.
Giglio of Data Electronic Devices, a prototype and contract manufacturer, says his company’s mission is to have “the world’s happiest employees.” And that starts with having a relationship of trust and communication between managers and employees. “You’ve got to be present,” he says. “I know all 653 employees by name … our employees are our best recruiters.”
Don’t underestimate the value of such interactions. Manchester-based CCA Global is a cooperative with 15 independent business brands and more than 2,800 business locations. When CCA employees were interviewed for Business NH Magazine’s Best Companies to Work For competition, and asked why they chose to stay at CCA, one of the reasons they gave was CEO Howard Brodsky and the culture of caring he has created. They spoke about Brodsky starting every morning by greeting each of the 105 employees and asking them about their lives and how they are doing. Brodsky has said that this is the best hour of his day, as it helps him connect to employees and gives him the pulse of his workforce. It’s also one of the reasons why CCA Global has been named to the Best Companies to Work For Hall of Fame.
Keep Communication Flowing
Creating personal connections plays into another important aspect to keeping employees, as well as one of the biggest challenges companies face: clearly communicating with employees.
At Klüber Lubrication in Londonderry, Erin Koskela, human resources manager, says central to their successful employee retention are benefits, events and activities, personalized support to employees and their families, and training and development opportunities. But there is also a big emphasis on two-way communication.
“Our executive management team and managers, in general, follow having an open-door policy in regard to communication,” Koskela says. “They make sure to spend time getting to know colleagues in all departments and do spend time on our manufacturing floor. It’s critical to our management team that they are aware of what’s going on in our plants across the board. It truly is a team effort. It’s these ideals and corporate culture that continue to stabilize and increase our employee retention. “
Klüber and Vapotherm were among the top 10 in Business NH Magazine’s “Best Companies to Work For” in 2018, along with Novo Nordisk, a biotech manufacturer. Vice President Peter Gariepy hosts a monthly “Coffee with Peter” meeting with different groups of employees for an open discussion. The company’s “Our Voice” survey is another way to ensure that employees assist in improving the culture and operations.
Mills of PSI Molded Plastics agrees that regular communication is essential. “Communicate, one-on-one, walk around every day,” he says. PSI also holds monthly meetings with staff and operates on a collaborative model rather than top down. Mills says the Lakes Region is not a big area to draw from so they are thinking outside the box, working with the local correctional facility, talking to people in work release as well as those in recovery from addiction.
Invest In Their Career
While talking is great, so is action. St. Gelais says maintaining a skilled workforce is the greatest challenge for businesses right now, and they need to be prepared to invest in training. “In the past six months, we have started to hire from retail. If someone is willing to learn, we will train them in-house.”
Koskela says that through its parent company, Freudenberg, Klüber is able to offer employees a variety of training and development opportunities, including leadership, diversity and inclusion, communication workshops, and even advanced technical training at the corporate facilities in Munich, Germany.
Becker says professional development is key to keeping turnover low. Vapotherm is a strong proponent of promoting from within and offers several development programs to spur this, including LEAD, or Leadership Exploration and Development. The 10-month program is offered annually to eight to 10 of the company’s top performers who are not yet leaders. They spend one day per month learning the core principles of leadership as outlined in the book The Leadership Challenge. They are also expected to complete a “personal best” project by leading a team and implementing something that improves Vapotherm’s business, processes or product.
Vapotherm also holds an annual Global Development Week, where all employees participate in training, keynote presentations, celebrations and appreciation events. Last year’s theme was “investing in yourself” to help employees expand their skills and opportunity.
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