ASHLAND — What’s not wrong?
That question is one Lisa Ryan, an author and certified speaking professional, posed to the crowd at the North Central Workforce Alliance’s annual workforce summit.
The event, in its ninth year, brings local business owners and educators together to convene on challenges facing the local workforce. This year’s summit centered on employee retention — a challenge the area’s leading industry has faced in recent years.
Ryan’s work focuses on gratitude and its importance to both mental and physical health.
During her speech, Ryan had the crowd turn to a partner and share their answers to the question of, “What’s not wrong?” People shared about things like the weather or their families.
According to Ryan, that practice of gratitude and asking what’s going right in one’s life should extend into the workplace.
“When employees are recognized, they’re energized,” Ryan said.
Ryan said workplace culture improves when employees feel that their employer is grateful for their contributions. That, in turn, helps with employee retention.
What works?
When it comes to retention, Ryan said finding ways to appreciate employees, putting them first and offering them job-related training opportunities all count.
Having a positive culture begins on day one for an employee, Ryan explained. On the first day at a new job, Ryan said an employee can either be shoved away, filling out paperwork, or have a chance to meet all their new coworkers and start getting to know them off the bat. The second approach makes a difference in retention, Ryan said.
During her presentation, Ryan invited two local businesses that implemented good practices in the areas she discussed to share: Wooster Brush Company and Centerra.
Karen Alsop, the human resource director at Centerra, told the audience her company’s workforce mostly falls under the age of 35. Because of that, the company has had to adapt.
For instance, Alsop shared a story about a presentation Centerra employees had to watch. Several young employees sat on their phones during the presentation.
When Alsop talked to them, they explained they’d been researching the topic further. They showed her their research, and Alsop realized they hadn’t been distracted — they’d been engaged the whole time.
That experience showed her the company needed to listen to its employees and have a willingness to try things in different ways.
She also shared how the company had begun implementing “applause” in its day-to-day, and recognizing its employees’ good work.
Employees at Centerra receive wooden nickels when they’ve done something above and beyond the call of duty. But, the point of the nickels isn’t to amass as many as possible.
Instead, Alsop said employees are meant to pass them along and recognize other coworkers doing their jobs well. Doing so has helped improve the company’s culture by bringing gratitude into play.
Accountability matters
Changing a workplace’s culture and bringing gratitude into the mix doesn’t happen overnight, though, Ryan said. Instead, she encouraged employers present to look for one thing they could change in their workplace that might help energize employees.
For some attendees, Ryan’s suggestions were ones that resonated. Donna Dienstberger, the human resources manager at Schmidt Security Pro, said she was glad Ryan spoke about the importance of the first day at a new job.
She said Schmidt Security Pro had changed the company procedure for the first day recently. The first day used to consist of plenty of paperwork.
Now, though, Dienstberger said the company begins that onboarding process before employees walk in the door. They fill out their paperwork beforehand, and Dienstberger goes over the key points on the first day in person. Then, they spend the rest of the day meeting other team members.
“Everyone we’ve hired the last couple years have said how great it was,” Dienstberger said. “… People there see you’re trying to make things better.”
Dienstberger sat with Martha Miller, who works in human resources at MK Metal Products. It was Miller’s first year attending the workforce summit, and she said she appreciated Ryan’s message as well.
For Miller, the biggest takeaway was a note to recognize employees for positive contributions more often. It’s something she already tries to practice, but she said she wats to ramp it up.
“Nobody has too much gratitude in their life,” Miller said.
