3 min read

Are You Adding Value To Your Employees?

Sep 1, 2017 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Jon Wenger, President & CEO of Genesis Products. We hope you enjoy Jon’s wisdom and perspective.

Adding Value - Jon Wenger - FB.jpgThe RV industry is having its best year ever - and this is great for Elkhart County and the surrounding area. As a result, our community is experiencing record low levels of unemployment. As a large employer in the region (Genesis currently employs over 500 people in Indiana), I am asked this question all the time: “Do you struggle getting good people?” In my opinion, this is the wrong question.

Look at it this way – it’s a given that companies work hard to secure sales. We are constantly strategizing on how to add value to our products and services. The same logic should be applied to our people. As an employer, we are not entitled to have good people work for us. We must compete for talent and demonstrate our value to employees every day. You have to add value to your customers – you have to add value to your people. Having someone commit their time and talent to your organization is an honor and is not something to be taken for granted. A better question is, “Why will good people come to work at your company?”

If you don’t know how your company adds value to your employees at all levels you will never recruit and retain a top tier workforce. At Genesis, all of our managers are challenged to ask the following questions when it comes to their employees:

  • How will they grow their career?
  • How will you allow for them to be fulfilled?
  • How will you create a workplace that people enjoy coming to everyday?
  • How will you ensure that they can provide for themselves and their family?
  • How will you let them accomplish their goals?

What are you doing to add value to your employees?  

Here’s an example of how we’re striving to do this at Genesis. Our goal is to provide positive and fulfilling experiences for each team member. We want our employees to improve and grow in a manufacturing career which is why we started the Manufacturing Careers Program. The career program we’ve implemented is designed to increase competency, reduce turnover, and grow careers at Genesis so employees are promoted to higher levels of responsibility. This effort should also increase morale and establish an enjoyable work environment for everyone. The goal of the Manufacturing Career Program at Genesis Products is to provide an outlined path for each of our employees. We want to see our team take on ascending levels of responsibility and develop the skills needed to capture new and exciting opportunities within our company.

What’s The Risk?

Employees want to work in a place where they feel valued and it’s our job as employers to make sure we are recognizing the value they bring to the team. Failure to be proactive in addressing this need will put employers in the position where they are constantly needing to hire more employees. The labor market may be pushing companies to answer this question more proactively than they would have if unemployment was higher. But those companies who take this opportunity to truly look at how they add value to their employees, will see it pay dividends in the long-run with employee loyalty and a top-notch workforce.

 

This content was written and shared by guest blogger Jon Wenger.

Wenger03psbwLI.jpgJonathan Wenger is the President and CEO of Genesis Products. He co-founded the company in 2002 and has grown Genesis to be one of the leading suppliers of laminated panels and wood components in the RV Industry. Jon is a board member of the Boys and Girls Club of Goshen. Outside of work, Jon enjoys spending time in the great outdoors, cooking and boating with his wife Meghan, their two children, and two dogs. 

Connect with Jon on LinkedIn. Connect with Genesis Products via their website, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. 

Topics: Executive
Gibson

Written by Gibson

Gibson is a team of risk management and employee benefits professionals with a passion for helping leaders look beyond what others see and get to the proactive side of insurance. As an employee-owned company, Gibson is driven by close relationships with their clients, employees, and the communities they serve. The first Gibson office opened in 1933 in Northern Indiana, and as the company’s reach grew, so did their team. Today, Gibson serves clients across the country from offices in Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Utah.