From September 13 to 15, some of our Giroux Glass team attended GlassBuild America – the largest glazing industry tradeshow – in Atlanta, GA. Our vice president of Nevada operations, Greg Wright, spoke at the event’s Personnel Roundtable, held on the first day of the event. Wright and his fellow panelists discussed the priorities, challenges, and special considerations to account for when it comes to attracting and keeping the right personnel for your company. Here is an overview of the insights Greg contributed to the deeply informative exchange.
On building a strong company culture:
Building a strong culture is a continuous process; it’s never a box you can just check off as “done.” At Giroux Glass, we build it through our daily actions. It can’t be just a list on the walls of the office. Instead, it’s a demonstrable belief system that is actively engaged in, from the top down.
Our company culture is a common topic in meetings and our managers cascade the messages throughout their departments, so it becomes a strong part of what Giroux Glass, as a company, stands for. We also have a steering committee dedicated to cultivating commitment to our core values. One of their incentives is the Core Value Superstar program. Every month, our employees nominate a colleague who has demonstrated our core values (which spell “Giroux”): Growth, Integrity, Respect, Ownership, Unity, and eXcellence. This not only rewards each month’s winner, but also consistently reinforces our guiding principles throughout the company.
On personnel challenges:
Recruiting and sustaining great talent while remaining true to our core values is an ongoing challenge. During times of skilled labor shortages, like we often face in this industry, it can be tempting to let certain things slide in order to get the job done. However, at Giroux, our core values are incorporated into everything we do — we will not compromise them due to a lack of talent. In the past, we’ve had to let go certain people for dishonesty. While this is never ideal, other individuals have volunteered to step up and fill the gaps until we found replacements, reflecting their commitment to these values as well.
Another, more hands-on challenge at Giroux is that we require employees to understand our overall company budgets. We share regular updates to our financial standings in order to empower every employee owner to make choices in the best interest of our company. While this encourages accountability and good judgment, it also asks employees to participate in training that expands beyond their normal job duties. Implementing this policy can be challenging, considering how busy everyone is, but we find its impact to be significant enough to warrant the push. We know that our employees appreciate management’s transparency, as well.
On recruiting, onboarding, and training new employees:
We approach hiring new employees as if we are adopting someone to join our family. Once we confirm they have the experience we are looking for, we go through a lengthy process to see if they are a culture fit. This includes bringing a team of current employees together to meet their prospective colleague. If the candidate passes this phase, we will likely hire them, even if they lack some of the exact experience we’re seeking. In other words, we can train someone to have the skills, but we can’t train them to be a good fit with our culture.
I remember my own hiring process: being sandwiched in a booth at a restaurant while Nataline Lomedico, our current CEO, and then-company owner Anne-Merelie Murrell grilled me far more about my life experiences than the detail of my professional achievements. That was new for me; at the time, I didn’t know if I should run or stick around to see where it all was going. In the end, the mutual passion to excel and not settle for status-quo held my interest. Now, I’m the one doing the grilling, and I see first-hand the difference it makes in building a strong team.
On attracting personnel to the field of glazing:
The best method for any company, in any industry, is to highlight the potential for growth it offers. At Giroux Glass, we promote growth from within whenever possible. Every member of our executive team started at a more junior position within the company. We’ve also seen many glaziers become project managers and/or estimators. In fact, we just recently got a call from a field glazier who would like to become a project manager. Even though his office was not actively seeking a new project manager, we are now in the process of creating an opening for him. When you find a person who has the hunger and drive, you make the position available.
Part of encouraging growth involves creating a supportive environment for it. Giroux Glass strives to do so by offering a number of initiatives and incentives that foster a sense of connection and community. These include:
- Prioritizing work/life balance so that our employees have the time needed for their family and for enjoying a good quality of life.
- Encouraging committee participation (Steering, Innovation, Culture and ESOP) to allow employees to experience different situations and strengthen their leadership skills.
- Hosting companywide peer groups that allow colleagues to learn from each other, bond, and collaborate.
- Offering flexibility with paid time off for a variety of reasons including vaccination, family leave, and more. Depending on their role, individuals may also work remotely in order to avoid traffic.
- Sponsoring travel to other office locations to meet coworkers in other cities and encourage face-to-face collaboration.
- Sponsoring fun activities like company potlucks, chili cook offs, Hawaiian warrior dancing classes, taco trucks, scavenger hunts, “Office Olympics,” bowling parties, golf parties, costume contests, axe throwing, and beyond .
- Funding extensive and ongoing training for technical and “soft” skills. As an employee-owned company, succession planning is ongoing, so we offer training to further develop the communication and technical skills our workers need to take our company into the future.
- Organizing and encouraging mentorship: We assign a “buddy” to all new hires, and offer mentoring through the organization. We also mandate that all employees continually seek feedback from others.
- Offering weekly check-ins and quarterly reviews of SMART goals, to track progress regarding our employees’ professional and personal goals.