Shelby Pyatt
Vice President, Human Resources & IT
Rayonier Inc.
Culture and employee experience play a critical role in enabling us to attract and retain the right talent. A positive experience translates to engaged employees and a strong organizational brand. While there are many aspects of employee experience that are important, some of the most impactful include: empowering employees to take ownership and make a meaningful contribution; ensuring employees feel recognized and valued for their contributions; prioritizing and supporting employee development; and treating employees with trust and respect, such as offering flexible work options.
While none of these aspects would appear surprising, it can be easy for people leaders to lose sight of them in the day-today grind of managing business priorities and challenges. Finding ways to keep these critical elements of the employee experience at the forefront for leaders can have a significant impact on attracting and retaining talent.”
Jennifer Ragsdale
Chief Administrative Officer
Uniti Group Inc.
In the 1950s, American psychologist Frederick Herzberg introduced the Motivator-Hygiene theory, categorizing factors in the workplace as dissatisfiers and satisfiers. For decades, many organizations have felt as though their ability to positively impact the dissatisfiers (salary, working conditions, polices) was their primary responsibility. In today’s marketplace, organizations are realizing that their responsibility to focus on the satisfiers (recognition, personal growth, the work itself) is what can set them apart from other employers.
While the basic conditions of a workplace should be met, organizations successful at attracting and retaining top talent are focusing on meeting the needs of employees in the areas of hybrid work arrangements, DEI efforts, truly rewarding loyalty and performance (we’re not talking about pizza parties, managers), and promoting interpersonal relationships. Employees want to know that their employer isn’t just depositing a paycheck, but is committed to their advancement and nurturing them as high performers.”
Sean Vanderelzen
Chief Human Resources Officer
Lineage Logistics
It’s an employee market right now, so it’s imperative to nail down the right pay and benefits—but we also have to offer a place where people want to work with career opportunities beyond the job we’re hiring for. We offer numerous resources for employees to develop professionally and grow personally during their time at Lineage. Some examples include our management training programs, employee resource groups,and continuous improvement roadmaps.
Lineage Foundation for Good, our charitable entity, includes an Employee Hardship Fund. It’s a huge element of engagement in our workforce. Most of Lineage’s charitable work aligns with food, and we partner with Feeding America on a regular basis.
We also have a lively recognition program that’s a great representation of our culture. We recognize people who display our values with “values cards.” We recognize those who go above and beyond with the X-Factor Award, and they receive cold warehouse jackets with a special patch. Our annual CEO Award goes to 12-15 of our 25,000 employees. It’s a trip of the winner’s choice, so it’s a pretty incredible experience for winners!”