We all know the workplace is getting more and more difficult to manage. Since coming out of Covid, many organizations are floundering under new assumptions of how to operate. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Let’s get creative and stop this… starting out with a few important questions.
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For instance, as a leader of your organization, do you ever run out of ideas on how to better engage your employees? Are you tired of overseeing a stale organizational culture and want to foster engagement, prosperity, and cheerful and productive employees who actually want to be at work?
Those are just a few issues the Encouragement for Work Podcast will address.
We’ll interview nationally known thought leaders from corporate America, higher education, Christian psychologists, and even non-management members for their insights – all to bring you great ideas that help engage your employees and shift your culture toward higher performance. Each episode will feature an idea or process that’s made a tremendous impact on employees and employers alike.
This is possible! Extremely so. And Encouragement for Work aims to prove it. Listen to national thought leaders as they give encouragment for work:
Join creator and host Mark A. Griffin – experienced HR and organizational development professional, coach, consultant, author, and national speaker – on this new journey to achieve increased employee loyalty, superior communication, less turnover, and a greater appreciation for the business you lead.
The workplace. Where employers and employees converge. What is the culture of your organization? Is it Woke? Or Awake? What is the difference? Terms like DEI, ESG, and CRT have been in the news, but what do they mean to you – and what is an appropriate response for a faith-based workplace leader?
Host Linda J. Hansen is the Founder & President of Prosperity 101 Podcast, LLC, and the creator of the Breakroom Economics™ program. She is passionate about helping to enhance communication between employers and employees, especially regarding basic economics of job creation and business prosperity. Her original book in the Prosperity 101™series, entitled Prosperity 101 – Job Security Through Business Prosperity™, and the accompanying Workshop Facilitator Guide, were first published in 2009, and have been widely used across the country.
Mark A. Griffin is paving the way for employment opportunities without fear of religious discrimination even as the government seeks to reshape the business landscape. Mark stands in the gap and lives out his Kingdom mission by providing an alternative Bible-based DEI program for Christian nonprofits, churches, ministries, and camps. He also serves Christian-owned for-profit organizations looking for wiser choices in this space.
Listen in and glean beneficial information for your organization. You can contact Mark through his website, inhisnamehr.com, or find him on Twitter @inhisnamehr.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) might seem like a new concept, but it’s actually been around for a long time. It’s just that the content has changed over the years, with the fundamentals of today’s DEI programs being built on Marxist teachings.
On the surface, the resulting structure has the appearance of leveling the playing field. But the outcomes have actually been shown to be divisive.
Listen in as Kevin McGary and Mark Griffin come together to discuss an alternative to that script through biblical DEI. Kevin shares information from his book, WOKEd UP! and Mark shares more about his DEI certification program. Together, their efforts provide a standard that celebrates differences and human connectedness in a much more accurate and effective manner.
Kevin and Mark also discuss how they met through Pinnacle Forum, which was inspired by Dr. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ International. Dr. Bright challenged a handful of leaders in 1995 in Phoenix, Arizona, saying, “I believe the only way we can change our culture is to find a way to network our high-influence leaders and inspire them to use their influence for God.”
Kevin McGary is an entrepreneur, author, and public speaker. Kevin serves as co-founder of Every Black Life Matters (EBLM) and as chairman of the Frederick Douglass Foundation of California. His background, passion, and keen observations about the momentum of dramatic changes in culture and society all shine through WOKEd UP!, the fifth book he’s authored. All of his previous books delved into the arenas of politics and theology. But WOKEd UP! is strictly designed to combat the many powerful forces producing overarching influences seeking to detach global populations from positive morals and traditions.
Host Chuck Bryant has served with Pinnacle Forum since 2005 and is currently serving as its president and CEO. Chuck has held a few instrumental roles with Pinnacle Forum, first as executive director of Pinnacle Forum Modesto in California and then on the national board as well as board chair.
Mark A. Griffin is paving the way for employment opportunities without fear of religious discrimination even as the government seeks to reshape the business landscape. Mark stands in the gap and lives out his Kingdom mission by providing an alternative Bible-based DEI program for Christian nonprofits, churches, ministries, and camps. He also serves Christian-owned for-profit organizations looking for wiser choices in this space.
Listen in and glean beneficial information for your organization. You can contact Mark through his website, inhisnamehr.com, or find him on Twitter @inhisnamehr.
Enjoy listening to Guest Mark A. Griffin as he discusses “Job Shepherd, a Christian Friendly Alternative Job Site” with host Chuck Bryant.
Pinnacle Forum was inspired by Dr. Bill Bright, Founder of Campus Crusade for Christ International, who challenged a handful of leaders in 1995 in Phoenix, Arizona saying, “I believe the only way we can change our culture is to find a way to network our high influence leaders and inspire them to use their influence for God.” Join Them Here!
Chuck Bryant has served with Pinnacle Forum since 2005 and is currently serving as President & CEO. Chuck has held a few instrumental roles with Pinnacle Forum, the first as Executive Director of Pinnacle Forum Modesto in California. He then served for a few years on the National Board, as well as in the role of Board Chair.
Partner Mark A. Griffin is paving the way for employment opportunities without fear of religious discrimination as the government seeks to reshape the business landscape. JobShepherd.com is currently available for free for job seekers and employers who want to ensure they are landing in healthy environments. Mark also lives out his Kingdom mission by providing an alternative biblically based DEI program for companies and organizations. Listen and glean beneficial information for your organization. You can contact Mark through his website: inhisnamehr.com or find him on Twitter @inhisnamehr. Mark Griffin’s bio.
The Christian Employers Alliance are Christian business owners and leaders of for-profit and nonprofit organizations, boldly standing up for biblical values – from Capitol Hill to Wall Street to Main Street. Are you ready to join them? Learn More Here
Amy E. Fineman possesses extensive recruitment and HR industry experience. Previously, Amy led talent sourcing and recruitment efforts for Fortune 500 companies such as Gap Inc., Tesla, and Microsoft. She has a wide range of industry experience including finance, marketing, communications, engineering, and technology, and has recruited for all levels of organizations.
Integrate — Creating Successful Training and Development
In our final example of integration of MVVs into HR practices, we will explore Training and Development (T&D). In the past 25 years, I have watched T&D dwindle to an almost nonexistent state in most companies. I could write a book on the impact of not investing in the development of your people, but you might find it boring. It is what it is, and it won’t change all that soon, unfortunately. But, as leaders of organizations, we must decide how we are going to right ourselves and guide our employees to work in alignment with our Missions, strive for our Visions and operate within our organizational Values.
Here are a few steps you can take to ensure you are addressing the T&D needs of your organization without going overboard:
Discover what is needed
Define what needs to be addressed
Seek the resources to accomplish the T&D
Initiate the T&D
Follow up to ensure it was worth the investment
Discover what is needed
Do some basic fact-finding and discover the gaps within your organization. Simply going through a job description review project can help you discover what skills and abilities are lacking in your team. Summarize these by category and you will start to discover trends across your organization. Take it even further and include a development aspect to your performance review process, and document what development is needed by each of your employees. When you couple this with rewriting your company’s job descriptions, you will take it to a greater, more desirable level of detail.
Define what needs to be addressed
Without a good outline of what gap(s) needs to be closed, you have the potential to be scattered all over the place. Take the list of items that you captured during your assessment stage and better define what is needed. Employees stating they need ‘communication training” is, frankly, too broad. Do they need public speaking classes? Would they benefit from e-mail etiquette guidelines? Or is it interpersonal conflict resolution training that is needed? Just saying we need “communication training” paints in overly broad strokes.
Seek the resources to accomplish the T&D
I am not generally an advocate of online training. While it may be good for some, I do not believe it is effective for the majority of employees. My experiences have demonstrated that people learn when there is real interaction. There is more than one way to develop and train an employee. For years, it has been customary to send people to seminars. That just does not happen much anymore.
Think outside the box.
A few years back, I was supporting a company that tragically allowed many immigrants to work without the benefit of English as a Second Language training for several years. When I discovered this, I was frankly outraged that these folks were never given the resources to better themselves. When the gap was discovered, I identified a resource, hiring a gentleman who had recently returned from Asia and who had been immersed in this same immigrant culture. He developed a curriculum to deliver and help these folks speak English for less than $1,500. Now, that is what building a ‘Kingdom Minded” organization is about. Ignoring the needs of your employees is not.
Follow up to ensure it was worth the investment
Another creative solution to a problem such as this is tasking an employee to become a trainer within an organization to deliver a topic that is relevant to the need that was discovered. One organization was lacking financial management skills within the company’s leadership. The American Management Association’s program, Finance for Non-Financial Managers, was delivered by an HR leader. Doing it in this fashion saved the company tens of thousands of dollars by avoiding sending managers out to seminars and also allowing the customization of the materials.
Was it worth the investment? The CEO said it was.
The CEO in this case witnessed an increase in the attention to detail of certain executives, an embrace of principles not so easily understood before, but it also gave him insight as to who were the “A” players versus who were the “C” players.
You’re probably wondering by now how this all fits into the integration of your organization’s Training and Development and its relation to the MVVs of the organization. I believe it dovetails, such as in the example of the Asian immigrant employees.
When you honor your employees by developing them, they will honor you.
When you honor your employees by training them, they will honor you. And when God is reflected in your heart and the way you respect your employees by not only paying them correctly and protecting them with benefits, but truly caring about their development, your employees will see Christ in you.
So don’t look the other way when it comes to T&D. Your employees will see you in a whole different way.
We value your contribution. What training and development programs have you worked with that were successful? Why were they successful?
Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of managing organizations is the act of recruitment. It is not necessarily difficult only on the candidates; it’s also difficult on organizations as well. Even though we are living in tumultuous business times, with real unemployment exceeding 10 percent in almost every city in our nation, recruitment is still a challenge for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to:
Lack of skilled candidates
Wounded and hurt applicants lacking trust of any organization
Having too many candidates to choose from makes it difficult to know where to begin
Salary expectation alignment; many candidates are accustomed to more
These are all hurdles to climb over but organizations that have a well thought out process and strategy will prevail in hiring the best candidates to accelerate the performance of the organization. The entire process of building a “Kingdom Minded” company revolves around including your Mission Vision and Values into every HR practice as practicable. The recruitment process is not excluded.
In developing your strategy, you should weave into the process several concepts that will help recruit the best candidates to help you manage within your Mission, reach your Vision, and operate within your Values. Your process should include:
Networking your vacancies to trusted sources
Using employee referral systems to increase your candidate pool
Use consistent hiring methodology when recruiting candidates
Always include your MVV in the recruitment process
Networking. Most companies, because of turnover within their HR department, or a lack of HR professionals within the company, do not have a formalized network to which they can announce vacancies. This is a concerning drawback to the process. Organizations should consistently mine for talent and the community should be aware of the organization and have a general idea of what they do and what their hiring patterns are. Organizations should spend time marketing themselves as a great place to work; this is also and effective form of marketing to potential customers. People want to buy products and services from organizations that treat their employees well. Start networking with churches, Christian colleges, LinkedIn groups, alumni associations, nonprofit executives, mission organizations, seminaries — the list could go on forever! The problem is that many organizations do not create such a network list. Network today; it will pay dividends in years to come.
Employee Referral Systems Nine out of ten companies I meet with do not have either a formal or informal employee referral systems for candidates. If they do have one, it is stale and not yielding any results. This is unfortunate, because people want to work with people who match the company culture, and know how and want to get the job done. Reinvent this program or develop it if you don’t have one. The easiest way to do so is to bring together a cross section of employees for half an hour and ask them straight out: would you refer your friends to work here? If not, why not? And what do we need to do to make this an environment that you would want to refer them to? Delve into what the referral reward should be in the program. Some miserly HR folks suggest one to two hundred-dollar bonuses. Considering a Monster board ad is three hundred dollars, not to mention the hassle of screening 10 to 20 candidates to get to one good candidate, don’t you think this is a bit stingy? Reward your people!
Consistent Hiring Methodology Lack of a consistent hiring methodology will get you burned. Getting an EEOC or Human Relations commission charge becomes not an “if” proposition but a “when.” But, stepping outside of the legal concerns, why not take the high road right off, and ensure your practice is beyond reproach? When recruiting, always have a job description, always have interview evaluation sheets, and always have decent but not copious notes of the candidate selection meeting when all interviewers give input. I have experienced some embarrassing situations at all levels of the organization where a document to support hiring or not hiring candidates didn’t even exist. If you don’t have this in place, make sure you keep your checkbook handy. You will need it.
And, finally, include your MVV in your process. You see, when candidates see this, they are intrigued, especially when the presenter presents it in a way that is exciting.
Candidates love to see people with passion and energy around their Mission.
Organizations have lost their mojo. Show candidates your passion! Most people want to work for a company that has direction. They are tired of the lack of leadership in government, in corporate America, and their local schools. The last thing they want to do is join a company that is weak and non-directional. Show them your passion through your MVV!
Explain to each candidate your Values, where they came from and why you have them. Let them know that you are a company founded on Christian principles. Most often the reaction I get from candidates when they hear this is, “Wow! Finally a place that might treat me with dignity and respect.”
Don’t worry about offending anyone. You are not pushing your values onto them; you are simply demonstrating what they are. I have had candidates say that they are not Christians, but that working for a company like ours would help them understand Christianity better. Exposing people to Christ — that is what we all desire.. That is the work God really wants us to focus on.
What have been your experiences in recruitment? Are there any best practices you would like to share? Be a difference maker today. Please contribute to the community and help others learn from your experiences. Thank you.
Today’s churches sit empty. More than any other time in history, your employees spend increased amounts of time commuting to and from work, working in their workplaces, and working evenings and weekends, disengaged from their families and communities. These increased hours have resulted in employees spending more waking hours at work than they spend at home with their families, with friends or volunteering in their communities. Because of this, we all have an opportunity and a mission: a mission to reach those who need saving. This is the world’s untapped harvest, a field of opportunity. And, as God proclaims, we need more workers into his fields.
Matthew 9: 35-38 (NIV) The Workers Are Few 35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
According to Pew’s 2014 Religious Landscape Survey, those who say they go to church or another house of worship at least once a week fell from 39 percent in 2007 to 35 percent in 2014. This number is probably misleading because many people may have embellished their attendance a bit out of a sense of guilt or obligation! However, assuming it is accurate that would leave a whopping 65% of U.S. residents not attending any religious services each week. This is a concern, because it clearly proves that, statistically speaking, your employees are probably not spiritually grounded.
This is where Christian business owners and executives must step in to help God fill the void.
As a human resources professional with 25 years of experience in both public and private companies, I can tell you from firsthand experience that the lack of faith in our workplace affects every aspect of the workplace. Employees’ lack of time to focus on their own spiritual needs will undoubtedly affect productivity, quality and safety. Harder to measure but just as important, it affects their own and their coworkers’ morale. Employees lacking in faith will bring far more problems to the workplace than those who are seeking God or are Christ followers.
You can try to run your business without God. Or you can include Him in your plans. I urge you to include Him. God is the ultimate business partner!
Therefore, those of us that are hesitant to embrace Christianity in the workplace must really look at it not only from a spiritual perspective, but from a business perspective as well. Far from being self-serving, this shows the attitude of a responsible business owner, attempting to prosper their business for the financial security and future of their employees and employees’ families.
If you are a business owner, sometimes you might feel like your the only christian in the workplace. Often times these feelings are not necessarily accurate. They are real feelings, but we find many organizations have faithful Christians working along each other, they just are not aware of it because of the fear of talking about faith at work. We are not in the business of creating “religious companies”, on the contrary we are in the business of helping to create a “Kingdom Minded” company. There is a big difference.
Makes Financial Sense
Leading a company with Christ-centered values just makes good business sense. I believe that Christ-centered organizations can experience:
Lower absenteeism
Higher quality products
Fewer employee morale issues
Safer work environments
Better perceptions by customers and vendors
What I have found to work
You must have a Vision, Mission, and Core Values. Many business professionals stop there. I urge all of you to go further. Integrate your core values into your Human Resources practices. This will:
Memorialize your standards
Provide guiding principles in all you do
Make your values easily understood by employees
Drive a values-based culture with your customers
Don’t just hang your Vision, Mission, and Core Values on the wall! Integrate, Integrate and then Integrate some more. Get your values into your culture and make it an intrinsic part of the way you work.
I believe that employees who work for an outwardly faith-based Christian organization are committed at a different level than those in non-faith-based organizations. Employees are more likely to go the extra mile, to trust their leadership, to deliver on their promises and be led by those who demonstrate Christ-like servant leadership, because they can!
Feel free to reach out to me and ask for my assistance in helping you develop and prosper a “Kingdom Minded” company. Contact Us
Have you worked for a company that has been outward in their faith? What were some of the obstacles the leadership faced? What were some of the benefits that the company enjoyed because of their desire to lead with principles? What’s your opinion? we would like to know.
In an economy that is yielding very little career opportunities, we are excited to be retained by this wonderful growing organization that provides packaging and distribution for the organic and cage free egg market.
Controller
Purpose of Position:
The controller position has primary responsibility for providing timely accurate reporting and support to the President to enable him to make sound business decisions.
Essential Skills:
Solid understanding of financial and managerial accounting
Report preparation
Excellent writing skills
Excellent analytical skills
Verbal Communication
Professionalism
Self-Confidence
Ability to Multi-task
Microsoft Office proficiency
IT
Essential Duties:
Oversee and manage day to day financial accounting
Responsible for 3 direct reports
Set up and monitor accounting controls to ensure accuracy and accountability
Complete timely accounting period close-outs
Work with accountant on tax and accounting issues and tasks
Perform year-end tax planning
Set up and monitor cost accounting functions and strategies
Provide accounting-related training to office personnel
Analyze financial and managerial accounting reports
Meet with managers and owners to discuss financial reports
Advise management on financial issues
Assist in analysis and management of insurance, banking, and investment products
Manage consulting relationships
Develop and maintain a documented system of accounting policies and proceedures.
Monitor and interpret cash flows and predict future trends
Formulate strategic and long-term business plans
Research and report on factors that influence business performance
Analyze competitors and market trends
Conduct reviews and evaluations for cost-reduction opportunities
Create accurate financial reports
Keep abreast of changes in financial regulations and legislation and advise accordingly
Monitor selling price and purchase contracts for pricing/costing charges.
Position Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance or 10 years related experience and training, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Proficiency in intermediate office computer tasks, including spreadsheets, word processing, e-mail, internet use, Dynamics NAV, and Visual Basic for Applications.
Complete support of and willing adherence to Westfield Egg Farm’s mission, vision and core values. Applicant must hold these standards as his/her own.
Manufacturing environment experience a plus
Personal Attributes:
The Controller will be privileged to information that should not be shared. The incumbent must maintain strict confidentiality in performing the duties of the Controller.
The incumbent must also demonstrate the following personal attributes:
Be honest and trustworthy
Be respectful
Demonstrate cultural awareness and sensitivity across a variety of cultures
Be flexible
Demonstrate sound work ethics
Due to the overwhelming response we anticipate we ask that you are patient during the selection and interview process. All qualified applicants will be notified.
Cover letters should include why you should be considered for the position and what would make you the best candidate.
Serious and confidential inquiries: HR@InHISNameHR.com
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Purpose of Position:
The Maintenance Mechanic has primary responsibility for maintaining production and quality by ensuring operation of all Westfield’s egg grading and material handling equipment.
Essential Skills:
Verbal Communication
Professionalism
Self-Confidence
Detailed
Ability to Multi-task
Customer Service
Basic Computer Skills
Essential Duties:
Ensure operation of machinery and mechanical equipment by troubleshooting malfunctions and completing preventive maintenance requirements on egg grading equipment, power jacks and production printers by following diagrams, sketches, operations manuals, manufacturer’s instructions, and engineering specifications.
Locate sources of problems by observing mechanical devices in operation; listening for problems; using precision measuring and testing instruments.
Remove defective parts by dismantling equipment and examining parts.
Determine changes in dimensional requirements of parts by inspecting used parts.
Adjust functional parts of equipment and control instruments.
Control downtime by informing production workers of routine maintenance techniques.
Fabricate repair parts by using machine shop instrumentation and equipment including welders.
Maintain equipment, parts, and supplies inventories by checking stock to determine inventory level; anticipating needed equipment, parts, and supplies; placing and expediting orders; verifying receipt.
Conserve maintenance resources by using equipment and supplies as needed to accomplish job results.
Maintain technical knowledge by establishing personal networks.
Maintain safe and clean working environment by complying with procedures, rules, and regulations.
Any other projects/duties as assigned by managers.
Hours: Willingness to work Saturday if needed to perform proper preventive maintenance or to make repairs that are needed to be able to grade the following week.
Must be on site during grading hours unless prior notification and preparation is made. Must be willing to be flexible with break times and mealtimes so as to be able to work on machinery when not grading.
Due to the overwhelming response we anticipate we ask that you are patient during the selection and interview process. All qualified applicants will be notified.
Cover letters should include why you should be considered for the position and what would make you the best candidate.
Serious and confidential inquiries: HR@InHISNameHR.com
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