Energize Your People

William Rulien (center) hires only the best for Amweld: (front l-r) Office Manager Amanda Rouen, Administrative Assistant Kamie Doctor, (rear l-r) Salesman Dan Rulien, Cylinder Service John Roesener, Foreman Jack Knutzman, and Driver Lester Bovia.

William Rulien, president of Amweld (Joliet, IL), believes that if employees are happy, customers are happy too. He offers a variety of programs that give his employees something to look forward to on a regular basis, including “haircut day,” in which a hairstylist comes every five weeks to offer haircuts to all employees who want them, and a birthday game that offers employees the opportunity to win $20, $50 or $100, depending on which value of ping pong ball they draw out of a box. Keeping a sense of fun in the work environment produces subtle but tangible rewards. “I think employees see some benefit to that without even thinking about it,” says Rulien. “Nobody wants to work someplace where everything is so strictly business that they can't tell a joke or have a little fun.” That attitude is conveyed to customers as well. “Our customers come from other, bigger distributors where they didn't like the way they were treated because everyone was so down and the place was gloomy,” he says. “We try to keep our place clean and brightly lit, which helps keep employees motivated. If a place is gloomy, employees will find it hard to work there.”

Keeping employees excited about the work they do is also important, and Rulien feels the best way to accomplish this is to give employees the opportunity to explore beyond their basic job descriptions. Part of Amweld's business is a trailer manufacturing company, and there is some crossover as welding supply employees switch to the trailer manufacturing side and vice versa. “It keeps everybody happier to be able to do different things,” he says. “If you did the same thing every day, wouldn't you get tired of it?” Rulien believes it's good for the business that all employees understand that sales is a part of everyone's job, so even non-sales employees get some time in that arena, whether that be working at local trade shows or at the trailer the company operates at a local racetrack, or hobnobbing with vendors at April's AWS Welding Show. Employees also are encouraged to think outside the box and suggest ideas that could benefit the company. For instance, employees are given referral cards, marked with their names on the back, to hand out to people they meet outside the confines of the store. The cards offer the potential customer a free gift for coming in, and the employee who has the most cards redeemed in a given month receives a prize. (6 Employees)

John Boulter (left), inside sales, and Ted Harris, location manager, map out their day's work.

Sometimes keeping employees energized has as much to do with actual physical energy as it does with motivation. Advantage Gases & Tools (Portland, ME) offers employees corporate accounts at a local gymnasium and encourages them to participate in local community health programs, such as the recent “March into May” program in which participants exercised regularly and prizes were given out every week. Keeping employees healthy benefits the company in several ways, since healthy employees are more likely to work harder and less likely to be absent from work.

Advantage Gases & Tools also offers an incentive program to discourage absenteeism. Any employee who doesn't call in sick for the first or last six months of the year receives a $40 gift certificate to the restaurant of his or her choice. Says Human Resource Director Dot Moreau, “It's less expensive to give somebody a $40 gift certificate than to have them call in sick.” And the program works—about one-third of employees end up winning a gift certificate in a given six-month period.

Another event Advantage Gases & Tools employees look forward to is a biannual company party, when employees and spouses gather for dinner and entertainment. “Our fringe benefits are beneficial not only to the employee, but also to their spouses and family members,” says Moreau. “A happy employee is one who is also happy with his or her family.” (132 Employees)

The art of keeping employees energized begins with whom a company employs, notes DeLille Oxygen Company President Tom Smith. “You have to start with finding and hiring the right people.” Smith employs a variety of methods to keep employees excited about working for the Columbus, Ohio-based company, such as offering 100 percent health insurance to employees, a rarity in today's world of sharply rising premiums. “The main part of keeping employees motivated,” he says, “is getting a buy-in. It's not my company. It's their company too.” To that end, Smith works to maintain a small-company culture and an open-door policy, so employees know management wants to listen to what they have to say.

“It was much harder to find good workers when things were going great and the unemployment level was at two percent,” says Smith, “and it was much harder to keep employees happy.” The secret to keeping those good employees once other options begin to present themselves again is simple, he says. “Treat employees the way you want to be treated.”

However, Smith adds that the most important thing to keep in mind is the necessity of dealing with employees individually in the way they need motivation. “Managers have to realize that people are different. Some have to be motivated with a stick, and others with a carrot. It's important to have both in your repertoire.” (62 Employees)

The heart of every distributorship—the pump room! (from right): Island Welding Supply's VP Brian Weber with pump room personnel Doug Sloan and Terry Rinke and Mike Small, driver.

Two concepts at the heart of energizing employees are compensation and communication, according to Island Supply Welding Co. (Grand Island, NE) President Jerry O'Brien and Vice President/Operations Manager Brian Weber. When times are tough, it becomes a little more difficult to keep employees upbeat and able to push to make that extra sale, so the company offers extra incentive with quarterly items for which each unit sold provides the employee with a reward. Says Weber, “It's interesting to see how a program like this works, because the employee can say, 'If I go out there and push just a little bit harder, I can put some extra dollars in my pocket.' That really gets them going.”

As a family-owned business since the 1950s, the company treats employees as part of the family, with dignity and respect. O'Brien stresses the importance of constructive criticism, which proves more effective than belligerence in motivating employees to do better. The effort obviously pays off, as Island Welding Supply employees have an average tenure with the company of 15 years, and two employees have been with the company close to 40 years.

Above all, however, it's important to keep employees informed about how the company is doing. “If the company is performing well, that's a direct relation to the employees performing well,” says Weber. O'Brien notes that the company currently is engaged in an expansion project, and employee support is vital to its success. Adds Weber, “If employees see growth and progress—replacing older equipment, venturing into new marketplaces—it really does make a difference. They're working for the future rather than the present.” (29 Employees)

(l-r) Depke's President Curt Towne spends time with employees Bill Troxel, who does inside sales and is the company's pumper and driver; and Shawn Pasley, fire and safety director.

The secret to employee motivation at Depke Gases and Welding Supplies (Danville, IL) may be the personal touch: communication and interaction, both on a manager-employee level and an employee-employee level. Says President Curt Towne, “I think it's important, especially during slow times, to go out and ride with a truck driver or go out to the fill plant and spend time with the salespeople and office staff, just to let them hear and see from me that I'm comfortable with what's going on, that we're going to make it through this and everything is going to be fine, while at the same time we need to be careful with expenses and make sure we're not doing anything frivolous.”

The company holds meetings once a month and sends periodic memos to keep employees informed about what's happening with the company, good or bad. “When there's doubt out there, that can create uneasiness among everyone,” says Towne. The company also provides a profit sharing program, so employees share in both its successes and its challenges.

An annual Christmas party—traditionally held in February or March—serves to bring employees together for a good meal and some relaxation time, and even some silly games. “I think most people like playing games, whether they want to admit it or not,” says Towne. “It forces people to interact, when they may have a tendency to sit back and watch. So we try to get everyone involved and create a stronger bond among us.”

Perhaps the biggest influence on employees' energy level is the attitude that pervades the company. “The most important thing is to be positive and optimistic myself all the time, especially in front of employees,” says Towne, “because I think attitude and outlook truly flow from the top. I try to keep everyone as positive and optimistic as possible, because it obviously reflects on how customers perceive our company when they're speaking with us.” (25 Employees)

Keeping It Light at Shasta Welding Supply

(An early morning group meeting gets everyone headed in the right direction for Shasta Welding Supply, says Manager Greg Griffin (from left), with Outside Sales Rep Dave Freemyers, Fill Pump Manager Jim Hoflander, Accounts Payable Manager Linda Butler, Special Delivery Driver Bill Robertson, Counter Sales Rep Scott Kinney, South Store Manager Bob Tanehill, Clerk Lindsey Swanson, Accounts Receivable Clerk Linda Saunders and Route Truck Driver Mel Winn.

“The number one thing—and the hardest thing, actually—is keeping everyone happy,” says Shasta Welding Supply Manager Gregory Griffin. “It's important to keep everybody pulling in the same direction.” Most of the Redding, California company's, employees have worked together for a long time, so they have experience working as a team. However, it's still important to renew that sense of community and shared purpose on a regular basis, both formally and informally.

“Everybody gets here early in the morning, and we have a group meeting to get everyone heading in the same direction, and off we go,” says Griffin. The company also organizes barbecue lunches for employees, as well as dinners for employees and their families to recognize outstanding company performance.

“We try to keep it pretty light, with a joking atmosphere, and everyone works hard,” says Griffin. “I try to be a role model: Show up early, work hard, treat customers well. You have to treat people the way you'd like to be treated.” He has high expectations for employees, and they know they have to fulfill them. In the end, Griffin says, what it all comes down to is, “Work or get fired!” (11 Employees)

(l-r) Marv Rodgers III, Hal Johnston, Danny Capstick and Ken Rettig review the day's routes.

Marvin Rodgers Jr., president of Alliance Gas Products (Oakland, CA), works to keep the business meaningful for employees by offering competitive benefits, training and events that keep employees informed about the company and foster their involvement with one another. The company provides on-site training as well as sending employees to vendor training classes. For example, a recent program offered by Lincoln Electric drew 30 of Alliance Gas Products' 36 employees. “Every employee was encouraged to participate, and we had everyone from truck drivers to accounts payable staff,” says Rodgers. “We want to cross-train employees so that if someone desires to go in a different direction within the company, they can have a working knowledge and a base preparation for making those changes as time goes on.”

Hats are optional at the annual All Employee Meeting.

Rodgers also believes in the importance of keeping employees informed, so every year the company holds an All-Employee Meeting. Says Rodgers, “We give our employees a well-thought-out, well-planned presentation that explains what happened in the previous year, what our plans are for the coming year, and just exactly how well we're doing overall. That's a meaningful thing for them that they can take home and understand more about the company they're working for.”

Alliance President and Chief Cook Marvin Rodgers Jr. serves up dinner to Bruce Day, store manager, at the annual A's tailgater.

Social involvement of employees with one another is also encouraged. The company used to offer an employee picnic, but that got difficult with people spread across a large geographic area. However, Alliance still holds a Christmas party every year, and once a year the company treats employees to a tailgate party and baseball game. “We have a working arrangement with the Oakland A's, and after a barbecue, everybody gets to sit in the skybox and watch the game,” says Rodgers. “We all get pretty excited.” (36 Employees)

Andy Oxy's “do-it-all” employee Scott Barnett (left) confers with Britt Lovin on a delivery prior to send-off.

For Andy Oxy Co. (Asheville, NC) Vice President and General Manager Britt Lovin, energizing employees is all about positive attitude and positive reinforcement. “Employees feed off senior management,” says Lovin. “When things get difficult, managers tend to clam up and keep everything to themselves instead of reinforcing their employees that everything's going to be OK and we've seen it happen before. During tough times is the most important time for senior management to be positive about the business and not negative; in other words, not going around saying, 'This is the worst month we've ever had. We've got to get sales up.' If sales are down or you're having a tough time, everyone knows it.” As an example, Lovin points to the sale of 50 machines in a “normal” month. “When only 20 are sold in a slow month, management should accent the accomplishment rather than focus on the shortfall.” It's also important, Lovin notes, to make sure goals are challenging yet attainable for employees, because unrealistic goals will only discourage them further.

The company recognizes employee achievements when recognition is merited. However, Andy Oxy deliberately does not have anything resembling an “employee of the month” program. “If you do it too much, it becomes mundane and doesn't have as much meaning,” says Lovin. “From time to time, we have an employee who has gone out of his or her way during a tough time, and we recognize that employee in front of the whole group with a monetary bonus, dinner out or some other reward.” Such recognition might come only once in a quarter or even once every six months, but when it is given, it's unusual enough that other employees take note that the person in question really did go above and beyond his or her normal job duties.

Lovin also believes in the power of relaxation, and the company tries to offer social events for employees at least once a quarter. “It's good to bring everybody in on a Friday and cook them hamburgers and hotdogs,” he says. “It gives everyone a chance to unwind and talk about things other than work. We encourage that at these events, rather than talking about the next order to be filled.” (40 Employees)

“From a management point of view,” says Bert Wolf, president of AOC—Acetylene Oxygen Company (Harlingen, TX), “our function is to do everything we can to support our sales and service efforts.” Wolf believes that employees perform at higher levels when management makes every effort possible to provide support for them. He adds, “Employees want to work for a company where profits go back into the organization instead of stockholders around the world.” Wolf reinvests back into the company, making sure that the company transportation and cryogenic fleet and equipment are top notch. All of AOC's branches are well staffed and have large, modern showrooms showcasing a well-stocked inventory. Says Wolf, “It is a David and Goliath battle today between independents and publicly traded companies, and we are not going to send our employees out to fight with just a sling shot. We send them out with a sling shot and a big stick. It's tough out there, and we want our employees to know that they have all the tools to compete.”

Bert Wolf (left) and Charlie Brons, region manager

Wolf also espouses the importance of keeping employees challenged, both by their peers and by their management, and encourages competition among branches and departments, as well as targeting the competition. “Rivalries among competitors keep employees on their toes, adding interest and fun to the job.”

AOC offers employees the chance to socialize and have fun with each other during company-sponsored events every quarter, including annual hunting and fishing trips, day trips to Mexico and Christmas weekends. Many of these social events are shared with spouses. It all combines to provide a positive working environment that breeds success for all. “Every day people call, wanting to work at AOC, so the word must be out that this is a great place for a career,” says Wolf. “We're fine-tuning every position. Over the years, we've replaced the weak links, and we've gotten to the point where we have very few of them.” Wolf's seasoned staff in key positions have tenure of 12 to 15 years with the company, which justifies his confidence. (200 Employees)

Sharing Ideas with Noel's Management

(l-r) Greg Noel with warehouse personnel John Mason, Shefdan Kennedy and Jason Harvey

Noel's Inc. (Farmington, NM) President Greg Noel believes that employees are motivated when they understand that they have a voice in the company, which makes them feel like they have a greater stake in it. “I ask my employees' opinions, since they're in a better position than I am to hear and talk with customers,” he explains. “When employees are part of the decision-making process as to what to go into and how to keep the business afloat, that keeps them active in trying to plan the future of the business.”

Noel encourages his employees to take part in training programs, especially when economic times are slower, since such training increases not only the employee's knowledge and abilities, but also his or her value to the company. “When it comes time for raises, we take a look at whether an employee has taken advantage of something offered to him like that,” says Noel. “That's how we evaluate whether the employee is going to be a productive member of our organization.”

Welding Mechanic Preston Garcia (left) shows new system to Greg Noel.

Administrative Assistant Toni Procter (seated) keeps things on track for Ann Noel, owner, and Greg Noel, President.

As a small, family-owned business, Noel's is well-suited to provide a comfortable atmosphere in which employees share ideas one-on-one with the management. The company offers a summer swim party and provides lunch for employees working on weekends, all of which inspires greater interaction among all employees. “It brings them closer as a family,” says Noel. “I treat my employees like I'd like to be treated, and they appreciate it.” (27 Employees)

Dispatcher Dave Gregor also makes deliveries in Cee Kay Supply's Gas Express trucks.

“One of the biggest things that keeps employees engaged is they're not just employees—they're part of the Cee Kay family,” says Ned Lane, president of Cee Kay Supply (St. Louis, MO). The company sponsors a picnic every summer at the founder's family farm and an annual Christmas party, and on biannual “family days,” employees bring their children to work on a Saturday and the company sets up fun activities. “The Dunn family, including the current owner, Tom Dunn, has always stressed the value of employees and the importance of creating a family atmosphere,” says Lane.

Perhaps the most important step the company takes is to keep open lines of communication with employees. “If it's possible to over communicate, we may be guilty of that at times,” says Lane. Management meets with individual work groups every quarter to talk about company finances and profitability. The annual business meeting, at which attendance is voluntary, regularly draws about 80 percent of the company's employees. Three years ago, the company also formed an employee roundtable group, composed of a cross-section of all departments, which meets on a monthly basis and offers suggestions on what can be done to make the company better.

Cee Kay Supply has a long-term perspective on employees, says Lane. The company did not lay off any employees during the recent economic downturn, knowing those same employees would be needed once sales improved again. “In the tough times, motivating employees was just reassuring them that even though it's slow, we're in for the long haul—just work hard, and there's job security.” It's important to be clear with employees and have them feel confident about the direction the company is taking. “One of the things we tell them,” says Lane, “is that the best way to take care of yourself is to take care of the company.” (95 Employees)

“Our employees are certainly our most important and critical asset,” says Aeriform Corporation (Houston, TX) President and CEO Michael Logan. “People want to be a part of something and know what's going on, and that can only be good for the company.” Logan stresses that communication is “by far the most important thing you can do, and it's probably the least expensive.” Aeriform produces a company-wide newsletter every few months that informs employees about what's happening in other parts of the company. “If something positive happens, we try to share that company-wide,” says Logan. “Conversely, if we've had some tough times, like many of us have had in this recent economic recession, we talk about that too. I personally try to be as open as I can.”

One of the best means of individual employee motivation, Logan says, is annual performance appraisals. “They are an important way of communicating specifically with that individual as to how they fit in and the importance of their role.” Logan notes that in his experience, the very best employees are the ones who are most interested in not only where they're doing a good job, but also where they can do an even better job. “People like to know that they're part of a company that cares about them as individuals,” he says. “People work for more than just a paycheck. They work for personal gratification and to be part of a team that is and can be successful.”

The company also recognizes employee achievements. For 14 years, Aeriform has offered award recognition programs for both attendance and safety. With the economic downturn, the safety bonus was reduced for a couple of years, but it remained firmly in place, and the award will be raised again this year. Employees with perfect attendance are awarded an extra floating holiday the following year. “Even though that program is fairly expensive,” says Logan, “if you look at the cost of a day's wages for an employee, we think it's very valuable. In fact, Aeriform has a continuously large number of employees who receive that benefit every year.” (210 Employees)

Store Manager Jason Hager (left) looks over new inventory with President Mark Miller.

The most important aspect of energizing employees, says Mark Miller, president of Central Welding Supply, Inc. (Ennis, TX), is making them feel valued and a part of the company's day-to-day progress. “We solicit input from our employees, realizing that not one person, even myself as owner of the company, has all the solutions.” For instance, the company recently opened its first branch in Terrell, Texas. “We talked about where we felt the best opportunity would be,” says Miller. “So far we've had some nice successes as a result of that branch, and I attribute that to everybody's input.” Management personnel maintain an open-door policy, so employees always have access to run an idea by them or ask for a quick problem-solving session.

The company also offers employees ongoing training in both safety and product knowledge, to better enable them to serve customers. “We're giving them the tools to do their jobs, and I think that's what's key,” says Miller. “We give them the authority, the tools and the responsibility to perform their daily tasks and take care of our customers, and our job in management is to support them, provide the resources to help the employees do those jobs and hold them accountable. Accountability comes with every responsibility.”

Organizational meetings are critical to success. Central Welding Supply President Mark Miller (center) meets regularly with Sales Manager Alan Stewart (l), Store Manager Jason Hager (r) and Credit Manager Carolynn Smith.

When employees understand that they have responsibility to the customer and the company, and that they are a valued part of the organization, that creates a sense of ownership that spurs them to greater heights, says Miller. “We don't want this just to be a job for employees,” he observes. “We want this to be a career. It's very expensive to hire someone and then spend time and money training them. Employees become familiar with our customer base, and when we lose them, we lose a resource. Our employees feel at home and know they are a valuable asset to the organization, and that's a motivation to them. We want them to know that their opinions and suggestions are not only welcome, but needed.” When employees are motivated, that transitions down to the customer level. “Customers can see the employee smiling over the phone,” he says. (8 Employees)

President Scott Bell (center) with (from left) Randy Theis, driver, Dave Gapen, general manager, and Shaun Williams, customer service

For American Gases Corp. (Gurnee, IL) President Scott Bell, the key to employee motivation lies in allowing them to set their own direction. Employees divide tasks among themselves, and the means to accomplish the tasks are left up to them. “I'm the owner, but I don't consider myself the boss,” says Bell. “Nobody's really told what to do, so I think my employees feel more pride in accomplishing something than they would in most other companies where somebody says, 'Here, do this.'”

Employees are encouraged to find ways to improve on existing methods and offer each other suggestions, and everyone understands how interdependent they are. “One guy doesn't want to call in sick because he knows he puts more work on everyone else,” says Bell. Bell notes that an informal competition existed as to who held the record for longest streak without being sick. He reached three-and-a-half years, while one of his store managers is up to four years. It's important for management to set an example. “I'm always here, and I'm always working,” he says.

The company organizes Christmas parties and company picnics to get employees' families involved. Employees receive a Christmas bonus every year, and the company offers a profit sharing plan that provides extra incentive, especially given that sales have gone up every year in the 12 years American Gases Corp. has been in business. “The average employee has a pretty substantial profit,” says Bell, “and they know that I'm doing the best I can for them.” (8 Employees)

Robert J. Goodliffe, president of J.W. Goodliffe & Son (Linden, NJ), stresses the importance of a fun and encouraging workplace. The company offers what Goodliffe describes as “a really casual working atmosphere” where dress is low-key but not sloppy, and employees are encouraged to be friends. Employees pool their rewards from manufacturer spiff programs because “you may not be the person who ultimately takes the order, but everyone here is really part of every sale.” At the beginning of each month, a game employees refer to as “credit lotto” allows inside salespeople to pick a three-digit number, and if that number comes up on a credit release during the month, the employee wins $50, which can help break up the monotony of a routine day.

Kelly Khoury (front) and Melanie Carmon handle the credit card processing and shipping terminals. Cross-training allows CSRs to have a variety of duties and helps avoid the monotony of doing the same thing every day.

Gino Turzani (left) counts the pile of “Miller Dollars” as Robert Goodliffe adds to his tally. All CSRs split manufacturers' spiff money so that all inside salespeople take part in every sale.

All of this combines to keep employees happy with one another and with their place of business, which in turn fosters better customer relations. “Some customers can really suck the life out of you,” Goodliffe explains. “If your coworkers are sucking the life out of you at the same time, you're not going to want to come to work, you're not going to perform well, and when that challenging customer calls, you're going to give that person a hard time, and that's just bad news.” Employees who are positive about their workplace increase customer retention. Says Goodliffe, “If a customer calls here and the person on the other end of the phone cheers them up by the way they answer it, the customer enjoys that experience. But if a customer calls and the person at the other end of the line is in a bad mood, it can wreck their day.”

A sense of ownership prevails when employees realize the degree to which they are interdependent to keep the company successful. That sense of shared purpose extends beyond employees right to the top of the company. “I try to hold my employees to a standard, and I expect them to hold me to the same standard,” says Goodliffe. “I want them to be positive and upbeat, so I have to be the same.” In this way and others, his employees do him proud. “My name is on the building, and that name has been on the building for 66 years, so when my employees pick up the phone, they are a Goodliffe. They represent me, and I'm proud of the way they do that. I sleep very well at night knowing the people I have picking up the phone, and I say that with all sincerity. I wouldn't trade them for anybody in this industry.” (17 Employees)