event recap

THOUGHT-PROVOKING panel discussion featured (left to right) moderator Terry Miller and participants Brent Heavican, Bill Price, Jay Bowling, Steve Cheatham, and Barry Bauman.

Wholesalers down home at NAWLA Southeast regional

Following a COVID-induced hiatus, North American Wholesale Lumber Association resumed its schedule of regional meetings, with the return of its Southeast regional meeting April 21 at The MAX, Meridian, Ms.

Sandwiched between networking sessions was a captivating panel discussion that covered the full gamut of industry hot-button topics—in no small part due to the diversity of the presenters. The panel featured a wholesaler (Bill Price, All Star Forest Products), manufacturer (Barry Bauman, Interfor), treater (Steve Cheatham, Everwood Treatment Co.), technology provider (Brent Heavican, DMSi Software), and transportation authority (Jay Bowling, Blair Logistics).

They provided real-life examples, practical solutions, and forward-looking insight, speaking on everything from supply chain challenges and cybersecurity safeguards to future market corrections.

The next day, NAWLA offered a tour of Biewer Lumber’s state-of-the-art southern pine sawmill in Newton, Ms.

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NORTH AMERICAN Wholesale Lumber Association recently held its longawaited Southeast regional meeting in Meridian, Ms. [1] Barry Bauman, Bill Price, Dave McKinnon. [2] Jeremy Franks, David Evett. [3] Kenny Capps, Bryant Xavier. [4] Jay Bowling, Nick Allen. [5] Jay Hudson, Curt Stuckey, Steve Cheatham. [6] Kellie Hailey, Johanna DuFour. [7] Will Anderson, Curt Allen. [8] Ben Berry, Craig Crockett, Paul Bradshaw. [9] Tyler Mason, Greg Langford. 9

Respect personal time and needs. Be mindful when work demands extend beyond the employee’s day and try to restrict or discourage emails and voicemails outside work hours. Everyone needs time away from work whether to relax and recharge, to attend a kid’s soccer match, or to just get to the grocery store. It may be harder for employees who work from home to truly check out from work, and if they are non-exempt, they probably need to be paid for that time. 10 11Encourage all employees to unplug to handle what they need to so they can focus when back at work.

Q. We have an employee who is constantly on their phone for personal business. While we understand they need to check in with their family, it gets out of hand and keeps them from doing work. It also disrupts the office keeping everyone else from being able to do their work efficiently.

What can we do? 13 A. You can, and should, address the issues with the employee. Explain that the excessive time is impacting their productivity as well as those around them. If you have rest and meal breaks, require they restrict personal calls and texts to those times except for emergencies. Perhaps make an exception in certain situations such as when their child calls to say they got home from school, but then enforce a strict time limit on the conversation or tell the employee to use that as their rest break. You can also require employees 1615 to lock their phone in lockers, desks, or vehicles or, if they are accessible, have them silence any tones or sounds to be less disruptive. As with all policies, be consistent in enforcing NAWLA SOUTHEAST regional meeting attendees (continued from previous page) included [10] Anthony Muck, Jordan Lynch, Brent it, requiring all employees to follow the same requirements. Heavican. [11] Jim McGinnis, Harris Mayo. [12] Charlie Barnes, Trey Giles. 14

12 Be flexible. COVID is not going away any time soon so we will all have to continue to make adjustments. Employees will get sick or have to care for people who are sick. Employees will have to quarantine or stay home with a child who is quarantining. Understand that employees have to take care of their families first and the more flexible you can be, the more they will feel supported and ready to work when they can. Allow employees to have some fun at work. While potlucks may be out of the question for a while, you can still give employees a chance to have fun at work. Hold a spirit day where people can wear their school or team colors. Sponsor a group to participate in a local charity event. Surprise employees with a half-day off when things are slow. Celebrate birthdays and special occasions with cupcakes and cookies. Find out what your employees value and work them into your plans. Consider the big picture. While many employers may wonder how they will be able to add this to their long to-do list, it is important to balance the effort engaging employees requires with the possibility of those employees leaving the company. Often it is easier to accommodate NAWLA SE REGIONAL Photos by BPD a current employee’s temporary needs than recruit, hire, and train a new employee, which is even more difficult in today’s labor market.

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Paige McAllister, SPHR [13] Kevin Rooney, Tony Butler, Marty Hawkins. [ Affinity HR Group 14] Kelly Matthews, Jamie Vandenberge, Connie Baker. [15] Shelly Daniel, Andrew Tate, Patty Cook. contact@affinityhrgroup.com [16] Chad Hammonds, Court Robinson. [17] Lori Baines, Dina Fuller.

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