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WHY TALENT STILL MATTERS ADDRESSING TODAY’S STAFFING CHALLENGES
Until recently, a long-running bull market, low unemployment and a sense of economic optimism challenged many industries to attract and retain top talent. Then came COVID-19. While the long-term impact is uncertain, three local executives involved with recruiting and hiring shared their current strategies and insights with Crain’s Content Studio. What’s the most common recruiting challenge facing your industry? John Compernolle: Recognizing that we’re in extraordinary times now, Bank of America is making every accommodation to ensure the safety of our employees while continuing to serve our customers and clients. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, our biggest challenge was shifting the perception of banking to attract the new generation of workers. Banking has historically been synonymous with conservative, but that’s not today’s banking. With the digital revolution, we think of our company as a technology company—there are so many new opportunities for creative technology talent layered in with traditional finance expertise. The shift is influencing our culture, how we set up workspaces for better collaboration and even in some cases, how we dress. Julie Burke: Our biggest challenge is that we’re in a niche industry with a very limited talent pool, so we end up pursuing the same candidates as other architecture, engineering and construction firms. The emphasis on STEM programs in our schools will hopefully expand students’ interest in pursuing STEM-related careers.
Brand: We pay competitively for experience and offer bonus plans that support a pay-for-performance philosophy. It also helps when we emphasize to candidates that we’re a growing and financially stable business; the fact that we’ve been around 100 years serves as proof that our company is sustainable. That and the fact that we’re privately owned holds a great deal of appeal for many candidates who are uneasy with the quarterly uncertainties that come with a publicly-traded company. We also LARRY BRAND JULIE BURKE have robust, experience-rich intern VP, Chief Human Resources Officer Human Resources Manager programs. Younger candidates are Elkay Manufacturing Co. Klein & Hoffman Inc. impressed by our philanthropy and larry.brand@elkay.com jburke@kleinandhoffman.com volunteering and admire how we help 630-574-4501 312-251-1936 to keep single-use plastics out of the environment. We emphasize employee referrals, have put technology in place to enable employees to support passive support the career advancement of U.S.-based workforce. Our Women’s sourcing via social media, and have high-potential talent. We also offer a Next Level leadership program strengthened the rewards provided Diverse Leader Sponsorship Program, provides strategies and tactics to help through our employee referral which pairs diverse rising talent with multicultural women progress their Elkay ad. Crain’s Chicago Business. Attract & Retain Special Issue. March, 2020. programs. senior leader sponsors. careers, and our Women’s Executive Development Program through Burke: We’ve revised our Brand: We employ out-of-theColumbia Business School allows compensation program to really put box thinking to identify and attract women to engage, develop, retain and the value on recruiting and retaining top talent, promoting our stable, longterm business. Candidates learn that we put a true value on the importance of collaboration, teamwork and family. Employees and their families are a part of our firm.
JOHN COMPERNOLLE
SVP, Market Executive Bank of America john.compernolle@bofa.com 312-992-6329
diverse candidates for as many roles as possible. We’ve had some notable success, having recently received a national award for the diversity of our board of directors—the last bastion of the glass ceiling in the broader publicly-traded business community. Also, two of our female leaders were
“WE PROMOTE THE VALUE OF HAVING FEMALES IN LEADERSHIP ROLES, INCLUDING A STRONG MENTORING PROGRAM THAT PARTNERS SENIOR ENGINEERS AND ARCHITECTS WITH NEWER ADDITIONS.” - JULIE BURKE Larry Brand: Competition is difficult when recruiting for professional roles, but it’s doubly so when seeking candidates for hourly manufacturing jobs. Many candidates have multiple offers, which puts pressure on us to make quick decisions as to whether a particular candidate is right for the job. Our recruiting team has had to hunt more aggressively than ever, putting a stronger emphasis on finding passive talent for specific hardto-fill professional roles. All of this may change, however, in the aftermath of the coronavirus. What strategies and methods are you using to attract the best talent?
Compernolle: The four tenets of our employee retention strategy include recognizing and rewarding performance, investing in diversity and inclusion, creating and providing opportunities for employees to grow and develop, and supporting employees’ physical, emotional and financial wellness. How is your organization attracting women and diverse applicants? Compernolle: Women represent more than half of Bank of America employees, and people of color represent more than 45% of our
Imagine working for a company that inspired this kind of feedback: •
I’m proud to work for Elkay.
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The company invests in my success.
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I do work that makes a difference.
I love my co‐workers.
I feel like part of a family.
Come to work for Elkay, and that’s how you’ll feel.
Elkay is a thriving, values‐driven global company focused on doing the right things so we can be in business forever. We’re financially‐stable and family‐owned, with an enduring reputation for ethics, integrity, giving back, and providing an engaging, inclusive environment where careers flourish and grow. If you’re ready to join a company where everything you do makes a difference and you go home proud at the end of each day, visit Elkay.com and talk to us about joining the Elkay family!
WHY TALENT STILL MATTERS
ADDRESSING TODAY’S STAFFING CHALLENGES
successfully answering qualifying questions. Having the chatbot handle more administrative tasks frees up the
recently recognized for helping change the face of manufacturing, a traditionally male-dominated field.
candidate management system that allows them to view postings, schedule interviews and interact with recruiters
Burke: We promote the value of having females in leadership roles, including a strong mentoring program that partners senior engineers and architects with newer additions. One of our female engineers was recognized this year by a national group as the Outstanding Young Engineer of the Year. Our female employees participate in a group called Women in the Built Industry, and have created a supportive community within this male-dominated field. An important part of our recruiting efforts involves partnering with universities and developing great relationships within academia to identify the best emerging talent.
“WE’RE UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO CONNECT OUR EMPLOYEES WITH WORLD-CLASS FINANCIAL GUIDANCE, PLANNING, TOOLS AND SOLUTIONS. IT’S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HELPS SET US APART.”
What role does technology play in your recruitment efforts, and what are some best practices for using it? Compernolle: We’re digitizing our processes, making our platforms and tools more accessible via mobile and identifying opportunities to interact with candidates through their preferred channels. For example, we’ve expanded our campus recruiting processes and tools, redesigned the campus website and developed a new
- JOHN COMPERNOLLE via their personal devices. We’re also hosting interactive webcasts for candidates to provide access to events and workshops with our business leaders and recruiters, regardless of candidates’ geographic location. Brand: We use Workday Recruiting for our applicant tracking system domestically, and will be deploying it globally this year so all of our offices can more efficiently screen, process and communicate with talent. We’re rolling out a chatbot to draw more quality candidates into the recruiting funnel. It allows us to communicate with and screen them through automation, have their questions about our company answered electronically on a real-time basis, and have the candidates automatically scheduled on the recruiter’s calendar after
Burke: We use our social media platform to promote and highlight our company’s culture, and to differentiate ourselves from our competitors. It’s important to show who we are and the type of impact that our work has on the community.
recruiter and HR generalist to work on more meaningful parts of the process. This is a big win for the organization.
Do you offer any unusual perks to employees to help differentiate your organization from your competitors?
Burke: We utilize technology to assist with the lifecycle of our recruitment. Our applicant tracking systems allow us to quantify and qualify applicants, which is helpful for compliance purposes and organization. Our website and social media platforms highlight our company culture and our unique projects. Especially in the unique environment we’re currently faced with, technology has allowed us to safely interview talent without endangering employees or applicants.
Burke: We provide free breakfasts on alternating Wednesdays, contribute 90% of the membership cost to the gym in our building, provide wellness lunch and learns, paid parental leave, opportunities to volunteer in the community, recognition spot bonuses, an afterhours volleyball team and a “fun committee.” We also have summer hours, flexible work hours and do what’s needed to enrich the lives of our employees. Their well-being and career development is our focus.
How heavily is your organization relying on social media for recruiting?
Compernolle: Some of our more unique programs include eldercare benefits, 16-week paid parental leave, adoption and fertility reimbursement, back-up childcare, sabbaticals, access to financial planning and legal services. Our Life Event Services group helps employees through critical events, such as natural disasters, fires or acts of violence, domestic violence, gender transition in the workplace, survivor support, terminal illness, and transition related to military service. We encourage physical wellness with health screening credits and our GetActive! program. As a financial institution, we’re uniquely positioned to connect our employees with world-class financial guidance, planning, tools and solutions. It’s one of the things that helps set us apart.
Working Together. Building Integrity.
At Klein & Hoffman, we work collaboratively to deliver value-driven structural engineering and architectural restoration solutions. Whether restoring the façade of a historic building, replacing the windows of a condominium, or removing columns to open up a floor plan, Klein & Hoffman is counted on to deliver every time.
Brand: We use LinkedIn for professional-level recruiting and Facebook for hourly job recruitment; both have proven very successful.
150 South Wacker Drive Suite 1900 Chicago, IL 60606 +1 (312) 251-1900 kleinandhoffman.com
Brand: Perks that are somewhat unique in the business community include our bring your dog to work program; paid time to volunteer, vote and attend parent-teacher conferences; on-premises fitness center; after-hours sports teams; and volunteer events to promote wellness and community engagement. We have modern outdoor Wi-Fi areas, cafés on every floor, huddle rooms and casual play areas with ping pong, shuffleboard and skeeball where employees can meet and mingle. Our work from home policy was already in the works when the COVID-19 situation preempted our launch. Once business life gets back to normal, we plan to retain a modified work-fromhome schedule that balances the relationship-building value of live, in-
office face time with the comfort and convenience of work from home. What strategies are you using to increase employee retention? Brand: We’ve built formalized career paths for most of our professional functions, and leadership tracks for emerging leaders. A new job shadowing program called Elkay Bridges allows less seasoned employees to explore other areas within the company where they might want to pursue a career. Job rotation within the plants provides a similar benefit, where employees can increase their pay by mastering the skills needed in different areas of operations. This provides additional protection against injury for the employee while helping the company manage attendance variances. Compernolle: Our retention strategy is based on four pillars. These include recognizing and rewarding performance; being a diverse and inclusive workplace; creating and providing opportunities for employees to grow and develop; and supporting employees’ physical, emotional and financial wellness. We retain employees by understanding their needs and providing a portfolio of benefits that are customized to the employee’s stage of life. Additionally, we create a competitive advantage by empowering employees to understand and effectively use their health care and retirement benefits. Burke: We send out periodic employee engagement surveys to really listen and understand the voice of our workforce. The feedback helps us set a strategy as to how to address and create new opportunities for growth, compensation, development and engagement. For example, this year we’re creating a career path for our team members, revising our training and development programs to further enrich and enhance our talent and focused on recognizing our incredible workforce. The most important quality an employer of any size can do is to really listen to their team and be fluid in their approach. What programs have you put in place to build a more inclusive environment? Burke: Our firm had a strategic planning session recently and sent out an all-employee engagement survey so that everyone could share ideas and give feedback on how to really improve our experience and firm. What makes our firm truly special is that our leadership is interested in ensuring all employees have a voice and are committed to transparency. Compernolle: We have women’s leadership programs, mentoring
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ABOUT THE PANELISTS and mobility programs, and global diversity and inclusion councils. We also have programs focused on supporting individuals with disabilities and an industry-leading commitment to LGBT+ employees. We’re committed to service members, employing thousands of veterans and military spouses. We also offer a Diverse Leader Sponsorship Program which pairs diverse rising talent with senior leader sponsors to increase the visibility and representation of diverse talent. We’ve been recognized for these programs with recent awards that include Fortune’s Best Workplaces for Diversity and Best Workplaces for Women, both in 2019. Also, in 2019, our Investing in Women Initiative earned a Catalyst Award, which recognizes innovative organizational initiatives that address the recruitment, development and advancement of women. Brand: We have formal women’s leadership programs and millennial leadership programs to help these employee populations build the skills they need to be successful and establish stronger working networks within the company. Our monthly Welcome Wednesdays shine a light on new talent within the company and give them a chance to meet co-workers beyond their immediate team. We actively seek out the opinions of employees at different levels in their careers when considering new policies, programs and perks, to make sure that the added value and development
over 100 years in business is why people come to Elkay, and why they stay. Compernolle: We foster an environment of trust and engagement, where all employees are empowered to bring their whole selves to work. Remaining flexible and creative and listening to employee needs is critical to staying competitive. Bank of America is committed to being a great place to work and was recently named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” by both Fortune magazine and the global research and consulting firm, Great Place to Work®. Burke: Our culture has evolved over the last few years and is a significant reason for our employee retention. We put our employees first and have policies for flexible work hours, paid parental leave, the ability to work remotely if needed. Our firm attends industry social events together, goes camping and skiing. Our philosophy is that we enjoy working together, servicing our clients and spending time outside of the business. In light of the coronavirus pandemic, what changes has your organization made to its recruiting efforts? Burke: At this time, our entire workforce is working from home. We’ve changed our interview process to video conferences.
“WE BELIEVE THAT THE CULTURE WE’VE BUILT OVER 100 YEARS IN BUSINESS IS WHY PEOPLE COME TO ELKAY, AND WHY THEY STAY. “ - LARRY BRAND opportunities we’re offering align with our employees’ needs and desires. What role does your organization’s culture play in retaining employees? Brand: Our culture is probably the most critical tool we have for retaining employees. We’re a valuesdriven company with a warm, familial culture—the kind of place where people come to work and, in the process, make life-long friends. One of our values is “our strength is in our people,” and so many of the policies, programs and engagement activities we offer are a means of recognizing our people for the outsized role they play in our success. Year after year, our employee engagement survey results show that people are exceedingly proud of the company. We believe that the culture we’ve built
We’re still moving forward with our sustainable growth strategy but are focused on the health and well-being of our applicants and employees. While this new format is an adjustment, it allows us to communicate and interview regardless of location. Brand: At the moment, our entire professional staff is working from home. We’re continuing to recruit to fill the key roles that absolutely need filling. We’ve moved to phone screenings, then video interviews for professional-level positions. We’re currently also looking at drug-testing protocols, not wanting to expose new hires to any unnecessary risk factors. If the business closings and temporary layoffs result in a more prolonged recession, our challenge will be determining which positions remain essential for the company in a recovering market.
LARRY BRAND is vice president and chief human resources officer for Elkay Manufacturing Co., a Downers Grove-based, 100-year-old family-owned company that produces, sources and delivers residential and commercial building products and services. He joined the company in 2016 with nearly 25 years of experience as a strategic business partner to CEOs, boards and senior leadership teams in public, private, family-owned and private equity-funded businesses. He serves on the board of the Human Resources Management Association of Chicago, and teaches at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. He holds a bachelor’s degree and MBA from the University of Evansville.
JULIE BURKE is human resources manager for Klein & Hoffman Inc., a Chicago-based firm that delivers architectural restoration and structural engineering solutions. She joined the firm in 2017 and oversees strategy for HR, culture and the firm’s employment brand. She has nearly 20 years of progressive leadership experience developing HR strategies within the architectural, engineering, manufacturing, and health care analytics industries. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Michigan State University and away from work, is a hospice volunteer for JourneyCare.
JOHN COMPERNOLLE is a senior vice president and market executive of Illinois Global Commercial Banking for Bank of America, where he oversees services for middle-market companies with revenues between $50 million and $2 billion. He has spent his entire career in banking, starting with Continental Bank in 1982. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Michigan, and an MBA in finance from Loyola University Chicago’s Quinlan School of Business. He serves on the boards of the Chicago chapters of Junior Achievement as well as Big Brothers-Big Sisters.
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