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WINNER: OVERALL EXCELLENCE
Julie Lattanzi
GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO
HR Manager, Union Joints When COVID-19 led the state to impose a number of restaurant restrictions in an effort to curb the spread of the virus, Julie Lattanzi, HR manager of Union Joints LLC, quickly put processes in place to help keep the Clarkston-based restaurant group afloat. Union Joints has about 400 employees across seven restaurants, a general store and cupcakery, a main office in Clarkston and a commissary. The restaurant group is known for restaurants including Clarkston Union in Clarkston and Vinsetta Garage in Berkley. When Michigan’s indoor dining restrictions were enforced last March, Lattanzi was tasked with furloughing nearly 600 employees, a majority of Union Joints’ workforce at the time. To help mitigate the furloughs, Lattanzi created a Union Joints Family Page, a website where staff can access up-to-date information and submit anonymous feedback. The website contained information and tips to help employees manage Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency process. “We wanted to make sure employees knew we had their back,” Lattanzi said. “Half the battle was making sure they had the information.” Three weeks later, Lattanzi rehired about 600 employees after Union Joints received funds from the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program. When Union Joints came off of the PPP last June, Lattanzi implemented Michigan’s workshare program, which allows employers to call back laid-off workers at reduced hours while they collect partial unemployment. “We knew that would help get money in our employees’ pockets at a time when they desperately needed it,” Lattanzi said. However, in November, the state issued indoor restaurant capacity restrictions and Lattanzi furloughed about 200 employees. Throughout these challenges, Lattanzi maintained communication by creating a HR phone hotline and organizing virtual town hall meetings via Zoom, allowing employees outlets to ask questions and air concerns. Since Michigan’s restaurant restrictions have been relaxed, Lattanzi has been working toward re-hiring restaurant staff, which she said has been a challenge due
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— Julie Lattanzi, HR manager, Union Joints LLC
to a restaurant labor shortage. To help recruit and retain talent, Lattanzi used an online applicant tracking system through Union Joints’ payroll vendor, Paycor. The system integrates with Union Joints’ career page and online job boards to be able to track where its applicants are coming from and what Union Joints’ hiring trends are. “It’s given us a leg up in terms of recruiting, especially this year,” Lattanzi said. Lattanzi also re-worked Union Joints’ benefits package to include perks such as additional time off and extended insurance coverage. “The foundation of HR is building the bridge between doing what’s best for the business and doing what’s best for the people,” Lattanzi said. “Having compassion but also having an understanding of the business element of it and a strategic mindset is critical.” Rachelle Damico Special to Crain’s Detroit Business
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JUNE 21, 2021 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 9
