JULY 2014
SPOTLIGHT www.dakotasupplygroup.com
Tom's Current
Equal Isn't Always Fair I read a blog written by award-winning speaker, Eric Chester. He talks a lot about workplace culture and employee engagement – you know, all of the things that make us like or dislike our jobs. Recently, he posted a parable about compensation entitled “Why Equal Pay For All Your Employees Isn’t Fair To Any Of Them,” a story about twin brothers who work at a sawmill. Both brothers have worked at the mill for the same length of time and both hold the same position. Yet, one of the brothers is paid significantly more. To illustrate why, Chester describes an instance when the mill’s manager gives them the same job in order to prove a point. He asks one brother at a time to check out a load of logs that is waiting to be evaluated. The first brother returns a succinct, factual answer: “40-50 large logs, mostly pine, and all appear to be in pretty good shape.” His brother’s report looks like this: “38 pines; most are about 20 feet and are in really good condition. There are also 11 aspens, which are slightly shorter, and all but 3 are in pristine condition. He wants $1,000 for the whole load. Sam McHenry was down here twice last week looking for aspen for this large furniture project he’s working on, so I called him and asked if
he’s still in the market for aspen. He told me he’d take the eight good aspen off our hands and offered $150 for each. If we accept his offer, we’ll make all our money back plus 20% and the 38 pine will be pure profit.” The first brother did what was asked of him and reported the facts. The second brother took those same facts and regarded them as only the first part of the answer. He then utilized them to suggest a plan of action that would make the mill a profit while saving his boss the time it would have taken to come up with the plan himself. That’s why the boss pays brother number two more money. If he paid them the same, it might be equal but it would not be fair. Why? Because brother number two brings more value to the mill. Think about your own team. Is everyone compensated simply by time spent on the job (hourly wage, etc.)? If so, you’re selling everyone short. It’s unfair to your better-than-average employees because they bring the company more value and thus should be worth more. It’s unfair to the company because it doesn’t encourage other employees to excel. And it’s unfair to the average employees, because there’s no reward for improvement. Not all employees are created equal, and their compensation shouldn’t be either. They should be able to expect better pay for better performance. Try this and let me know the results. I’m fairly certain they will be easy to see.
POP QUIZ 1. In 1970, Plymouth modified the Roadrunner with a distinctive spoiler and a unique horn sound. What did they call it? 2. What is the highest finish that the men’s U.S. soccer team has ever recorded at the World Cup?
Mike Dunbar with East River Electric – 26" walleye in SD.
3. In what year did John Daly win the British Open? 4. Where did Hank Williams Jr. get the nickname “Bocephus”? ANSWERS: 1. The Superbird 2. The U.S. finished third in 1930, the first year of the World Cup 3. 1995 4. His father nicknamed him after comedian Rod Brasfield’s ventriloquist dummy
>> Submit your own outdoor photos to www.dakotasupplygroup.com/dsg-outdoors.
MARKETING TOOL KIT
A Simple Way To Develop A Profitable Hourly Rate Budget Shaper is an easy-to-use online solution for finding the best hourly rate for your business – and it’s free for DSG customers! Here’s why more and more successful companies are using Budget Shaper:
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No more guesswork – Budget Shaper helps you easily identify whether you are making or losing money, how productive your employees are and, most important, what hourly rate will help to ensure profitability for your business. Easy - to - understand results – Budget Shaper provides hard numbers and concrete targets. Plus, the results aren’t buried under accounting jargon. Your profitable hourly rate is right there in black and white.
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100 percent online – Budget Shaper is built entirely as a web application, so users can log in from anywhere at any time. It works great on desktops, laptops, smartphones and tablets.
To learn more, ask your DSG representative or visit www.dakotasupplygroup.com/budgetshaper! Signing up for Budget Shaper only takes a few moments. Contact your DSG representative and get started today.
Powerful what - if scenarios – Budget Shaper can help to prepare you for the future by eliminating surprises. It’s easy to modify factors and see how results change. For instance, if your business is looking to add an employee or company vehicle, Budget Shaper can determine if you will need a new hourly rate to go with them. JULY 2014 | SPOTLIGHT
Divisions of DS G
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www.dakotasupplygroup.com/venmar/
Watertight Plugs & ConnectorS From Pass & Seymour : Rugged Construction In
Divisions of DS G
Easy-To-Install Devices Rated watertight for 1,500 psi high-pressure hose-down, these Straight Blade and Turnlok® plugs and connectors feature multiple seals to ensure protection against the environment. Plus, they’re specially made for quick installations so you can finish the job faster. • Stand up to impacts, oils, chemicals, heat and weather – thermoplastic elastomer body construction sets these P&S plugs apart. • Long-lasting, superior corrosion resistance – nickel-plated blades and contacts mean your work makes a positive impression for years to come. • Faster installation with quick-drive assembly screws and terminal screws that are backed-out & ready-to-wire – these small enhancements can make a big difference on your deadlines.
Adaptability Sets FOSC 450 Fiber Optic Splice Closures Apart FOSC 450 Fiber Optic Splice Closures from TE Connectivity feature gel sealing technology for cable terminations. Now you can count on one consistent name to provide outstanding splice closure solutions for nearly any situation. • Perfect for almost any environment – aerial, pedestal, buried and underground. • Compatible with most cable types – including loose tube, central core, slotted core, ribbon fiber.
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The Job site
The Dangers In Playing It Safe In a recent article from forbes.com, author Panos Mourdoukoutas identifies an important paradox that plagues businesses of all sizes and makes it challenging to keep good employees. The flawed logic goes something like this: “Why keep training employees on an ongoing basis when you know they’re going to leave – possibly to a competitor?” The ironic flip side to this way of thinking comes from the employees themselves: “Why should I keep working here if my boss doesn’t contribute to my development?” In his article, Mourdoukoutas cites a Harvard Business Review study that found that on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the most important) young managers assigned a value of nearly 4.5 to training. But they valued the service they received from their employers slightly above 3. That is a very pronounced expectation gap, and it’s almost certainly one of the reasons why these young employees were looking for jobs elsewhere. Seventy-five percent of the respondents in the study sent out resumes or contacted recruiters to move to other companies. Ninety-five percent engaged in
networking activities and eventually left their companies 28 months after they were hired. Those numbers are sobering, but even more concerning is the fact that the people in the survey were young managers. That means these were the best and brightest – the folks that companies really miss when they leave. How can you overcome this vicious circle? It’s all about trust. Start by hiring employees that look like they want to stick around. This will help you to trust them. Then earn their trust by creating a work environment in which information is shared freely, rules are considered carefully and value is willingly added to employees. Nobody can stop workers from changing jobs, but the more open and transparent that managers are, the more likely they are to understand what these employees want. The good news in the article is that it indicates that retaining good employees isn’t solely a matter of money. Instead, the trust you show by providing training to your employees may very well be more important to them than an adjustment in their paycheck. Providing a meaningful career includes meaningful development for employees. Take the first step and make trust a company policy. You’ll be glad you did. Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/ 2013/11/11/two-key-factors-for-employers-in-talent-recruitmentand-retention/
JULY 2014 | SPOTLIGHT
DSG named “ National ESOP Company of the Year ”
PRESORTED STD US POSTAGE
PAID Detroit Lakes, MN Permit No. 14
Divisions of DS G Box 13573 • Grand Forks, ND 58208-3573
A big “thank you” goes out to all of the customers that DSG has partnered with over the years! With your help, we were recently named “2014 ESOP Company of the Year” by the national ESOP Association. The award was presented at the Association’s 37th Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. Here’s to more big achievements for all of us in the future – together we can do great things!
Oatey H-2O 95 Is The Perfect Tinning Flux For New Lead-Free Valves ! Now that lead is out, H-20 95 Water Soluble Tinning Flux is the best way to clean, tin and flux most commonly soldered metals including copper, brass, zinc, galvanized iron, tin or copper-coated metals. • Meets ASTM B-813 – in fact, it’s the only water soluble tinning flux base that does. • Quality you’re used to – H-20 95 is
as thick as No. 5 flux.
• Pre-tins for easy soldering – includes solder powder to pre-tin the pipe.
JULY 2014 | SPOTLIGHT