Eric Jennings | The HR Playbook
HR Manager | McElroy’s
What strategies have been most effective in shaping a strong workplace culture?
Since Homer McElroy founded McElroy’s Plumbing, Heating & Air in 1951, we have always understood our success is determined by the quality and dedication of our team — from our union-affiliated technicians in the field and fabrication shops to our administrative and support staff in the office. This is also true for our related company, McElroy Electric.
Both firms emphasize our core values in everything we do: positive attitude, trustworthy, problem solver, craftsmanship and service to others. Living these core values in our daily duties pulls us together as a high-functioning team and makes us trusted providers of essential skills and services for our customers.
In an industry where workers may feel like cogs in a machine, we strive to ensure our teammates know they are valued individuals, not just a number. We frequently show our appreciation by highlighting the quality of our teammates’ work in pictorial social-media posts. We celebrate key work anniversaries and we periodically provide high-quality, McElroy’s-branded clothing as a thank you, to wear with pride.
How do you ensure culture remains consistent as the company grows or changes?
McElroy’s and McElroy Electric have substantially grown and evolved through the years. They strive to show loyalty to great employees in a world where business naturally ebbs and flows. Many of our teammates have been with our companies for 10, 20, even 40 years or more.
We show our continuing appreciation to our teammates by enhancing employee benefits as the world changes. Our companies are constantly looking to improve what we provide to our employees to show our appreciation. Recently we enhanced our service anniversary awards for tenured staff and added a new telehealth benefit to ease the burden of rising medical costs.
We strive to remind our team of our core values with the annual “McElroy’s Core Values Integrity Award” that publicly celebrates an individual whose work especially exemplifies our core values while achieving excellence in service to our team, customers and community. The honoree is nominated by fellow employees and chosen by a committee of peers, so employees have a voice in who is selected.
Safety is also an essential part of our culture that must absolutely remain consistent. We strive to hire well-trained, safety-conscious employees to join our experienced team members and grow our safety culture. We share and follow industry best practices, regulatory guidelines and our own experience. Together we maintain, update and promote our safety procedures, training materials and culture to best protect every one of us, wherever our job duties take us.
Click Here to go back to The HR Playbook | Real Strategies for Strong Company Culture
