Well-run companies have something in common; they recognize that
a healthy culture is rooted in trust and can translate into a significant
competitive advantage. Talented people want to work for a management team that
supports their aspirations, provides an on-ramp for career advancement and
focuses on practical matters like workplace safety. Since 1999, the APA has
been recognizing corporations and organizations—both nationally and
regionally—that meet certain criteria for a “Psychologically Healthy
Workplace.”
Ace recently won “Best Practice Honors” as part of the APA’s
Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award.” To qualify for consideration, Ace
submitted a comprehensive application and allowed onsite evaluation to see if
they met the APA’s criteria for:
- Employee Involvement
- Work-Life Balance
- Employee Growth and Development
- Health and Safety
- Employee Recognition
Value Streams promote collaboration.
According to Ace CEO Jean Pitzo, “Some of the practices the
APA recognizes in their award were already in place at Ace; things like
employee participation in decision-making. For instance, at Ace, we are divided
into three Value Streams. The teams meet every other week to review metrics,
celebrate successes and check the boxes on workflow, team communication and
safety. We have what we call our Flow Stopper Award that gives $50 for a
suggestion that eliminates any practice that stops workflow.” The Value Streams
help team members establish healthy lines of communication and foster a unity
of purpose. Says Jean, “These meetings are uplifting for many reasons, but a
key benefit is around the ability to share ideas and then see them come to
fruition.”
Sharing the wealth of the organization.
Says Ace President, Dale Ball, “A company’s wealth can be
measured in lots ways. It’s not just about profit, but about the opportunities
we provide for training, continuing education and celebrating milestones, like
work anniversaries, birthdays and family.” Citing a number of measures that
resulted in the APA’s decision to award them Best Practices Honors, Jean says,
“Our employees are well versed in the requirements of modern manufacturing,
like lean practices, quality metrics and on-time delivery. Their willingness to
deliver every day helped us make a significant decision, to move to Open Book
Management. We actually share financial data with our people so they can see
and understand what it takes to ‘make the numbers.’ When we meet our financial
goals, we pay a quarterly bonus. When we don’t hit it, we don’t pay it. In
other words, we’re in this together.”
What it means to the organization.
For Ace, it’s not just about celebrating the award. Says
Dale, “Of course we’re proud of being recognized by the APA. But, more
important are the benefits of a healthy workplace to the organization. The
cohesiveness of the entire team has improved. We have Kaizens for process
improvement and on-time delivery. We’ve even invited new applicants to our
Value Stream Meetings so that they can see how people work with each other at
Ace.”
“And it doesn’t stop there,” adds Jean. Competing for recognition
has made us both nimble and energized. Every aspect of our business from
employee benefits to Value Streams and job coaching has been impacted. For Ace,
this is just the start; we know that when people are happy and engaged, their
trust and enthusiasm has a positive impact on their work – and their lives”
