The past four years have been very tough on the construction industry here in Florida and everywhere else too. Companies who have been in business for years have closed their doors. Others made tough decisions and made drastic cuts in personal.
I received a phone call last week from one of my team members, Danny. He actually works for a manufacturer that I purchase from on occasion. I call all the vendor, manufacturers, wholesalers who I use consistently team members because though we don’t work at the same company they definitely help me maintain and service the great customer base that I have.
Anyway, Danny called to share sad news, Jeld-Wen is closing their Tampa location. I was so dismayed because my thoughts immediately turned to him, his family and all the employees at that branch. Trying to find another job in this industry is next to impossible these days.
Turns out Jeld-Wen is a class act. After delivering the news they asked which employees would be willing to relocate to another branch. Then they set up interviews for those employees with the manager at those branches. If all went well the employee was “reabsorbed” into the other branch. If an employee did not want to relocate they are being given a severance package AND a headhunter to help with resumes, thank you letters, and interview skills. Not just a one time meeting but for a few months.
Honestly that surprised me. I haven’t heard of too many companies, recently, helping their soon to be former employees move on to their next opportunity.
Will life be difficult for these employees? Yes, but thanks to a caring company who values their employees it won’t be devastating. My friend said upon first hearing the news he was very concerned but once Jeld-Wen started laying out their plan he didn’t hesitate, he will be working out the Kissimmee branch staring April 11. Jeld-Wen has an employee that is going to work even harder because he believes and respects the company even more.
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| www.jeld-wen.com |
Now that is a company I am happy to purchase from.
It's so sad that this story is the rare exception. If companies treated their employees with respect they could get so much more productivity out of them and provide a healthier work environment. Instead employers want to overwork and underpay their employees and take the attitude that the employee should be happy that they have a job.
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