A company—no matter what that company makes—is only as good as the people it employs. They are truly the backbone, heart, and face of any manufacturer. And while it may seem self-explanatory to state how important employee morale is, it’s equally surprising to find out how often it goes overlooked.
Employee morale is fundamental and critical to a company’s success. High morale is associated with low turnover, increased productivity, decreased sick leave, and greater pride in work. And of course the opposite is true. When a company truly cares about its employees, it shows—and then it’s apparent in the work those employees do.
At Dart Controls, we care very much about our employees, the members of our team who make us who we are. We are proud to employ the best in the business, and we appreciate how much they do and how well they do it. Therefore, we like to take small, regular opportunities to show them—which is one of the reasons why some have been with us for over 35 years.
Recently we held our annual company cookout, setting up tents and enjoying the start of summer, along with the meal we provided and the homemade desserts our associates brought. It was, as always, a great success.
Another way we recognize our employees is by celebrating the significant milestones of their employment, typically every five years. We give small tokens of our appreciation, and big words of appreciation. We also regularly honor team members through our Project Recognitions Program, given to specific people who are developing new projects, displaying their names on plaques and banners. In this way, we acknowledge that many individuals are responsible for the two Grainger Wards we as a company have received.
Our other areas of celebration and recognition continue throughout the year, from holiday parties to the very jovial and often humorous Wing Nut Awards, playfully poking fun at ourselves and each other.
We take our work and our clients very seriously, but we find that by appreciating our employees and providing times for recognition and amusement, they can enjoy knowing how valuable they are.
