Page 18 - BusinessWest January 9, 2023

ments, and it just continually squeezes the small guy.”
BusinessWest: How has your business or institu- tion coped with the recent workforce challenges? Do you have a success formula?
Senecal: “Before COVID hit, we would never let an employee work from home; from a security perspective, from a collaborative perspective, it just wouldn’t work. Two weeks into the pandem- ic, we had 80% of workforce working from home without a hitch. I still think the collaboration, or culture, side of it has to occur within the office, but we’ve pivoted from that perspective, and we’re pushing the ability to work
amount of effort in the 10 years I’ve been here on creating a good culture. Now, it’s become a differentiator, and we’re pushing it even more. We’re an employer that listens to employees, responds to their needs, and cares. That’s what people want.”
Falcone: “We put a big focus on our company culture. Right in our strategic plan, it says ‘invest in people, personally grow, and have fun.’ There’s no doubt about it ... the people we have are our biggest asset, so what we want to do
is make sure that we’re taking care of them. In this ever-competitive job market, it’s really easy to jump jobs for an extra dollar or two an hour,
from home a whole lot more.
“To tackle the workforce issue
and spread our wings and look beyond Western Mass., we are advertising positions as ‘80% work from home,’ something you would have never thought of or heard of in years past. We have an employee now who works 100% out of Chica- go. As a local community bank, we would have never considered that. It’s increased our ability to attract talent, and we’ve found some suc- cess, but I know it’s still going to be a challenge moving forward.”
“We’re paying a lot of attention to employee morale and employee satisfaction, and being flexible where we can.”
but for us, we really want to focus on employee engagement and employee satisfaction.”
BusinessWest: Provide us with at least one, and maybe a few, rea- sons for optimism regarding the year ahead.
Falcone: “The supply chain is becoming more intact. Two years ago, our fill rates as a company were about 60%; December marked the first time our fill rates recently broke the 80% mark. They’re still not back to 2019
Tanzania Cannon-Eckerle says many converging forces will bring change to the employment-law scene in 2023.
Staff Photo
Dumay: “We had a Christmas party at the col- lege recently, and everyone was shaking hands — no one was fist-pumping, no one was six feet apart. It’s easy to forget where we were a year ago. I’m encouraged when I look at what hap- pened during the past semester, when students were happy to be with one another; this is the generation where students finished their high school on Zoom and already had some diffi- culty with social skills. This ability to come back together ... people are appreciating that.
“Another reason for optimism is that we
“Another reason for optimism is that we learned a lot of lessons during COVID. We endured considerable hardships, but we also learned some valuable lessons as well. In higher education, for example, we learned about online learning and providing students with maximum flexibility.”
learned a lot of lessons during COVID. We endured considerable hardships, but we also learned some valuable lessons as well. In higher education, for example, we learned about online learning and providing students with maximum flexibility. This is something we were forced
into by COVID, but now, those lessons are set- tling down and providing both flexibility and effi- ciency in terms of teaching and learning. From a human-relations perspective, we’ve learned some lessons that are becoming part of our operations, and for the better.” BW
Kasa: “We’re looking for exposure, and being in our bright new building certainly helps. So does using social media to attract young machinists; we’re using Instagram and Facebook ... it really does work with the young people that follow you. And being a family-owned business also resonates with many people; there have been so many capital acquisitions in recent times in this area.
“We spend a lot of time talking to parents about manufacturing and the opportunities that are available to young people. Manufacturing is coming back, and now parents are realizing that not everyone is meant for a college degree, and they don’t have to spend $100,000 or $200,000 on education; they are coming into machining and electrical and plumbing. The parents are really starting to see us as a viable option.”
Dumay: “We’re paying a lot of attention to employee morale and employee satisfaction, and being flexible where we can. Part of the promise of Elms College as a small, liberal-arts institution is that students will be in contact with people and one another, so having a presence on cam- pus is important. But we’re trying to
work creatively to include flexibility
for employees in terms of where
they can work and the time they
can work, to the extent that this can
be done.”
levels of roughly 90%, but it’s slowly getting better, and I think the numbers will continue to increase. For the consumer, it’s the availability of product at a reasonable price. Also, we’re starting to see a little bit of deflation ... I think we’re still going to have inflation, but it is going to level off.”
Kasa: “The war, which is terrible for the world, and the politics going on are only going to make more work for us because we’re military and defense-heavy. Meanwhile, space is another huge one for us, because it’s been years since the U.S. has gone to space. And with all the competition going on for space travel now between Blue Ori- gin, SpaceX, and others ... it’s a a market the U.S. hasn’t been involved in for years, and it bodes well for us.”
Cannon-Eckerle: “Now that COVID is a little
bit behind us ... we have some clarity. I think there was a period of time when employers, employees, people who don’t work, everyone in this world went through a period of time when they just didn’t know what the future would hold. Now, people can start making decisions and mov- ing forward, in whatever direction that might be.
Also, green technology. I think that technology is getting a huge boost, even moreso than it had before, and I think we’re going to start making some big strides in green technol- ogy, and I’m really excited about that.”
Hatiras: One of the good things for Holyoke, and this is one of the rea- sons I’m optimistic about our path
here, is that we have this new waiver in Massa- chusetts, a five-year waiver with Medicare, which puts a lot of emphasis on safety-net hospitals. So, despite the many challenges I mentioned — and we’re going to have to meet those challenges — I think we’re going to be in a very good position to continue to provide the services we do now, and even better; it’s a good deal for Massachusetts and safety-net hospitals.”
Hatiras: “We’re doing OK because
we had to respond to what was
going on in the market by creat-
ing even more attractive reasons
for coming here — we raised our rates, we’re enhancing benefits, and at the same time, we’re looking at economic assistance for the lower- earning employees. Where it’s more difficult is with the professionals, because the dollars are significantly more, so competing just on price
is difficult. The key for success — what keeps people here and makes them come here — is the culture of the place, so we put a tremendous
18 JANUARY 9, 2023
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“Now that COVID is a little bit behind us ... we have some clarity.”