Strategic Communications and Performace Improvements

Aligning employee thinking on labor issues

Challenge:

Splintered workforces at separate company facilities faced critical votes – one on Teamster organization, the other a contract ratification.

Actions:

• Identified core employee motivations at each facility
• Shifted leadership approach from “anti-union” to “pro-employee”
• Worked with executive and plant leadership to model new behaviors.
• Drove supervisor-led campaign to align employee emotions and increase connection to business goals and strategies

Result:

• Marginal earlier success became landslide success – 2-to-1, 3-to-1 favorable margins.
• Employees voted down Teamster organization; ratified win-win contract
• Bottom-line estimate for one plant exceeded $13.3 million in first year savings

© 2005 Gagen MacDonald LLC