Grove City Living Feature Articles June 2022

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PAGE 6 - GROVE CITY LIVING - June 12, 2022

WE:LEAD 10th Women’s Business Forum

This year’s Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce WE:LEAD Women’s Business Forum was a huge success as women across Central Ohio recharged and networked at the 10th annual event held at the Aladdin Shrine Center.

Attendees heard from six unique speakers who spoke on varying themes relating to confidence, self-awareness, and how we can reframe challenges and emerge from setbacks or failures.

•Keynote speaker Misty Johnson (Renewed, Repurposed, and Restored) dove deep into her personal past and personal

story to share that there is always redemption and replenishment following our setbacks.

•Dr. Ellie Scott (Stringtown Vet) engaged her audience with a Lego building activity to drive home her points regarding communication. While hopefully the room was full of communication masters, the room wasn’t exactly full of Lego masters!

•Rachel Finney (Columbus Humane) shared how we can take a different approach to our “baggage” in life. “Instead of thinking of your “baggage” as what holds you down, baggage can be exactly what we

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Keynote speaker Misty Johnson delivers her keynote address. need to show up prepared for our journey.”

•Jen Kelley (My Business Resource) brought a reframing message in the sense of reframing shame and failures so that we can focus on what is within our control and then move on.

•Christie Engler (Consolidated Employer Services) shared some do’s and don’ts of employee management with the goal of a work environment that protects the business, but also doesn’t violate the rights of employees.

•Deanna Stewart (Mount Carmel Foundation) presented a message rooted in confidence and care for one’s self–from listening to your body and mood for health cues, to seeking out mentors as you strive for new goals.

This was the first time since 2019 that the WE:LEAD Forum was held both in-person and its originally-intended date of midMay. That in mind, this was the first ‘true’ WE:LEAD Forum experience for many, but given the eagerness for 2023, it certainly

Grand opening

On April 29, Georgesville Square Nutrition celebrated its grand opening and ribbon cutting, complete with a great photo booth display.

won’t be the last.

The WE:LEAD Business Forum is just one of many events of overall WE:LEAD programming courtesy of the Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce. Past and future events include book club meet-ups, local shopping, and dining gatherings, and other small group outings. More about WE:LEAD programming and the Forum can be found online: https://www.gcchamber.org/wbf/ We want to thank those behind the scenes who helped make the 2022 WE:LEAD Forum possible, and are already brainstorming for 2023! We also want to thank the following sponsors: Wright Patt Credit Union, Danbury Senior Living, Franklin County Banking Center, My Business Resource, Mount Carmel Foundation, Shepherd Insurance, Air Quality Solutions, Carriage Court, and a special thanks to Jeffrey Tadlock Photography for capturing the event by photo and video.

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HR Essentials: Employee retention in the age of turnover

By Rachel Kutay

My Business Resource

HR Essentials is the Human Resources information column written by Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce member Rachel Kutay specifically for the Chamber. Rachel owns and operates local business My Business Resource, and is active with the Chamber’s WE:LEAD program.

Are you making a difference where you work? Do you feel valued in your organization? Are you treated fairly? If you answered ‘no’, or ‘maybe,’ or ‘I don’t know’ then you might be one of the millions of people just waiting for (or actively pursuing) your next job.

For business owners, the “Great Resignation” has presented a difficult challenge — how do we retain our workforce?

It hurts to lose a great employee and can leave you scrambling to cover their workload and find a replacement.

To understand the solution to how we retain employees, we need to first understand why they leave in the first place. One of the most common reasons?

The job and environment makes it too stressful to stay. Compensation and benefits are one of the most common drivers of turnover.

Many employees are looking for more than a job — if you can’t provide mentoring

and professional development, the best employees will go where they can find it.

Why is this so important?

Retention directly affects the company’s bottom line. It can take anywhere from two to six months for a new employee to become productive.

Even after that time period, as employees gain more tenure they typically become more and more productive.

So how to we start to turn the Great Resignation into the Great Retention? Retention starts with attention to people.

Employees disengage for four main reasons: (1) the job, (2) their manager, (3) the organization and (4) the team. Let’s address these challenges one by one.

First, we can start by designing jobs with growth opportunities. Begin with a clear job description and include the learning and development that can be expected as part of the position.

It is critically important to understand the market rate for each of your positions.

Salaries have escalated extremely quickly over the past several months, and if you don’t know what your competition is paying you can’t attract the best talent.

Next, develop great leaders in your management team. In a recent study, confidence was listed as the most valued trait in a manager, followed by effective communication skills.

Leading by example goes a long way to

improve morale. Scheduling regular one-onone conversations is important to ensure that employees have regular check ins with their manager and a voice in the organization.

Employees have more choice than ever, so it’s important to communicate not just what your company does, but what your company believes in.

It helps if employees understand how their jobs play into a larger goal or mission.

Provide clear and early communication about your culture and values.

Regularly take the “temperature” of your team by conducting engagement surveys to know how satisfied your team is.

Do they need more flexibility in their schedules? Is remote or hybrid work an option?

Finally, employees who are connected to their teammate are more likely to stay with their company.

Your onboarding can include formal and informal ways to meet coworkers and become embedded in the organization. Team retreats and events help your employees bond.

When employees leave, ask them why in an exit interview. Then create strategies to address any issues raised. People drive your business, and unhappy people can grind it to a halt.

These practical and impactful retention strategies will help you take action.

June 12, 2022 - GROVE CITY LIVING - PAGE 7

Danbury Senior Living

On May 17, Danbury Senior Living invited various Chamber and community members to join in their ribbon cutting ceremony.

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