EVOLVE Business and Entrepreneur Magazine Greater Daytona Region - February 2022 | Page 24

Daytona Leaders Put Employee Events at the Forefront of Business Strategy

by Joey Florez Jr
Halifax 100 Club

The way Americans work has changed considerably over the last few years , with an increase in employees working from home , record low unemployment rates and an increased

cognizance of what work should offer . This redefining of work against the backdrop of a record-breaking workforce exodus last August ( when the U . S . saw over 4 million people leave their jobs ) highlights how businesses that lead with employee-centered tactics have an advantage over their competitors .
Indeed , studies show that employee satisfaction holds a direct correlation to retention , and reorienting a company ’ s focus to what keeps employees instead of what makes them leave offers more consistent and effective solutions towards retaining quality employees . A study featured in the Harvard Business Review offers insight into the “ equation ” of quality employee retention , placing job satisfaction at the forefront , with elements consisting of growth opportunities , recognition and work culture .
Businesses like Magga Products , a Holly Hill-based machine company , view employee satisfaction and business success as
Maggie Morgan and members of the Magga team interconnected and as a result they experience nearly no turnover . It comes as no surprise that a company boasting three decades of excellence in machine production has an “ all parts matter ” business approach .
Maggie Morgan , the company ’ s president , approaches her role with passion and sincere caring for her team . At times it seems that her employees quite actually are the business as her stories , peppered with descriptions of Magga ’ s equipment - more akin to an artist describing
Maggie Morgan their tools , making industrial weldments sound like Michelangelo ’ s paintbrush – innately focus on her team .
At Magga , employee recognition and events aren ’ t often a planned and targeted system aimed at increasing productivity or the “ bottom line ” ( although both are positively affected by the company ’ s culture ). Instead , the Magga team takes a fluid approach towards employee satisfaction in which caring doesn ’ t end at the time clock . She describes the environment as “ a sort of firehouse ” where there is always food present ( not unlikely to have been prepared by Morgan herself ), and work and life organically combine into a space cultivated by everyone . From community involvement in food drives to day-to-day business functions , employees are treated as individuals appreciated for their strengths instead of being “ welded ” into a position less compatible with their talents .
Indeed , Morgan describes how life events including birthdays , report cards , graduations or hardships warrant their own iteration of attention . Morgan and her team lead with compassion as they consider one another ’ s mental , familial and even spiritual health . This culture of caring , combined with benefits that include tuition reimbursement and healthcare , adheres to the “ actions
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