AMBAC International’s Post

It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating being a finalist for the St. Louis Business Journal's Best Places to Work Awards. Well, the celebration continues as we are named as a finalist for the Post-Dispatch's annual Top Workplaces Awards. One thing is clear - McClure Engineering is the place to be! What can we say? Our employee's just really like it here. Could it be our extensive healthcare coverage 🏥? Our focus on career development 💼? Our annual float trip 🛶? Our award-winning softball team ⚾? Popcorn Wednesdays 🍿? Bring Your Dog to Work Day 🐶? Or perhaps it's the chance to be named winner of the annual Chili contest 🌶️? Who's to say 🤷? In any case, there must be a reason so many people decide to spend their careers here! #mcclureengineeringstl #topworkplaces #bestplacestowork #companyculture

This year Belden was recognized as a Great Place to Work. And not just a Great Place to Work in one country but in 17! It is an awesome accomplishment for any company and speaks to the "Belong. Believe. Be you" mantra that we have. While that is great for us, want to know what is sad about the Great Place to Work information overall? According to Great Place to Work, only 57% of employees at a typical U.S. based company say the company they work at is a great place to work (our number at Belden is 81%). 57%. That seems terrible. Barely half of all employees think their company is a great place to work in the U.S. Think about other metrics, tests, etc. Would 57% be sufficient? 57% on a test, 57% accuracy on your financial statement, 57% offer acceptance rate, 57% would not cut it and would require immediate action to correct. But that doesn't seem to be the case in companies and trying to make their environments a great place to work even if not going for the official certification. I think one of the reasons the number is so low is because of the approach many of us bring to work. It is often only results driven, only focused on a number or a dollar, and too often the human element is left out and ignored. In recruiting, we hear the bad and the good of different companies with the amount of conversations we have with people looking to change jobs or who are out of a job. A similar theme that I hear in my conversations is that companies and managers take the Dumb and Dumber approach to trying to make their company and environment a better place to work...

How about that? Four years straight! Culture is king and consistency is paramount to the mission.

First American Equipment Finance - This recognition is so well-deserved! Congrats on ranking #3 on the Best Workplaces in New York™ 2024 list for small and medium companies. Hats off for appearing on the list for eight consecutive years! Your company culture is thriving and it shows. 98% of employees at First American Equipment Finance say it is a great place to work compared to 57% of employees at a typical U.S.-based company. 100% of employees say, "When you join the company, you are made to feel welcome." #GreatPlaceToWork #GPTW4ALL #BestWorkplaces #BestWorkplacesNewYork

⭐EMPLOYEE HIGHLIGHT ⭐   If there's someone's career in recruitment worth following it is Ann-Marie Robinson's.   489% to-target performance for September 🎯🤯   The result of a great personal performance, finishing up some work for a few clients before embarking on a retained project for one of her top clients.   WHILE:   Managing a team of 5 Providing 1-to-1 coaching & Passing information to other divisions   AND:   Embodying our values of Trust, Best and Togetherness.   Talk about multi-tasking!   I often find myself stopping what I'm doing to listen in on her advice and call coaching. Small tweaks can make a huge difference.   You have to know WHY you're doing something before you do it.   Again, well done Ammers! Can't wait to see what else you create in Q4.

March 1, 2005 – November 22, 2023. This is the date that marks my time at Western Union; although it is not the dates themselves that are important, but the stories woven into the fabric of the company during these 18 years, 9 months and 22 days. Those 18 years mark what seems a lifetime of triumphs and change shared with colleagues who became second family, projects that became milestones, and a sense of belonging that only flourishes over shared coffee breaks and brainstorming in the most unusual places. I look back with gratitude for the lessons etched into my professional DNA. From the early days, when I started in the call center in Costa Rica (I was Operator 462!) where every task was a steppingstone, to the exhilarating climbs up the ladder, each rung marked by the support and encouragement of my peers. Every project, every success shared by a teammate's laughter – they're all threads woven into the richest tapestry of my experience. My colleagues, my mentors, my friends – you shaped me, challenged me, and nurtured a fire within me. I leave behind a piece of my heart, but I also carry a piece of this company with me – the resilience forged in tough times, the creativity born from collaboration, the unwavering spirit that defines us all. Going to work was always more than just a job. I'll treasure our shared history. I am so excited for what is next, and I hope you will be excited with me! For now, I leave you with three pieces of advice: 1.   Be a bridge builder always; life is not about “me” but rather about the “we”. 2.   As you go up the ladder, remember to always look back; there is always someone who will need your helping hand. 3.   Lead a life of gratitude; this will only multiply the good that you already have. 

Dear employers and prospective employers, Here are 5 keys to an amazing company culture that could help you retain young people or people in general: 1. Look out for your people, put them first. Perhaps a good canteen or promotion when it’s due. 2. Don’t promote toxic managers, many people cry in the bathrooms at work and pretend they are okay. 3. Make work fun. It’s dreadful to have to be a whole different person at work. Making work fun makes it easier to get things done. 4. Respect employees’ personal lives. Try not to call after hours or on weekends and have reasonable schedules. 5. Give recognition and say thank you. Give credit where it’s due. Give awards and incentives where and when they’re due. The above points are from my perspective and my personal experience and people may share the same experiences. Have you ever worked at a company where you knew you wouldn’t stay longer than a year? There’s a company I left within 6 months because of some items mentioned here. What’s your experience?

Thank you Wily LLC and Eric Gorman for having me today! Typically when chugging along in all the work to be done, we don’t get the chance to glance back at the through line of our stories, so thanks for this opportunity to reflect on my journey in innovation! If you haven’t heard of Wily before, check them out at https://www.wearewily.com. When should you engage their services? Here are some ideas: 🎯When you are trying to pinpoint the challenge or key intervention point of a problem you are addressing to make things better. 👥When you need to facilitate a diverse set of roles and perspectives to build a solution or move work forward. 💡When you have an initial idea of what you want to do but need to build more support. You can hire them to do the work or sign up to learn how to do the work! The next opportunity to advance your skill set with them is coming up and as someone who learned so many useful tools in this training, you should check it out: https://lnkd.in/dBNntp9a