Dare to be different: Why building an all-inclusive team is the secret to success
At Van Meter, we are “All-In” on our purpose and goals. For us, that’s creating lasting value for those we serve and living our values to grow the value of our company. While our goals might be the same, the varied strengths and differences of our employee-owners is something we rely on to reach those goals. Leveraging the different backgrounds, experiences and viewpoints of our people and our partners is an important part in helping us pursue our purpose.
PERFORM BETTER TOGETHER
Being more diverse is an important workforce strategy that has real impacts on business performance and business outcomes. Organizations in the top quartile for gender diversity have a 25% greater likelihood of financially outperforming their peers and organizations in the top quartile for ethnic diversity have a 36% greater likelihood of financial outperformance. Companies that make diversity a priority often outperform their peers.
We expect an “All-INclusive” mindset at Van Meter. All-INclusive means having an open mind to people, ideas and solutions that are different from you or what you think. It’s thinking outside the box, asking for feedback and stretching mindsets. It’s bringing different viewpoints together. It’s being kind and welcoming of others and their ideas. It’s having a workplace where everyone we work with feels like insiders. An All-Inclusive mindset helps us find better solutions to business challenges, create a better customer experience and achieve stronger long-term business results.
ATTRACT AND RETAIN TALENT
Valuing differences is a workforce strategy and a business strategy. And companies that value differences are valued by those looking for jobs. In a LinkedIn survey on diversity and sales, 76% of employees and job seekers said diversity was important when considering job offers, and 80% of survey respondents said they want to work for a company that values diversity and inclusiveness. It matters when we’re trying to attract and retain the best talent.
To continue to attract the best, we have an opportunity to tell our story and share the impact of our industry. We need all people to see and feel that they belong in electrical distribution to continue to build a pipeline of diverse candidates for our workforce.
As an electrical distributor, we help power those who power our world, whether it’s keeping hospitals running, powering data centers or lighting up a stadium, we need people with many different skill sets and life experiences. When people can see how their skills fit in our industry and how their role makes a difference in our world, we can attract and retain a variety of talent.
BUILD LASTING RELATIONSHIPS
Relationships are one of the most important parts of building a strong culture and a successful business. We work to build strong relationships inside our company so that we can build strong relationships outside our company.
A key part of building trusting and lasting relationships is embracing the differences in one another. It promotes curiosity and asking better questions so that they can be more creative when serving and solving problems with our partners. Valuing differences helps us build far deeper relationships, create lasting value and form stronger long-term partnerships.
Could you see yourself working for Van Meter? Fifteen years ago, I didn’t see myself working in electrical distribution. After knowing Van Meter, I can’t imagine myself anywhere else. I invite you to visit our careers page and find a role where you can succeed. Dare to be different - - your unique strengths and experiences can help us build a stronger team and company.
