Shownotes
In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Jim Kanichirayil, our podcast co-host and executive producer, sits down with Dominique Williams, Head of HR for North and South America at Forbo Movement Systems, to discuss the high-stakes transformation of HR in a manufacturing environment. Dominique shares her journey of walking into a "blank slate" organization—where the entire previous HR team had departed—and how she rebuilt the function from the ground up while facing a heartbreaking reality: five employees passing away before reaching retirement.
Dominique explains why she prioritized health and wellness over traditional administrative "optimizations" during her first three years. From addressing the "survival mode" mentality of frontline workers to bridging a significant technology gap, she shares practical examples of how focusing on the human side of the business leads to tangible financial results.
The conversation dives deep into the innovative use of AI in mental health. Dominique discusses the implementation of "Bella," an AI chatbot that provides 24/7 support to employees who might otherwise be reluctant to seek traditional therapy. She breaks down why AI can actually lower the barrier to mental health care by removing the fear of judgment often found in face-to-face interactions.
The episode closes with a powerful reminder: HR’s true value lies in building trust and ensuring employees don't just work for 30 years, but actually live to enjoy the retirement they worked so hard for.
Topics Discussed:
- Rebuilding an HR department with zero institutional knowledge.
- Shifting the mindset of a generational manufacturing workforce.
- How prioritizing mental health led to a 10% decrease in turnover and lower healthcare costs.
- Using the "Bella" chatbot to provide confidential, 24/7 support.
- Overcoming employee and leadership reluctance toward new digital tools.
- Partnering with academic institutions (UNC Charlotte) to modernize supervisor communication.
- Creative ways to get participation in financial literacy and health fairs.
- Presenting wellness as a business case to CFOs and Operations leaders.
- Protecting the HR team from burnout to ensure they can lead from "clarity, not depletion."
If you are an HR leader in a traditional industry, navigating high turnover, or curious about how AI can be used for more than just automation, this episode offers a compassionate and data-backed blueprint for modernizing the workplace.
Additional Resources:
Transcripts
domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
I can see how a prior HR team could
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walk into the organization at that
time and where the organization was
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and say, hey, this is not for me.
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You know?
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Because we literally had to like
piece together like a puzzle
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piece to get things figured out.
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So that was interesting because they
were very, very stressed and it was
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just not healthy to have a stressed
out HR team that's supposed to lead
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these individuals and help alleviate
stress and help support our people.
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Dr. Jim:
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Today we're gonna be telling the story
of Domonique Williams who joined an HR
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organization in manufacturing, and she
was immediately thrown into the fire.
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This was an HR organization that
had their entire legacy team.
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Leave the organization before she started.
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So she had to not only build
the team from the ground up, she
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also needed to understand the
institutional knowledge and processes
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and business operations on the fly.
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And just when you thought things were
about to get normalized and steady
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state, you start noticing a number of
unexpected deaths within the organization.
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Today's conversation is not
about keeping the lights on.
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In fact, today's conversation is gonna be
actually about how you push the envelope
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from a technology and HR perspective
in a manufacturing environment.
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Domonique Williams joined the
organization and she had to
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learn on the fly very quickly.
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She was figuratively thrown into the fire.
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She inherited an HR function in
an organization where the previous
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HR leaders left the organization.
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So she was faced with no
institutional knowledge, no
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business knowledge, and no team.
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She built that from the ground up
and in the first year she and her
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team spent the time understanding the
operations and business processes and
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just when things seemed to be calming
down, she'd noticed that there was a
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trend within the organization where
frontline employees were passing away.
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And when faced with
the fact that this was.
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A somewhat normal occurrence.
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Through no fault of the company, she
realized that, hey, the initiative
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that we need to look at is our health,
wellness, and mental health benefits that
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we're offering within the organization,
and if that wasn't enough, it's not
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something that you typically hear
within a manufacturing environment.
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This was an initiative that will have
an AI layer wrapped around it and
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a therapy layer wrapped around it.
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So what you're looking at is a
pretty unique and interesting story
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that we're gonna get into today.
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So who's the person that's gonna
guide us through that discussion?
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Well, that's Domonique Williams
and she's a senior human resources
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executive with more than 15 years of
experience leading people strategy
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and organizational development
across North and South America.
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She's the head of HR for Forbo
movement systems, and she oversees
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a broad portfolio that includes.
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Compensation design, leadership
development, cultural transformation,
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and strategic workforce planning.
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She's known for her ability to
balance business performance
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with employee well-being.
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Domonique champions an approach to HR that
prioritizes connection, accountability,
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and growth, and her leadership has been
recognized through multiple honors,
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including being named as one of business
Elites, 40 under 40 in the United States.
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Beyond the boardroom, she's passionate
about helping individuals and
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organizations unlock their potentials
through authenticity, wellness,
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and purpose-driven leadership.
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Domonique, welcome to the show.
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domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
Thank you.
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Pleasure to be here.
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Dr. Jim:
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Yeah, looking forward
to this conversation.
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I think it's gonna be a really interesting
discussion on some of the things that
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you've been doing from an AI perspective.
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But before we dive into the meat and
potatoes of that conversation, why
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don't you give us a quick overview
of your roles and or your role and
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responsibility in your organization.
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And that's gonna set the stage
for the conversation as we go.
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domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
Yeah, absolutely.
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My name is Domonique Williams and I am
Head of HR for Forbo Movement Systems.
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Their head of HR for North and
South America, so I support any
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of the employees in that region.
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I've been with the company for a little
over three years now and I'm super excited
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about everything that me and my team have
been working on particularly in the mental
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health and and wellness space as well.
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dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854: So really
one of the things that's interesting
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about your background is that you got
into this role, but previously you
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were working in a company that was
focused on the revenue cycle stuff.
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So when you look at that transition
from where you were to where you
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are, what's been the biggest change
or transition that you encountered?
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domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
Well one is the type of employee, right?
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So going from more of a business
setting to manufacturing, you know,
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you have the individuals who their
grandfather was in manufacturing
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their mom, dad, their entire family
come from a manufacturing background.
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And typically what I see with individuals
that are in more of an office setting
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versus a manufacturing setting is more
of a focus on health and wellness.
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So the biggest difference that I see,
obvious outside of the obvious revenue
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cycle versus manufacturing is the actual
people that are willing to do those type
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of roles are significantly different in
mind frame and just overall lifestyle.
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dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854: So tell me
a little bit more about those differences
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in terms of employees that you notice
between where you between your previous
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organization and the current one.
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domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
Well, I think the biggest thing
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is just unhealthy lifestyles.
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I saw a shift in more of the
professional I would say office
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staff where people aren't smoking,
people are going to the gym.
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They value companies that have those
types of free benefits are included
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benefits, whereas when it comes to
the manufacturing individuals, I mean,
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that's where you see more smokers.
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That's where you see where I've seen
where more people don't have the
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opportunity to retire because of improper
financial planning and just unhealthy,
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overall unhealthy lifestyles as a whole.
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They don't necessarily value the
health and wellness benefits that the
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company may offer and also just the
awareness around it all as as well.
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So that's one of the major differences
between those types of employees.
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Mm-hmm.
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dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854: So what's
interesting about what you're describing
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is that my understanding of manufacturing
environments and you know, I haven't been
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in one for probably 20-plus years—I worked
on a shipping and distribution floor.
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When I was in college.
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But the thing that I think about those
environments is that when you look at
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frontline workers in those environments,
they're often operating in survival mode.
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They probably have two or three
different jobs, and they're doing
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whatever they can to make ends meet.
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So it doesn't sound out of the
ordinary that they're not focused on
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some of those higher level things.
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So when you look at walking into
that sort of environment and
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maybe an employee population
that is in fact in survival mode.
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What are some of the things that
you need to do to shift that
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thinking to some of these wellness
oriented or oriented initiatives
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that you have had on your radar?
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domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
Well, first things first is
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you have to educate, right?
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If people don't know the impacts of
their actions and the positive impacts
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that living a life focused on health
and wellness can have on them then
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basically you're doing it all for nothing.
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So the first thing is with education.
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So we decided to do, you
know, benefits fairs.
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We brought people on-site from
gyms to help with stretching.
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We do send out information as well
as far as health and wellness just
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to, you know, educate the employees
because if you are not living a healthy
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lifestyle and you're not seeking it out.
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Your parents didn't seek it out,
your grandparents didn't seek it
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out, and this is kind of how you've
lived and how generations upon
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generations have lived in your family.
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Sometimes you need someone willing to
educate you and give you the information.
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And we've found that, when I
got there, it was very needed.
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Since I've been there we've had a total
of five employees die before retirement.
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And I mean, these employees they've been
with the company, most of them have been
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with the company for a very long time.
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But you know, no one's going to
work every day for 30 years to not
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have the opportunity to retire.
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So like I instantly felt like, okay.
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After the the first death, we really
need to start educating our people
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so that they can have some time to
retire and, you know, just relax.
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You know, no one wants to work
until their last breath, right?
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So that's why I thought it was really,
really important once we started
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seeing our death rate go up as well.
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dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854: Got it.
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So, you know, even this early in
our conversation you're pretty
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passionate about health and wellness.
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One thing I'm curious about
is this on your radar when you
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were interviewing for the job?
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Was this on the radar of the organization
and its leadership when you were in the
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process of joining the organization?
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domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
Not at all.
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So one of the big focuses was
building processes for the HR
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team and just ensuring that we
had good recruiting measures.
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So it definitely wasn't
on the company's radar.
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It's a little unfortunate,
but that's not unusual for a
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manufacturing environment either.
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So I don't really blame the leadership
for not having that focus, but I think
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as HR individuals, we need to bring that
focus to the organizations because most
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people just aren't thinking about it.
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dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854:
So you joined the organization.
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for health and wellness
isn't on their radar.
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You're brought into, you know,
optimized process, which is not unusual
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for a manufacturing environment.
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When you walk into your HR team and
you're taking a look at the HR landscape
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as well as the organizational landscape,
what are the things that stand out
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to you and what did you notice?
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domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
Well the prior HR team, funny
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story, the prior HR team all left.
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So they had all left.
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So my team was all new and hired
through an agency prior to my arrival.
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So I had two team members
and they were stressed.
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It was clear that my team was stressed.
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They did, they didn't know what to do.
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They needed some direction.
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And I can see how a prior HR team
could walk into the organization at
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that time and where the organization
was and say, hey, this is not for me.
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You know?
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Because we literally had to like
piece together like a puzzle
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piece to get things figured out.
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So that was interesting because they
were very, very stressed and it was
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just not healthy to have a stressed
out HR team that's supposed to lead
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these individuals and help alleviate
stress and help support our people.
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So that was the really tough task for
me was to get the HR team aligned with,
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you know, we're going to lead from a
place of clarity and not depletion.
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dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854: So
that's easier said than done.
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I mean, I'm thinking through
what you just described.
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You walk into an environment, the entire
HR team that was there before is gone.
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Everybody's new within HR.
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So you have to piece together the
puzzle pieces you're tasked with
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optimizing all sorts of stuff, but
you have zero institutional knowledge.
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So.
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Where did you start?
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How did you start?
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Walk us through that.
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domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
Well, the first thing we did as a team, we
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agreed to understand where the processes
that were already in place, right?
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We talked to the business leaders.
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We started documenting the processes
as well to understand where we were and
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the first year didn't make any changes
as far as with processes outside of HR.
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So I wanted to get us aligned
from an HR standpoint, but also
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understand the business because that
was the best way for me to make the
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decisions on how to move forward.
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Some things aren't worth changing,
but there's a lot of things that
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could potentially need to change.
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We needed to determine also what are
those good things that could stay the same
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but maybe just weren't documented, and
then those things that needed to change.
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So it was a lot of learning the business
and then optimizing HR first before we
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started you know, rolling things out to
our business leaders and our employees.
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And in doing that also, I had to keep my,
my team at lower stress levels, right?
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So, because I'm asking
them to do big tasks.
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I encouraged them to take time off.
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You know, I don't want you to be
overworked and you're coming in every day.
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And, and just feeling like
we're getting nowhere.
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So I encouraged them to
actually take some time off.
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I was very intentional about
not calling them after hours.
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So if, if I was to call them or send
them an email after hours, it was
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strictly an emergency because I just
did not want them to get to such a
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level of stress that they leave, right?
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Because they're like, I
didn't sign up for this.
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But then two, I'm trying to keep in mind.
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That they're human, right?
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And with them being human,
this is a stressful situation.
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This could cause you know, and I
don't know what else that they were
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going through 'cause I just met these
individuals, so I don't know what
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their life, home life is like either.
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So this could cause an issue
that they can't come back from.
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So wanted to make sure that
I kept that all in place.
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dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854: So I
really like the boundaries that you
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established and the mitigation stuff
that you put into place so that your
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young team, your new team doesn't get
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burnt out.
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What I find interesting about that
is that those guardrails don't
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necessarily come to mind when I
think manufacturing environments.
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Did you deal with kind of a
culture clash where you got
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questioned on those guardrails
that you set up by your leadership?
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Like, this is not how we usually
work, or this is not what
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the expectations of HR are.
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Did you run into any headwinds like that?
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domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
Well, actually I did it, which is
247
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surprisingly because the other HR team
just at one point they checked out,
248
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so they were almost like non-existent
and they were all just waiting to
249
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work through their notice periods.
250
00:14:45,539 --> 00:14:49,739
So they were very pleasantly
surprised and pleased with the
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fact that we were making ourselves
available during normal office hours.
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And the team would sometimes, and
myself would come in earlier as
253
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well to kind of touch that third
and first shift pretty early on.
254
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So we just adjusted our hours.
255
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But we actually still made ourselves
available and the company was
256
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pleasantly surprised by that.
257
00:15:12,529 --> 00:15:14,419
Now there was other
complaints that came about.
258
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Obviously, but not from a
standpoint of being available.
259
00:15:18,567 --> 00:15:18,957
dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854: Got it.
260
00:15:19,257 --> 00:15:19,617
Okay.
261
00:15:19,887 --> 00:15:24,357
So you documented everything
over the first year.
262
00:15:24,837 --> 00:15:27,177
You didn't change anything
after that first year.
263
00:15:27,747 --> 00:15:32,487
And you mentioned this earlier,
during your tenure, you had five
264
00:15:32,487 --> 00:15:36,217
people pass away in the organization.
265
00:15:36,937 --> 00:15:41,397
So how did that shift your focus
in terms of what needed to be
266
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done within the organization?
267
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domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
When the first death happened, obviously
268
00:15:46,009 --> 00:15:51,139
it was a shock to the organization and we
just started hearing stories about, yeah.
269
00:15:51,179 --> 00:15:54,579
And this person passed away a
few years ago and this person
270
00:15:54,579 --> 00:15:58,099
passed away, or years before that.
271
00:15:58,679 --> 00:16:03,429
So it made me just really take a
step back and say, these individuals
272
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who've been here for a very long time.
273
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They've been experiencing death with
their coworkers for some time now.
274
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And that's traumatic in itself
to come to work every day with
275
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someone and then they pass away.
276
00:16:16,389 --> 00:16:20,319
And when you compound that with
multiple deaths, you know that that
277
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can't be good for mental health.
278
00:16:21,579 --> 00:16:25,599
So I immediately started thinking about
the mental health of our employees.
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And at the time we had EAP program,
which I think most companies have.
280
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Where you get three mental
health sessions for free.
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And then after that they have to pay.
282
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And you know, it was underutilized.
283
00:16:40,749 --> 00:16:44,859
Which most companies, I think the
EAP program is underutilized because
284
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of just different issues, right?
285
00:16:47,309 --> 00:16:52,899
You have to schedule the time between
eight and five to meet with that person,
286
00:16:52,899 --> 00:16:56,939
in person or they don't have any virtual
options, all of those types of things.
287
00:16:56,939 --> 00:17:00,569
So it was clear that we needed
to do something at that point.
288
00:17:03,102 --> 00:17:05,321
dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854: So I'm
like taking inventory of all the
289
00:17:05,321 --> 00:17:06,762
things that you have in front of you.
290
00:17:07,031 --> 00:17:09,311
So you're coming into a
manufacturing environment.
291
00:17:09,342 --> 00:17:13,362
Manufacturing in general views HR
as a cost center and just keep the
292
00:17:13,362 --> 00:17:15,382
lights on and that sort of stuff.
293
00:17:15,449 --> 00:17:15,898
domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
Yeah.
294
00:17:16,082 --> 00:17:17,972
dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854: You
have no processes in place, so
295
00:17:17,972 --> 00:17:21,632
you have to document everything
from the ground up and understand
296
00:17:21,722 --> 00:17:23,071
the business for that first year.
297
00:17:23,071 --> 00:17:27,497
And now you notice that there's a track
record within the organization where
298
00:17:27,497 --> 00:17:31,277
people, no fault of the organization,
but people have passed away historically.
299
00:17:31,277 --> 00:17:36,437
And now you're seeing an increase in
this which signals to you hey, there
300
00:17:36,437 --> 00:17:39,707
are mental health implications, there's
wellness implications, there's all these
301
00:17:39,707 --> 00:17:44,747
sort of things that I put in the fluffy
category from a manufacturing perspective.
302
00:17:45,407 --> 00:17:52,207
So if I'm checking through that in my
head I'd be stumped in how I bring this
303
00:17:52,207 --> 00:17:56,732
up as and make a business case as a pivot
that the business needs to move towards.
304
00:17:57,032 --> 00:18:01,922
So walk us through what you went
through to formulate a plan of action
305
00:18:01,922 --> 00:18:04,472
to surface this and get business buy-in.
306
00:18:05,154 --> 00:18:06,074
domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
Yeah, absolutely.
307
00:18:06,074 --> 00:18:15,184
So I started with our 2023 HR strategy
and in the HR strategy we kind of broke
308
00:18:15,184 --> 00:18:19,924
it down in different segments and one
of the obviously areas that we wanted
309
00:18:19,924 --> 00:18:22,244
to focus on was employee engagement.
310
00:18:23,954 --> 00:18:28,619
So I kind of put the health and
wellness as an engagement piece, which
311
00:18:28,619 --> 00:18:30,419
I don't think a lot of people do.
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00:18:30,449 --> 00:18:33,809
They just kind of section it
off as benefits and you know,
313
00:18:33,809 --> 00:18:35,639
obviously keep the cost down.
314
00:18:35,729 --> 00:18:38,819
And then we throw something in there
about keeping employees healthy.
315
00:18:39,059 --> 00:18:43,589
But I actually through it in our
engagement strategy where we were
316
00:18:43,589 --> 00:18:49,899
going to commit to doing financial
literacy on a quarterly basis.
317
00:18:49,919 --> 00:18:54,199
A health and wellness initiative on
a quarterly basis as well, and just
318
00:18:54,569 --> 00:18:59,714
came to my team and teammates that are
outside of HR and my HR team with facts.
319
00:18:59,714 --> 00:19:03,894
You know, it is proven that the
healthier the employees are that
320
00:19:03,984 --> 00:19:08,604
engagement increases and sat employee
satisfaction increases when employees
321
00:19:08,604 --> 00:19:11,794
are healthy and they're showing
up to work and they're happier.
322
00:19:11,919 --> 00:19:15,279
So it was not a hard sell
to be completely honest.
323
00:19:15,609 --> 00:19:19,899
And the first initiatives that
we went into didn't cost much.
324
00:19:19,899 --> 00:19:20,259
Right?
325
00:19:20,259 --> 00:19:24,699
We invite banks on site to
talk about financial literacy.
326
00:19:25,299 --> 00:19:27,939
And obviously they want to because
they wanna make a sale, but they're
327
00:19:27,939 --> 00:19:31,299
also giving valuable information
that the employees may not know.
328
00:19:32,219 --> 00:19:35,179
And then when it came to the health
and wellness, we leaned heavily
329
00:19:35,569 --> 00:19:41,449
on our benefits brokers brokers
and vendors as well to come in and
330
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we basically set the expectation.
331
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We want you guys to come on site and talk
to our employees and give them information
332
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that will help them overall life.
333
00:19:51,819 --> 00:19:56,029
And we committed to doing the
these things on a quarterly basis.
334
00:19:56,839 --> 00:20:01,589
And it was a pretty easy sell
and we just kind of had everybody
335
00:20:01,589 --> 00:20:03,029
band together with that.
336
00:20:03,449 --> 00:20:07,969
And we moved forward and we kind
of worked it as a project right?
337
00:20:08,359 --> 00:20:13,339
Where the deadline when things need to
be be done and we need to commit to this.
338
00:20:13,339 --> 00:20:18,979
And we also explained it to the
employees at a town hall, employee
339
00:20:18,999 --> 00:20:23,469
town hall to let them know so that they
can hold us accountable as HR people
340
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to do what we said we were gonna do.
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dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854: So
when I hear you describe that.
342
00:20:29,367 --> 00:20:30,267
Two things come to mind.
343
00:20:30,357 --> 00:20:32,007
So I'm a retention and turnover nerd.
344
00:20:32,007 --> 00:20:34,977
So all the stuff that you're talking
about, like checks all the boxes
345
00:20:34,977 --> 00:20:38,517
of what you should do from an
organizational leadership perspective
346
00:20:38,517 --> 00:20:40,377
to mass maximize retention outcomes.
347
00:20:41,457 --> 00:20:44,577
You as an HR executive know
all the same stuff that I know
348
00:20:44,577 --> 00:20:46,617
from like what are the impacts?
349
00:20:47,277 --> 00:20:50,067
What I'm thinking about
is a two-prong challenge.
350
00:20:50,337 --> 00:20:54,387
There's gonna be probably people on the
business side in leadership that are
351
00:20:54,387 --> 00:20:57,957
kind of looking at you sideways, but
more importantly, you have an entire
352
00:20:57,957 --> 00:21:02,727
employee population that probably didn't
pay attention to like any of this stuff.
353
00:21:04,167 --> 00:21:10,857
So those are two, you know, different
but difficult challenges to overcome.
354
00:21:11,277 --> 00:21:15,571
What did you encounter when you were
looking at those two employee populations,
355
00:21:15,571 --> 00:21:18,421
and then how did you overcome the
challenges that, if any, that popped up?
356
00:21:19,184 --> 00:21:20,864
domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
Yeah, I think the biggest thing
357
00:21:20,924 --> 00:21:25,184
in the beginning is we did have to
incentivize the employees for showing up.
358
00:21:26,564 --> 00:21:29,174
Even though I know we would
think, yeah, they should wanna
359
00:21:29,174 --> 00:21:31,604
do this, but in fact they don't.
360
00:21:31,654 --> 00:21:33,754
Because it's not a part
of their lifestyle, right?
361
00:21:33,754 --> 00:21:38,014
So we just did different
things to incentivize them.
362
00:21:38,114 --> 00:21:41,774
Whether it be a raffle drawing,
which everyone loves money, right?
363
00:21:41,804 --> 00:21:45,884
If they showed up and participated,
they got entered into a raffle drawing.
364
00:21:45,884 --> 00:21:50,054
Obviously we also included food
as well for those individuals.
365
00:21:50,054 --> 00:21:51,644
So that was the easy part, right?
366
00:21:51,644 --> 00:21:56,954
Was those individuals who or that employee
population that probably doesn't care
367
00:21:57,164 --> 00:21:59,054
or pay attention to this type of stuff.
368
00:21:59,354 --> 00:22:01,484
The hard part was the
management team, right?
369
00:22:01,604 --> 00:22:08,634
And them committing to allowing the
employees to come and not making
370
00:22:08,634 --> 00:22:10,424
those excuses, oh, we're too busy.
371
00:22:10,724 --> 00:22:11,894
All of those types of things.
372
00:22:11,894 --> 00:22:17,739
So we had to ensure that on the
front end before we had any type of
373
00:22:17,739 --> 00:22:24,829
event or any type of onsite that we
spoke to our business leaders and
374
00:22:25,249 --> 00:22:29,529
got worked out a time that worked
best for them so that they felt like
375
00:22:29,529 --> 00:22:31,479
they had a choice in all of this.
376
00:22:31,999 --> 00:22:35,149
Even though obviously we knew we were
going to do it, but we also wanted
377
00:22:35,149 --> 00:22:38,419
them to have some say so in how we
did it and how we communicated it to
378
00:22:38,419 --> 00:22:42,739
the employees and when we allowed, and
how we allowed them to participate.
379
00:22:44,114 --> 00:22:46,244
Thomas Kunjappu: This has been
a fantastic conversation so far.
380
00:22:46,484 --> 00:22:49,274
If you haven't already done so,
make sure to join our community.
381
00:22:49,514 --> 00:22:52,184
We are building a network of the
most forward-thinking, HR and
382
00:22:52,184 --> 00:22:55,364
people, operational professionals
who are defining the future.
383
00:22:55,844 --> 00:22:58,454
I will personally be sharing
news and ideas around how we
384
00:22:58,454 --> 00:23:00,464
can all thrive in the age of ai.
385
00:23:00,824 --> 00:23:03,809
You can find it at go cleary.com/cleary
386
00:23:04,239 --> 00:23:04,849
community.
387
00:23:05,474 --> 00:23:06,314
Now back to the show.
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dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854:
So you reference manager
389
00:23:10,309 --> 00:23:11,989
buy-in, that's gonna be tricky.
390
00:23:12,139 --> 00:23:14,239
Especially if you're a frontline manager.
391
00:23:14,449 --> 00:23:18,169
I'm thinking distribution floor,
you got stuff that never stops.
392
00:23:19,049 --> 00:23:22,449
What was the message and what was the
evidence that you brought to the table
393
00:23:22,449 --> 00:23:27,159
that convince them or help persuade
them into shifting their thinking away
394
00:23:27,159 --> 00:23:32,129
from just pure production into some
of these longer term goals that you
395
00:23:32,129 --> 00:23:33,639
wanted to achieve as an organization?
396
00:23:34,136 --> 00:23:37,046
domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
Yeah, I think you have to en ensure that
397
00:23:37,046 --> 00:23:39,596
you explain what's in it for them, right?
398
00:23:39,626 --> 00:23:43,196
So this isn't just for the
employees, this is for you too.
399
00:23:43,766 --> 00:23:45,866
And this can help you in so many ways.
400
00:23:45,866 --> 00:23:48,686
And obviously not everything we did.
401
00:23:49,256 --> 00:23:51,776
They felt was impactful to them.
402
00:23:51,776 --> 00:23:55,916
But you know, as we started rolling
these things out and explaining the
403
00:23:55,916 --> 00:23:58,876
benefits, some of the management
team actually took to some of
404
00:23:58,876 --> 00:24:01,696
those different aspects depending
on where they were in their life.
405
00:24:01,756 --> 00:24:06,146
So if it was financial literacy if they
had some sort of scare with themselves
406
00:24:06,146 --> 00:24:10,826
or their wives health or anything,
just different segments of what we were
407
00:24:10,826 --> 00:24:13,366
doing resonated differently with people.
408
00:24:13,756 --> 00:24:17,956
So we didn't really take much of a
different approach when it came to
409
00:24:17,956 --> 00:24:19,936
explaining the benefits of it all.
410
00:24:20,216 --> 00:24:24,076
But we just made sure we do
that every time so that it
411
00:24:24,076 --> 00:24:26,086
resonates with different people.
412
00:24:26,086 --> 00:24:29,116
And obviously you can't please
everyone and everyone's not gonna
413
00:24:29,116 --> 00:24:33,076
participate in everything, but our
goal is to always track and get
414
00:24:33,076 --> 00:24:34,996
as much participation as possible.
415
00:24:35,159 --> 00:24:38,284
dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854: Okay, so
you're making progress in shifting hearts
416
00:24:38,284 --> 00:24:41,224
and minds, but as you make progress,
you're probably gonna get a whole
417
00:24:41,224 --> 00:24:46,624
lot of questions that are coming your
direction and you're a fairly lean team.
418
00:24:46,624 --> 00:24:49,234
I think you mentioned that there
was you and two other people, or
419
00:24:49,234 --> 00:24:50,764
maybe three other people in HR.
420
00:24:51,374 --> 00:24:56,234
What did you notice from a an inbound
question or request perspective
421
00:24:56,234 --> 00:25:00,434
coming from frontline employees,
frontline managers, and everybody
422
00:25:00,434 --> 00:25:03,184
else as they're moving through
this transformation initiative?
423
00:25:04,036 --> 00:25:05,536
domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
Yeah, we definitely realized
424
00:25:05,536 --> 00:25:07,036
we needed help pretty quickly.
425
00:25:07,066 --> 00:25:15,256
So I did promote a benefits and payroll
manager and one of our hR generalist,
426
00:25:15,256 --> 00:25:20,986
she was very much so passionate about
just benefits and health and wellness.
427
00:25:20,986 --> 00:25:22,366
So she's the SME.
428
00:25:23,356 --> 00:25:27,916
So with her role, she has a high
focus on just the benefit offerings
429
00:25:27,916 --> 00:25:29,566
and the health and wellness as well.
430
00:25:30,166 --> 00:25:31,546
But even that's not enough, right?
431
00:25:31,546 --> 00:25:37,066
When you're supporting just in that one
region, 600 people who are across the US.
432
00:25:37,666 --> 00:25:44,376
So we also rely heavily on our
benefits vendors as well to
433
00:25:44,376 --> 00:25:45,546
assist us with these things.
434
00:25:45,546 --> 00:25:50,416
So that's just the expectation is
we are not a company that you could
435
00:25:50,416 --> 00:25:55,926
just sit back and shoot emails to
and not check in with and that's it.
436
00:25:55,956 --> 00:25:59,976
You know, so we do expect them to
come on site and host different
437
00:26:00,656 --> 00:26:06,126
events with us to help answer
questions for the employees as well.
438
00:26:06,126 --> 00:26:08,406
So we just had to use our resources.
439
00:26:08,552 --> 00:26:11,252
dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854: So one thing
that I like about what you described
440
00:26:11,252 --> 00:26:15,042
is that you deputize your vendors
to come in and help in some of these
441
00:26:15,042 --> 00:26:17,352
initiatives and educational and trainings.
442
00:26:17,862 --> 00:26:19,032
And that makes a lot of sense.
443
00:26:19,032 --> 00:26:23,622
But when I look at a ratio of 600
people supported by somewhere between
444
00:26:23,622 --> 00:26:26,862
three to five HR professionals,
that still sounds like a big load.
445
00:26:27,222 --> 00:26:30,702
So what were some of the things
that you did to kind of streamline
446
00:26:31,002 --> 00:26:34,422
the workload across your HR team
to make this more manageable?
447
00:26:36,004 --> 00:26:38,099
domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
Well, We spread out the work, right?
448
00:26:38,199 --> 00:26:43,459
So we didn't do this all at once and
we worked closely together to ensure
449
00:26:43,459 --> 00:26:45,019
that we were planning properly.
450
00:26:45,559 --> 00:26:47,209
I wouldn't say that it was easy.
451
00:26:47,209 --> 00:26:51,329
It's still not easy because we have
added recruitment as well, but obviously
452
00:26:51,329 --> 00:26:52,799
she's focused on something else.
453
00:26:53,489 --> 00:26:56,579
But we still are a pretty
lean team in itself.
454
00:26:56,579 --> 00:27:04,314
So we map everything out and we do try
to utilize virtual as much as possible
455
00:27:04,314 --> 00:27:06,904
when it comes to just the information.
456
00:27:07,514 --> 00:27:13,274
We have three main sites here in Charlotte
and with those main sites, we split up
457
00:27:13,274 --> 00:27:14,984
when we're having these types of events.
458
00:27:14,984 --> 00:27:19,814
So they're usually spanned across over
three days for the three main sites.
459
00:27:20,064 --> 00:27:24,214
And obviously it's the same thing in each
site but that also helps with the number
460
00:27:24,214 --> 00:27:26,014
of questions with us being in person.
461
00:27:26,359 --> 00:27:31,189
Because all of these sites have roughly
a hundred people in them versus us
462
00:27:31,189 --> 00:27:35,229
having one big event and then 300
people asking questions all at once.
463
00:27:35,229 --> 00:27:40,349
So we just had to kind of split up
the work and do it in smaller pockets.
464
00:27:40,929 --> 00:27:41,319
dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854: Got it.
465
00:27:41,829 --> 00:27:44,609
So you've launched this initiative.
466
00:27:44,609 --> 00:27:45,779
It's starting to get traction.
467
00:27:45,779 --> 00:27:50,339
You're doing the education process,
and you still have to prove this
468
00:27:50,339 --> 00:27:54,949
out this has positive outcomes
across all sorts of business needs.
469
00:27:55,249 --> 00:28:00,049
So how did you tie those things together
to make the case that this needs
470
00:28:00,049 --> 00:28:01,819
to be continued and even expanded?
471
00:28:02,256 --> 00:28:04,146
domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
Yeah, well, since we've been doing
472
00:28:04,146 --> 00:28:09,866
these initiatives, obviously our
overall costs for the benefits for
473
00:28:09,866 --> 00:28:13,646
medical benefits have gone down,
which obviously when you're talking to
474
00:28:13,646 --> 00:28:17,906
operations guys and finance guys, that's
a easy sell when you are saving money.
475
00:28:19,081 --> 00:28:23,071
Our employee satisfaction surveys have
gone up too significantly, so those
476
00:28:23,071 --> 00:28:27,661
two are to me, an indication that
we're headed in the right direction.
477
00:28:28,141 --> 00:28:31,951
I do think we have some more work
to do when it comes to ensuring that
478
00:28:31,951 --> 00:28:37,131
our employees are healthy, but it has
definitely, we've seen a major positive
479
00:28:37,131 --> 00:28:39,441
impact from the financial side of things.
480
00:28:39,801 --> 00:28:43,426
And it's just because I think the
employees are more aware, going
481
00:28:43,426 --> 00:28:45,406
to get their preventative care.
482
00:28:45,926 --> 00:28:48,766
They're also ensuring that
they're just making healthier
483
00:28:48,766 --> 00:28:50,506
habits, I think as a whole.
484
00:28:50,956 --> 00:28:55,736
So those have been two ways that
we've been able to express the overall
485
00:28:55,736 --> 00:28:57,536
impact to our business leaders.
486
00:28:58,574 --> 00:29:00,884
dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854: So those
are pretty significant impacts when
487
00:29:00,884 --> 00:29:05,634
you have the cost for healthcare go
down and employee satisfaction go up.
488
00:29:06,064 --> 00:29:07,054
That's a no brainer.
489
00:29:07,474 --> 00:29:11,074
The thing that I'm thinking about is
when I think about a manufacturing
490
00:29:11,074 --> 00:29:15,334
environment, tenure is always gonna
be choppy, especially in frontline
491
00:29:15,334 --> 00:29:17,014
distribution or hourly roles.
492
00:29:17,404 --> 00:29:20,344
So you have this constant
churn of retraining.
493
00:29:20,674 --> 00:29:25,114
What were the things that you did to
maybe stabilize the level of churn and
494
00:29:25,114 --> 00:29:29,384
make sure that you weren't constantly
in this sort of hamster wheel cycle
495
00:29:29,384 --> 00:29:34,454
of having to hire, train, onboard
only for those people to wash out.
496
00:29:34,454 --> 00:29:36,414
Like what were the things
that you put into place there
497
00:29:36,414 --> 00:29:37,584
to make that more efficient?
498
00:29:38,171 --> 00:29:39,131
domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
Yeah, absolutely.
499
00:29:39,131 --> 00:29:43,551
Because when I first got there, I think
our turnover it was plus 30% turnover.
500
00:29:43,551 --> 00:29:44,331
Which is pretty high.
501
00:29:44,331 --> 00:29:45,791
It was over the national average.
502
00:29:46,181 --> 00:29:52,506
And we've gotten down below that we're
roughly sitting at about 24% turnover,
503
00:29:52,896 --> 00:29:54,546
which we still have some work to do.
504
00:29:54,546 --> 00:29:58,531
But coming from, you know,
seeing a 10% decline is good,
505
00:29:58,531 --> 00:29:58,841
right?
506
00:29:58,841 --> 00:29:59,701
Over three years.
507
00:30:00,591 --> 00:30:07,831
So I think where that is what we did
was we started to focus more on getting
508
00:30:07,831 --> 00:30:09,961
the business leaders engaged as well.
509
00:30:10,421 --> 00:30:14,471
And training them on how to
handle certain situations.
510
00:30:14,471 --> 00:30:19,156
'Cause as you probably know in a
manufacturing environment, the way that
511
00:30:19,156 --> 00:30:23,216
situations are handled and sometimes
the language that the management team
512
00:30:23,486 --> 00:30:29,426
may use towards the employees are not
always politically correct or the nicest.
513
00:30:29,971 --> 00:30:35,041
So we decided to do more training when
it came to just overall leadership.
514
00:30:35,041 --> 00:30:39,311
I mean, we partnered with UNC Charlotte
to give essential leadership training
515
00:30:39,581 --> 00:30:41,291
to all of the management team.
516
00:30:41,671 --> 00:30:46,716
And we also do a lot of virtual trainings
and we ensure that, you know harassment
517
00:30:46,716 --> 00:30:49,896
prevention, all of those types of
things are happening on a yearly basis.
518
00:30:50,256 --> 00:30:51,876
And now we're having these conversations.
519
00:30:51,876 --> 00:30:55,446
We have a supervisor best practice
meeting as well where they can share
520
00:30:55,446 --> 00:30:59,296
best practices with each other and talk
through how to handle certain things.
521
00:30:59,296 --> 00:31:01,636
HR is there and present each time.
522
00:31:02,046 --> 00:31:08,211
And I think just having that combined
has helped reduce turnover as a whole.
523
00:31:12,769 --> 00:31:16,069
dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854: There's been
a pretty significant level of impact,
524
00:31:16,069 --> 00:31:17,899
positive impact as you roll this out.
525
00:31:18,259 --> 00:31:21,759
But there was something unique about
prioritizing health and wellness
526
00:31:21,759 --> 00:31:23,139
in a manufacturing environment.
527
00:31:23,139 --> 00:31:28,894
That in and of itself is I would say
that's pretty innovative as an initiative
528
00:31:28,894 --> 00:31:32,254
within this space, because normally
those spaces don't really look at
529
00:31:32,254 --> 00:31:34,534
that as a primary thing to focus on.
530
00:31:34,534 --> 00:31:37,359
But there was a unique flavor to
the program that you rolled out
531
00:31:37,359 --> 00:31:38,589
that was pretty interesting too.
532
00:31:38,589 --> 00:31:42,309
So tell us a little bit about
how your program was structured.
533
00:31:42,309 --> 00:31:45,039
A little bit different to be
even more cutting edge than what
534
00:31:45,039 --> 00:31:47,679
you would think a manufacturing
environment typically takes on.
535
00:31:48,151 --> 00:31:49,221
domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
Yeah, absolutely.
536
00:31:49,221 --> 00:31:54,931
So we rolled out a supplemental benefits
program it's called Champions Health.
537
00:31:55,571 --> 00:32:04,926
And this program offers 100% free
mental health sessions and you could
538
00:32:04,926 --> 00:32:10,556
do virtual and or what's pretty unique
is that and you could do virtual with
539
00:32:10,556 --> 00:32:15,826
an actual licensed therapist, but they
also have this this AI chat with Bella,
540
00:32:16,096 --> 00:32:17,946
which is all focused on mental health.
541
00:32:17,946 --> 00:32:21,096
So you can chat with Bella if
you're feeling depressed, if
542
00:32:21,096 --> 00:32:24,546
you're feeling anxious, if you
need some coping mechanisms.
543
00:32:24,876 --> 00:32:29,946
And what I like about it is obviously
it's 24 hours so they can chat anytime.
544
00:32:29,946 --> 00:32:35,826
It doesn't replace the fact of you may
need to speak with a therapist, a live
545
00:32:35,826 --> 00:32:40,856
person, but it gives them an option when
a therapist isn't available because I
546
00:32:40,856 --> 00:32:45,756
mean unfortunately, we're all human and
there's not many, I don't think I've ever
547
00:32:45,756 --> 00:32:50,216
heard of a 24 hour therapist, someone
that you can call at 3:00 AM or chat with
548
00:32:50,216 --> 00:32:52,516
at 1:00 AM when you're feeling anxious.
549
00:32:52,516 --> 00:32:56,176
So chat with Bella has been
very helpful in a sense.
550
00:32:56,176 --> 00:32:57,766
And I've used it myself.
551
00:32:58,016 --> 00:33:02,361
Just to, you know, help with any
forms of mental health that you
552
00:33:02,361 --> 00:33:05,451
may be having episodes that you're
having at the time, I guess.
553
00:33:06,834 --> 00:33:10,974
dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854: So that in
and of itself presents two sort of big
554
00:33:10,974 --> 00:33:13,164
problems that I'm curious how you tackled.
555
00:33:13,854 --> 00:33:15,429
So again, when I go to the environment.
556
00:33:16,659 --> 00:33:19,899
I don't really normally think
about manufacturing environments as
557
00:33:19,899 --> 00:33:24,459
being those types of environments
with employees that are maybe open
558
00:33:24,459 --> 00:33:26,199
to therapy, so that's one issue.
559
00:33:26,559 --> 00:33:30,009
The other issue is I certainly
don't see that as an environment
560
00:33:30,009 --> 00:33:33,939
where people would be automatically
rushing to engage with an app.
561
00:33:34,424 --> 00:33:38,174
So you have a technology gap and you
also have sort of a cultural mindset
562
00:33:38,174 --> 00:33:39,704
gap that you have to deal with too.
563
00:33:40,364 --> 00:33:41,714
And I'm speaking in broad terms.
564
00:33:42,044 --> 00:33:43,934
So did you encounter those gaps?
565
00:33:43,934 --> 00:33:47,234
And if you did, how did you
actually overcome both of those
566
00:33:47,234 --> 00:33:48,699
issues within your environment?
567
00:33:49,511 --> 00:33:51,611
domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
Yeah, I think that the technology gap
568
00:33:51,611 --> 00:33:55,451
is always something in manufacturing
that we are constantly overcoming.
569
00:33:56,141 --> 00:33:59,471
But I think that they're getting
a little more open to it because
570
00:33:59,471 --> 00:34:04,121
just most companies in general
have moved to some sort of app.
571
00:34:04,121 --> 00:34:08,411
So it's not a hard sell to get
individuals on an app at this point.
572
00:34:08,771 --> 00:34:14,860
I actually think the fact that people
are reluctant to speak to a therapist,
573
00:34:14,860 --> 00:34:18,400
the chat with Bella is actually
beneficial for those individuals.
574
00:34:18,911 --> 00:34:24,311
Because it alleviates that, okay, I'm
face to face, you see me you think
575
00:34:24,311 --> 00:34:26,360
I'm crazy and I'm talking to a person.
576
00:34:26,360 --> 00:34:32,091
When you're speaking with AI, you know
that is 100% confidential because you're
577
00:34:32,091 --> 00:34:33,531
not actually speaking to a person.
578
00:34:33,561 --> 00:34:38,061
You don't have to run into the
fact that someone may repeat what
579
00:34:38,061 --> 00:34:39,531
you're saying or anything like that.
580
00:34:39,531 --> 00:34:40,951
You are chatting with AI.
581
00:34:40,951 --> 00:34:43,811
So I think that actually alleviates
a little bit of the stress there
582
00:34:44,051 --> 00:34:45,581
when you have the AI component.
583
00:34:46,444 --> 00:34:47,329
dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854:
Oh, that's interesting.
584
00:34:47,329 --> 00:34:51,918
I hadn't considered that being a
lower bar, but now that you actually
585
00:34:51,918 --> 00:34:53,478
describe it, it does make sense.
586
00:34:53,529 --> 00:34:57,159
Sometimes people get in their own heads
about, oh, I don't wanna be telling
587
00:34:57,159 --> 00:35:00,099
some random person all of my stuff.
588
00:35:00,539 --> 00:35:03,269
And if you're just talking to an
app, it's not a random person.
589
00:35:03,269 --> 00:35:05,399
It's like, it's not gonna judge you.
590
00:35:05,399 --> 00:35:08,399
So the fear of judgment gets
lowered or at least reduced
591
00:35:08,399 --> 00:35:09,299
when you're dealing with an app.
592
00:35:09,599 --> 00:35:11,129
So that's an interesting perspective.
593
00:35:11,499 --> 00:35:12,189
That's a good point.
594
00:35:12,699 --> 00:35:14,889
So when, when you look through.
595
00:35:17,274 --> 00:35:19,664
You know, you've already
seen, you deployed this out.
596
00:35:19,664 --> 00:35:23,114
You already saw in healthcare costs.
597
00:35:23,114 --> 00:35:25,874
You saw an improvement
in employee engagement.
598
00:35:26,414 --> 00:35:29,864
You have seen some impact on turnover.
599
00:35:30,494 --> 00:35:34,454
What's the full picture of results
since you've actually rolled this out?
600
00:35:34,604 --> 00:35:35,834
Tell us a little bit more about that.
601
00:35:37,106 --> 00:35:39,926
domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
I think when it comes to the full picture
602
00:35:39,956 --> 00:35:44,306
of everything that we're doing is we're
building trust with our employees that
603
00:35:44,396 --> 00:35:47,366
at the end of the day, HR has your back.
604
00:35:47,706 --> 00:35:52,846
We're not just there to enforce
rules and fire and hire.
605
00:35:52,846 --> 00:35:56,636
We're actually here to help you be
the best version of yourself as well.
606
00:35:57,012 --> 00:35:59,152
dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854: So really
interesting story and I appreciate
607
00:35:59,152 --> 00:36:00,672
you sharing that with us, Domonique.
608
00:36:01,082 --> 00:36:02,392
You're kind of thrown into it.
609
00:36:02,812 --> 00:36:07,102
So you kind of had to figure stuff out
on the fly and now that you're three and
610
00:36:07,102 --> 00:36:10,072
a half years into it and looking back.
611
00:36:10,777 --> 00:36:13,987
What are the big lessons that
you learned in going through this
612
00:36:13,987 --> 00:36:18,157
process and also implementing this
initiative and what advice would you
613
00:36:18,157 --> 00:36:20,917
have for others that are thinking
about tackling something like this?
614
00:36:21,959 --> 00:36:22,884
domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
Yeah, absolutely.
615
00:36:22,884 --> 00:36:26,974
I think the biggest thing that
I learned was one was during the
616
00:36:26,974 --> 00:36:31,244
interview process, ask more questions
about the state of the organization.
617
00:36:31,244 --> 00:36:41,009
And ensure that your team is also
on board with where you're going.
618
00:36:41,009 --> 00:36:45,089
And they understand the vision because
if there's conflict on your team, when it
619
00:36:45,089 --> 00:36:49,159
comes to the understanding of your vision,
it's not gonna appeal to the broader
620
00:36:49,159 --> 00:36:51,139
audience because you guys aren't aligned.
621
00:36:51,139 --> 00:36:55,699
So just ensure that the team is always
aligned with you and the overall vision
622
00:36:55,699 --> 00:36:59,209
and you guys kind of band together
and understand where you're going.
623
00:36:59,405 --> 00:37:00,845
dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854:
So if you had an opportunity to
624
00:37:00,845 --> 00:37:03,665
kind of tackle this post hire.
625
00:37:04,010 --> 00:37:07,670
So the interview process is the
interview process, but let's say you
626
00:37:07,670 --> 00:37:11,480
walked in and you had a chance to do
over, what is the one thing that you
627
00:37:11,480 --> 00:37:15,865
would've done differently in tackling
the challenges within this environment?
628
00:37:16,287 --> 00:37:18,772
domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
What I would have definitely
629
00:37:19,792 --> 00:37:25,377
in that first year, rolled out
any of the technology changes.
630
00:37:25,967 --> 00:37:27,367
Within that first year.
631
00:37:27,367 --> 00:37:31,847
So because we kind of rolled them
out one by one, year by year.
632
00:37:31,847 --> 00:37:34,577
Obviously because of budget
purposes and things like that.
633
00:37:34,577 --> 00:37:38,847
But that would've been a stipulation of
me accepting the role was that I need
634
00:37:38,847 --> 00:37:43,827
to be able to upgrade the technology and
move us into 21st century as quickly as
635
00:37:43,827 --> 00:37:49,732
possible so that it isn't a doesn't feel
like a constant change to the employees.
636
00:37:49,732 --> 00:37:53,692
'Cause I do think every time that we
launch any new technology, it does
637
00:37:53,692 --> 00:37:55,672
feel like, okay, we're changing again.
638
00:37:55,672 --> 00:37:59,902
We're enhancing but employees don't
always view that as an enhancement.
639
00:37:59,922 --> 00:38:02,782
Sometimes they view it as a hindrance
to getting where they want to be.
640
00:38:03,016 --> 00:38:04,786
dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854: That's
a really good point about the change
641
00:38:04,786 --> 00:38:09,226
management piece of it because it might
not seem like a big deal to you or I
642
00:38:09,226 --> 00:38:13,636
when we're going through a process,
but if every year there or every six
643
00:38:13,636 --> 00:38:17,536
months there's something new that's
being rolled out, the mental load on
644
00:38:17,536 --> 00:38:21,646
employees who are already in survival
mode is gonna be pretty, pretty big.
645
00:38:21,646 --> 00:38:22,636
So that's a good call out.
646
00:38:23,066 --> 00:38:27,476
I'm sure people are gonna want to dig more
deeply into this conversation and just
647
00:38:27,476 --> 00:38:29,036
in general, the stuff that you've done.
648
00:38:29,306 --> 00:38:31,136
What's the best way for them
to get in touch with you?
649
00:38:31,598 --> 00:38:34,118
domonique-guest275_1_11-11-2025_140844:
The best way is via LinkedIn.
650
00:38:34,358 --> 00:38:39,458
Domonique Williams and it's
D-O-M-O-N-I-Q-U-E Williams, MHRM.
651
00:38:39,458 --> 00:38:39,788
Yes.
652
00:38:41,021 --> 00:38:41,341
dr--jim_2_11-11-2025_130854: Nice.
653
00:38:41,341 --> 00:38:44,331
We'll, we'll uh, make sure to
include that in the, in uh, the
654
00:38:44,331 --> 00:38:45,711
show notes when the episode's out.
655
00:38:46,011 --> 00:38:48,231
So I really appreciate you
hanging out with us and
656
00:38:48,231 --> 00:38:50,381
sharing, with uh, us your story.
657
00:38:50,381 --> 00:38:53,271
I think it's particularly unique
because of the domain that you
658
00:38:53,271 --> 00:38:54,531
actually accomplish this in.
659
00:38:54,981 --> 00:38:59,241
You typically don't look at
manufacturing environments as the.
660
00:38:59,886 --> 00:39:02,766
First thing that comes to mind
when you're trying to implement
661
00:39:03,006 --> 00:39:06,366
health and wellness programs that
have an AI wrapper around it.
662
00:39:06,366 --> 00:39:09,476
So, and, and have a mental
health, component uh, to it.
663
00:39:09,516 --> 00:39:13,116
That's not really in my top
five list of environments
664
00:39:13,116 --> 00:39:13,756
where I would think
665
00:39:13,756 --> 00:39:18,366
Hey, this initiative is gonna really
take, take uh, hold and, and, and do well.
666
00:39:18,816 --> 00:39:24,156
What I find interesting about your story
from a general perspective and also from
667
00:39:24,156 --> 00:39:27,006
a specific perspective, is that sometimes.
668
00:39:28,056 --> 00:39:30,666
It's a good thing to have
a completely blank slate.
669
00:39:30,846 --> 00:39:33,606
You walked into an environment
where everybody else that was
670
00:39:33,606 --> 00:39:35,556
a legacy HR employee was gone.
671
00:39:35,946 --> 00:39:38,286
So you have a wide open
green field to operate from.
672
00:39:38,616 --> 00:39:41,886
And what I like about your approach
when you took over that green
673
00:39:41,886 --> 00:39:45,396
field and had that blank slate was
that you didn't really rock the
674
00:39:45,396 --> 00:39:47,316
boat too much in that first year.
675
00:39:47,616 --> 00:39:49,956
You wanted to understand
what was going on.
676
00:39:49,956 --> 00:39:54,396
So seek to understand before trying to be
understood and then document everything.
677
00:39:54,646 --> 00:39:57,376
That was happening as a means to identify.
678
00:39:58,296 --> 00:40:00,966
Potential opportunities to impact change.
679
00:40:01,056 --> 00:40:04,866
And then the other part that I like
about what you described about rolling
680
00:40:04,866 --> 00:40:09,216
out this initiative is that you tied
the initiative to specific data that
681
00:40:09,216 --> 00:40:12,336
you wanted to influence, specific
outcomes that you wanted to influence,
682
00:40:12,636 --> 00:40:15,426
whether it was retention, whether
it was employee engagement, whether
683
00:40:15,426 --> 00:40:17,706
it was cost, it was all data driven.
684
00:40:17,706 --> 00:40:20,196
So whenever you come to the table.
685
00:40:20,486 --> 00:40:24,566
With data that supports business
outcomes, you're gonna have better
686
00:40:24,566 --> 00:40:29,086
buy-in from the business side and
especially the CFO side to take that
687
00:40:29,086 --> 00:40:30,976
initiative, and uh, run with it.
688
00:40:31,436 --> 00:40:32,491
And in the end.
689
00:40:33,276 --> 00:40:37,656
All of that effort ended up paying off
with some specific measurable outcomes
690
00:40:37,896 --> 00:40:41,376
from retention, from a cost reduction
perspective, from employee engagement.
691
00:40:41,616 --> 00:40:43,296
So it all ended up working out well.
692
00:40:43,296 --> 00:40:48,846
So if people wanted to build a framework
of how to actually successfully
693
00:40:48,846 --> 00:40:52,566
roll out an initiative, I think you
provided a great template for people
694
00:40:52,566 --> 00:40:54,276
to listen to and and pay attention to.
695
00:40:54,276 --> 00:40:55,446
So I appreciate you sharing that.
696
00:40:55,746 --> 00:40:57,726
For those of you who've been
listening to this conversation,
697
00:40:57,726 --> 00:40:58,896
we appreciate you hanging out.
698
00:40:59,166 --> 00:41:03,846
Make sure you leave us a review on your
favorite podcast player and then tune
699
00:41:03,846 --> 00:41:07,866
in next time where we'll have another
leader who will join us and share with
700
00:41:07,866 --> 00:41:10,206
us how they are future proofing HR.
