Thursday, October 7, 2010

Seeing what leading businesses in the region are doing

This week Playtex Manufacturing Inc. did something that many other companies have discarded during the "slightly-post-downturn" times: They spent money on employee training – and not just a few thousand dollars – they spent more than $300K!

It is incredible to see Playtex charge forward at a time when some many other businesses are sitting at the sidelines, discussing economic doom and gloom – like the much dreaded double-dip recession.

The training included: safety awareness, OSHA training, problem solving, time management, interpersonal dynamics, coaching, and “play to win” – a proprietary course that brings participants outdoors to participate in a variety of team-building exercises. On the pictures: two employees very high above the ground walking across a plank. Their only safe way to get back to the ground: their work colleagues.

So, as jobseekers, why should we care? Let’s pay close attention to the hidden message to find out why.

I think it would be safe to assume that the Playtex executives didn’t just wake up one day and said, “WOOO HOOO! Let’s blow $300K on training!” Chances are that the allocation of those training funds was the result of a meticulous analysis. Their experts probably studied the impact that training would have on their operational costs and the bottom line. If these assumptions are correct then it would be rational to say that Playtex has a positive outlook of the future.

Back to us – job seekers. Hearing that a major local company has a positive outlook for the future is great news. Even if we don’t seek employment with them, we should be excited. The reason: Economies tend to move with a snowball effect. When one business does well, then all the other supporting businesses also do well. Business doing well = more jobs!

Keep an eye on the local businesses that are incurring in these kinds of programs; you might just stumble upon your next job.


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