HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Employees at Dudley C. Jackson, Inc. praise the company's caring culture

By -- Industrial Distribution, 8/1/2000

Employees at Dudley C. Jackson, Inc. say the company's practices of sharing the wealth, offering a flexible environment and providing forums for constructive feedback and suggestions make the Helena, Ala., firm seem like a second family.

Customer service representative Kellie Jones, who started at the company in 1985, is pleased that the company has matched retirement plan contributions at least one-for-one, and often more, since 1993. Jones feels secure knowing there's much more money in her account that she has invested.

"As young as I am, by the time I'm ready to retire I don't want to have to worry about anything," Jones said.

Jerry Evans, a service foreman who was hired in 1983, calls Ken Jackson, Dudley C. Jackson's president since 1979, "one of a kind" and believes the company's retirement benefit tops what many larger companies offer.

"I do a lot of work in big mills and they don't match like that," Evans says. "He's very kindhearted. He could have taken that money and kept it for himself."

Richard Searcy, the company's executive vice president, agrees that the benefits package is as good, or better than, what most companies offer. Besides financial incentives, perks include paid birthdays off, a casual dress code, short and long-term disability and counseling services.

"If we make profits, the company is willing, and has in the past, taken those profits and rather than put them into its own coffers has shared cash bonuses and [offered a] 401K plan above the standard," Searcy says.

Indeed, "generous" is the word employees use most often to describe Ken Jackson and his retired parents Dudley-who founded the company in 1949 with $1,000-and Caroline. Ken Jackson firmly believes the gains in employee loyalty and productivity that result from distributing company profits more than offset any advantages to hoarding the cash.

With 1999 sales revenues of more than $7.4 million, the company gave an average 11.7 percent wage increase last year to its 23 employees. Jackson also says he loves to give bonuses because it means the company is doing well.

"I am convinced that for employees to excel, they have to have 'ownership' in the business," Jackson says. "It doesn't have to be an equity position, but they need to share in the company's success."

In addition to giving money, Ken Jackson and his management team give their time. For example, managers attend funerals of employee family members and employee weddings when invited. Systems design technician Jason Poe, who has been with the company since 1996, enjoys the family atmosphere.

"When Mrs. J. comes in, she stops and gives you a kiss on the cheek," Poe says. "With most bosses, at other places I've worked, you don't have a relationship with them. The Jacksons have a relationship with just about everybody there."

Terry Evans, a service technician with 16 years tenure and Jerry's identical twin, says Dudley C. Jackson came through when his home was damaged in a 1998 tornado.

"Ken Jackson paid my fellow employees their wages to help us clean up," Evans says. "To me that's a big bonus right there, knowing they care for you like that. A lot of companies would say 'are you O.K.?' and that's it."

Jackson says distributors need to be aware of how valuable employees are and treat them like customers. Tangible proof that employees enjoy working for Dudley C. Jackson is that no one has quit or resigned since 1991.

"When I talk to other distributors about my business, that is the most impressive statistic," Jackson says. "When I realize how many hours I do not have to spend replacing good people, I can focus that time and energy on strategic planning to make more profits."

One facet of Jackson's philosophy is to pay employees well to avoid turnover because an employee can get five or 10 percent more money at another company. Another of Jackson's core beliefs is to be receptive to reasonable employee desires. Two of the company's newer programs fall into this category. One is to pay up to $200 per year for a health club membership and the other is to give new fathers two days off with pay. Jackson says the paternity program, for example, is low cost but the benefit to the people affected is huge.

"We look for things we can do to make our employee culture, our work environment better," Jackson says.

The concern for employees' family lives isn't limited to emergencies or milestone events. Jackson wants his workers to achieve a good balance between work and family. On the second page of the employee handbook is a 'Statement of importance regarding family.' The policy describes a Work-Family Task Force to address questions or concerns. "We will work with our employees to develop and implement the most cooperative and beneficial programs," it reads.

Several employees cite the company's flextime policy for most positions as instrumental in helping them juggle work and parenting. Administrative assistant Sharon Pardue joined the company in 1990 and appreciates Jackson's understanding when her children's school schedules and doctor's appointments have conflicted with work.

"There are five of us in the front office," Pardue says. "Myself and two other women have older children. We come in earlier and get off work earlier. Two other women have smaller children. They come in later and stay later."

Customer service representative Kathy Fincher, who has been at Dudley C. Jackson for 21 years, says the spirit of concern isn't limited to the top of the pyramid. Jackson sets the tone, but other employees are also more than willing to cover for family conflicts.

"If I had to pick one [great] thing [about the company] it would be the flexibility with employees and how they treat you like a person," Fincher says. "If you have something you have to take care of, there are rarely any problems."

During the hours the employees spend at work, Dudley C. Jackson, Inc. wants them to be fulfilled. See Excellence Everywhere (SEE), the company's quality program, encourages employees to test new methods for improving productivity and work methods.

Mac McKiernan, an outside salesman for lubrication systems who has worked at Dudley C. Jackson for three years, says the company is dedicated to giving employees the tools to succeed.

"They have a very open form of communication from the bottom up," McKiernan says. "If there's something we feel we can do better, to save time or cut costs, we're encouraged to express those ideas all the way up to Ken Jackson."

If employees use a new idea that turns out to be a mistake, Fincher says Jackson "isn't going to beat you over the head with it."

"He wants to find out how it happened and how we can keep it from happening [again] so we can learn from our mistakes," Fincher says.