Candace Tucker

The Cone Health System has been a reliable healthcare provider in the Triad for decades. In an effort to foster new nurses in the Cone Health system, human resources uses the Engage Greensboro app as the main component in a retention program called FOMO GSO (Fear of Missing Out Greensboro).  

The five-week program is a collaboration between synerG Young Professionals and Cone Health and is tailored to the cohort which is comprised of young nurses, most of whom are new to Greensboro. Over the course of the program participants explore Greensboro’s best assets (community events, restaurants, outdoor activities and young professional programs) and track their journey through the Engage Greensboro app. The app creates a leaderboard which shows the challenges nurses participated in and the points they receive for those challenges. These challenges include everything from playing trivia at a local brewery to visiting public art installations to attending a Greensboro Swarm game. FOMO GSO also includes professional development challenges such as sharing a nursing tip with other participants. Prizes for most points are awarded halfway through and at the end of the program. 

 This program aids to engage, cultivate and retain young talent at Cone Health and establish lifelong connections to the Greensboro community. 

 

Volvo Group North America employs more than 17,000 people in North America, and operates nine manufacturing facilities in six U.S. states, as well as three plants in Canada and one in Mexico. The company only maintains two offices in the country, including one in Greensboro. 

The Volvo Group introduced the Health for Life program in 2004 as a comprehensive health management program designed for employees. Its purpose is to build a culture that supports and encourages healthy lifestyles, and includes services to meet the needs of individuals across all levels of health. 

Some examples of currently established programs are monthly health fairs, walking and running programs, weight loss support groups, dance lessons, wellness stop-by booths, yoga, meditation, mindfulness practice, massage, biometric and other health screenings, educational programming, wellness challenges, free health coaching, and on-site fitness center. 

Volvo employee Alex Pappas offered the following description of her experience: “The wellness program through Volvo Group is by far the most robust I’ve experienced or heard about at companies in the area.  There is literally something offered for everyone at every level of fitness, and the program overall promotes a healthier lifestyle for all employees. My personal favorite piece is having access to a gym on campus – it’s easy to pop over during lunch and get in a quick workout to break up the day. It’s so nice to work for a company that allows (and encourages!) it’s employees to take a break in the day to be more active and achieve a healthier lifestyle.”  

Since the implementation of Health for Life, Volvo Group has won several awards, including Healthy Facilities and National Health for Life. 

 

Arch MI is one of the top mortgage insurance providers in the country. The Greensboro headquarters employs over 800 employees who combine industry insight with innovative thinking to design solutions to meet customers’ needs. Along with customer satisfaction, Arch MI recognizes the importance of valuing its employees. Arch MI understands that their employees are their most valuable asset, and in order to keep the best and brightest they offer a number of unique benefits, such as their Active Employee Research Groups (ERGs).  

The company says the ERGs are rooted in four key objectives: 

• Serve as an employee support systems providing spaces for networking and idea sharing 
• Promote cultural awareness across all employees, thereby improving the cultural competence of the organization 
• Enhance civic engagement, strengthening Arch MI’s connections to & image within the community 

• Provide opportunities for employees to learn, grow, & lead 

Arch MI currently has four ERGs: Black Professionals & Allies, DisAbilities & Allies, Women & Allies, and Young Professionals & Allies. They are particularly proud of their Young Professionals & Allies ERG and their work around cultivating a strong professional network that promotes collaboration & idea sharing across functions. Each year they host two events that are not to be missed: Advice to My Younger Self & Bowling with Executives. During Advice to My Younger Self senior leaders have the chance to share their perspective and strategies for success. On the other hand, Bowling with Executives provides the chance to connect with business leaders in a more relaxed setting.  

Through these ERGs, Arch MI demonstrates the employee cultivation outside of the office is just as valuable as professional cultivation from within. 

HAECO is an internationally-known aircraft service provider consisting of 18 subsidiaries and affiliates, employing over 16,000 staff all over the world. HAECO Americas has been headquartered in Greensboro for nearly 30 years while remaining a valuable global and local figure.

For over 10 years, the HAECO Co-Op/Internship Program has been an opportunity for students to utilize the skills they have learned while pursuing an undergraduate degree in a professional work environment. The company values executive level sponsorship, diverse real-world experience, and camaraderie as key practices for successful development. Their customized onboarding and inclusion for the HAECO Co-Op/Internship Program includes an orientation, assignment to an employee mentor, employee networking events, and social media engagement. The company encourages their interns to participate in high-level status meeting while being a part of real initiatives that include presentations to leadership.

A dynamic example of the HAECO Co-Op/Internship program is former intern and current HAECO Americas Marketing Analyst Brianna Pupello. She says, “Interning with HAECO has been challenging, valuable and rewarding. I have been able to apply classroom knowledge to real-world situations and gain valuable hands-on experience. During my internship, I felt confident and comfortable in my environment, trusted as a member of the team, and offered many opportunities to expand on my skills.” The company has the opportunity to find future employees and strengthen relationships with community organizations and universities while the students gain vital skills and experience that they carry throughout their careers. Over the past 3 years, 8 interns accepted full-time positions with the company.

The Co-Op/Internship program allows HAECO to gain new perspectives and ideas through the student’s interaction with company employees while providing valuable experience to the program’s participants.

Pace Communications is a nationally recognized marketing agency with five locations throughout the United States. As the largest independently owned content agency in the United States, the agency has left their mark in the branding initiatives of several companies. 

Pace provides a commitment of distinction to their clients, employees, and community. Their employee lunch and partnership with Ethnosh is an innovative initiative that benefits all parties involved. 

Cuisine, culture, community: It’s the tagline for Ethnosh, a program that connects the public to the many amazing immigrant owned restaurants in Greensboro.  

When Ethnosh co-founder Donovan McKnight joined Pace as a content creator, he offered the agency the unique employee benefit of guided lunches held at Ethnosh restaurants. During the lunch hour, employees experience a culinary cultural immersion.  

Four times a year, participants from Pace board a yellow school bus and step out to enjoy ethnic food from places like Palestine, Ethiopia, India, and Italy. Over lunch, employees enjoy an international meal, food photography seminar, and other engaging activities. Of course, it’s also a chance for Pace to step out of the office to learn about Greensboro as a welcoming home to neighbors across the world. 

In addition to providing an interactive atmosphere for employees, this also program gives back to participating restaurants by providing creative services. Pace achieved this by organizing teams who created content for the international restaurants, which put their talent to good use and uplifted local restaurants’ media presence . Pace spent $1,500 for the year, engaged 160 employees, presented the resulting creative work at company-wide meetings, and shared the love all over Instagram. 

 

 

Paternal Leave

The Center for Creative Leadership is global provider of leadership development with 12 offices worldwide. Its 19-acre campus in Greensboro serves as a foundation for the organization’s research, publication, and product development work. 

 In 2018, the organization implemented a Parental Leave benefit for benefits-eligible U.S. employees who become parents through birth, adoption, or placement of foster children. This improves on their previous policy which requires employees to use paid time off and short-term disability benefits.  

Their current parental leave policy added two new forms of PTO: parental medical leave and parental care leave.  

The former is an enhancement to a medical leave of absence taken for childbirth and recovery. PML complements short term disability benefit by covering the 5 workday waiting period at 100 percent and by bringing the 60 percent pay benefit up to 100 percent pay for the medical portion of parental leave. The duration of this leave is usually 6 or 8 weeks but may be longer.  On the other hand, PCL offers 4 weeks of 100 percent paid leave for care and bonding time with a newborn, newly adopted child, or newly placed foster child. This leave may be used following a PML or as stand alone leave for an employee who becomes a parent but did not give birth. 

The Center for Creative Leadership also offers a flexible work environment and comprehensive medical coverage among several other high-quality benefits for its employees.