BizVoice May/June 2016

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May/June 2016 – BizVoice/Indiana Chamber 53
Formula for success
Staffing companies are commonplace in today’s business world,
and Apgar will be the first to admit that Diverse Staffing is not doing
anything patented when it comes to assisting clients in filling open
positions. He is proud, however, of the approach his team has
developed to look beyond the technical skills required by clients.
“We have put together a strategy that we call ‘win-win-win’,”
Apgar explains. “We have defined a process where you put the people
first. You identify what motivates these individuals (job-seekers) and
put a career plan in place that helps them
achieve their goals. If you communicate
that to the customer through feedback, you
create a self-actualized employee.”
And this process is not just for
matching job-seekers and client companies.
Diverse Staffing takes this approach with its
own employees.
“We use this same process for our
internal staff, where it all began. It creates
a very self-actualized environment because
people aren’t just punching a time clock.
They are working on their own personal
goals; dreams for life, not just the job.”
Adding VTO to PTO
Although workplace flexibility
continues to grow in popularity and
practice, some organizations still require
paid time off (PTO) to be used if
employees want to volunteer at school field
trips or give back to the community.
Diverse Staffing offers a special
approach to encourage its employees to be
involved in the community: VTO, or
volunteer time off.
“We pay our employees to go to their
child’s school and volunteer. We pay our
employees to go on mission trips. We pay
our employees to do service work in the
community,” Apgar confirms.
And this volunteer time is not just a
couple of hours a month.
“We encourage our employees to use just as much VTO time (as
they need) – and they also have PTO time. We want our staff involved
in the community and involved in their families’ lives.”
Allowing employees to more effectively integrate their personal
and professional lives leads to increased motivation and loyalty,
according to Apgar.
“It really pays dividends in the long run with your staff,” he adds.
All about respect
Respect is another theme at Diverse Staffing – between new
employees and old, and between company leaders and the rest of the
team.
The company recently made an acquisition, something that made
Cynthia Cox, director of human resources and operations, nervous in
previous positions.
“I have worked at very large companies,
and now a small- to mid-sized company. A lot
of larger companies run through and change
things in one fell swoop and move on,” Cox
shares. “Instead, we spent, and still are spending,
time really understanding the background (of
the acquired company) and why they had the
policies in place that they did.”
There is no better example than the fact
that Diverse Staffing is still blending employee
benefits and policies from the two organizations
six months after the merger is over.
“You don’t want to just change things
overnight and make people feel like they don’t
have a voice,” Cox says.
Having that voice is also an important
aspect of respect to Diverse Staffing.
During the holidays, each of the 14 branch
offices had the opportunity to select a charity
or organization they wanted to support. It
wasn’t a decision that came from headquarters
and, according to Cox, it doesn’t stop there.
“We’ve always been aligned to hearing
from everybody,” she confirms, “no matter
what level you are at. Information flows up as
well as down.”
While working on her master’s degree,
Cox spoke to focus groups of both managers
and employees. What started as a class project
turned into an entirely new pay structure – a
result of that valuable employee input.
Conversations, sharing of opinions and healthy debates are not
just encouraged at Diverse Staffing; those things are expected.
“We have a very participatory style of management,” Cox states.
“I’ve been told a number of times to challenge George on things so that we
come up with the best answer. It’s not just ‘my way or the highway’.”
By Cory Ahlersmeyer
2016 RETURNEE
RESOURCE: Diverse Staffing at
A business that puts the “business” behind three other priorities? Sounds like a potential recipe for disaster.
Not so, according to George Apgar, executive vice president of Indianapolis-based Diverse Staffing.
“We put faith, family, friends and work in that order,” he declares.
Diverse Staffing
Priorities, People and Respect a Strong Approach
Members of the Greenwood office are ready for
action, while employees take part in a wrapping
party to prepare donations for a CASA (Court
Appointed Special Advocates) toy drive.