1 B & D Manufacturing hails people power.

• Author: Stewart, Nick
• Position: 5 Great Places To Work - Human resource management - Company overview

As a company grows, it can become increasingly difficult to remain in tune with one's employees, which is why B & D Manufacturing maintains an ongoing effort to stay connected with its people.

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"We do whatever we can to acknowledge the employees," says Andre Ruest, general manager. "I've always stressed that if it wasn't for the people that we have, we wouldn't be where we are today."

Founded in 1980 with just three people, the custom manufacturing industrial supply company now has 85 employees scattered across its three sites throughout the Sudbury region and additional research and design facilities in Powassan; more expansions are scheduled for the new year. As a result, Ruest has helped to institute a number of initiatives to remind the workers of their importance within the big picture.

One such effort includes the creation of an internal wellness committee to put in motion a variety of events and functions for the staff.

"We have monthly barbecues, which are very popular," he said. "We've had summer events, like a fishing tournament combined with a family weekend which has been going on for a number of years, and we have a number of extra functions where we include the employees' families, like Christmas parties and seasonal outings."

The employees have developed a closeness and some take it upon themselves to periodically organize fishing derbies, which B & D Manufacturing sponsors. This makes for a stronger and much more positive company, says Ruest. "It's just to create a close, family environment and to keep the workers' morale up and to have them creating this common bond," he says. "It's very important."

While this company-wide acknowledgment definitely helps to cement ties between workers, recognition can also come at an individual level. Shop supervisors keep an eye out for employees who have been putting forth a particularly strong effort, and try to see to it that they are rewarded accordingly.

"If they notice that some of the guys have been working a lot of hours, we'll give them a gift certificate and encourage them to take their wife out to dinner," says Ruest. "If they want to take a few hours or a day off, they can make up the time on other occasions. We're pretty flexible with that."

Staff suggestions help to drive the company's various internal policies, which Ruest says helps in obtaining employee buy-in.

"Most of our decisions are made from listening to everyone on the floor, from our shop...