The Secret to Excellent Work Culture—a DCL Logistics employee spotlight with HR Manager Brandi Jones
The core of DCL Logistics is the people who work here—the support that DCL provides to its customers wouldn’t be possible without the dedicated employees who make it happen everyday. From executives, to managers, to warehouse staff, everyone at DCL works together to bring quality service to our customers.
Human Resources Manager at DCL Logistics, Brandi Jones, describes why she believes there is a rich culture of dedication and teamwork at DCL; she explains that it’s the tenure of the staff, the respect for diversity, and the common goal of working together to deliver for DCL customers.
Support Leads to Staying Power
Brandi describes her impression of DCL’s culture when she first took the job four years ago, “I was really shocked at the tenure that employees have with DCL—for some people it’s 20 or 30 years, even including some of the temporary workers here. I think that speaks volumes to the culture; people want to be here, they like the atmosphere, they like where they work.”
Brandi adds that the special feel at DCL comes from the fact that this is a family-owned company. She says, “I get that sense, when I walk in the warehouse everyone’s working together and happy.”
In order to keep employees feeling supported in their work, leaders like Brandi dedicate themselves to problem solving wherever it comes up. She says the staff knows she has an open-door policy, even during times when she’s not present in the DCL office. She adds, “When I was growing up I wanted to be a nurse like my grandmother. When I asked her what a nurse does, she named all these wonderful things, but then she got to the part about giving shots and seeing blood. I knew right then and there that I wouldn’t be a nurse, but I knew I wanted to be someone who helped people. I genuinely like people and I like to be the one to help you solve your problems. HR is rewarding to me, to have people come to me, and I can help them solve their problem.”
The Key to Diversity is Respect
One of the longstanding core values of DCL is “People First” which is most exemplified in the way employees treat each other, no matter the level of seniority or experience. Brandi says, “We all learn from one another, we share different ideas, different processes. If something is working better in one area than another, we share that knowledge and learn from one another.” It’s often that directors and managers from different departments collaborate in order to help make improvements across the company.
There are many different types of people who work at DCL. It doesn’t matter if there are cultural or experience differences, everyone treats each other with respect—and it starts with the leadership team to set that example. Brandi says, “I grew up in a household where respect was number one. My philosophy is to treat everybody the same, and when I say that I mean it, from the janitor, to the CEO, to the president. I give everyone the same respect.”
One aspect of HR that Brandi strives to accomplish is keeping new hires really well informed of what they will be expected to do. This transparency is another form of respect for the staff at DCL. She says, “One of my goals is to work with each of the leaders to come up with more comprehensive onboarding. I want to give each employee a lot of the training up front so they can learn about the company, get to know Dave or one of the directors through videos. When they come in the door they should know what is expected of them, so they aren’t at all surprised. I think people deserve that.”
One Clear Goal to Get Behind
The work ethic and get-it-done attitude is systemic at DCL. The people who keep DCL running everyday truly work together as a team. Brandi believes it’s because they are all striving for one common goal. She says, “Customers are the reason we are in business, so in the end the goal is to get things done and get the product out the door.”
There is an adherence to quality that has always been in the DNA of the company, and it shows in the staff. It started in the origin of the DCL company, and has continued throughout every expansion with the help of employees like Brandi.
“The values that staff hold at DCL are very strong. They see that there is something that needs to get done, and we all work together as a team to meet that. It’s those strong values that I think enhances the culture at DCL. We all have one goal in mind, which is to get the job done and get the product out for our customers.”
DCL customers have often noted how much they appreciate having a dedicated team who they can call anytime. They get that because DCL employees are given a supportive workplace. Brandi says, “I treat all of our employees in a way that I want them to treat our customers. I go above and beyond, even if I’m in the middle of a project and there’s a question that needs to be answered, I want to be that person that they come to. I want to set the example for our employees by being there for them so that in turn they can be there for our customers.”
Tags: Employee Spotlight, What is a 3PL?
