Culture of Employee Satisfaction and Personal Improvement Key for Worthington Industries Growth Strategy

Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Worthington Industries, Inc. is a global diversified metals manufacturing company. Matt Schlabig, the CIO at Worthington Industries, credits the company’s success to the development of strong business relationships, a solid team, consistent delivery and a collaborative culture.

“The team, the culture, and the relationships you create – that’s what’s so critical,” says Schlabig. “We’re more successful when working directly with business team members because they have the best ideas,  they know what they want, and they want solutions quickly. Traditional approaches for capturing demand, creating a list and prioritization are slow and ineffective.

According to Schlabig, the company measures itself in business terms, asking, “Am I improving safety? Am I improving margins? Is my team improving quality?”

“Our metrics are in business terms,” says Schlabig, who references the Hawthorne Effect in which researcher Henry Landsberger studied a group of employees to see if there was a correlation between productivity and work environment. Indeed, there was.

“The Hawthorne Effect is all about giving employees a voice,” says Schlabig. The idea is that doing so improves not only the work environment and productivity but also the quality of life. For instance, when some of the employees at Worthington Industries were experiencing back pains and strains, the company responded by leveraging human augmentation exoskeleton suits. The suits take a great deal of strain from employees who do strenuous lifting, and since their welders often weld at or above-shoulder heights, these suits supplement their arm lifting, making the efforts much easier.

“We listen to our employees and try to find solutions whether or not it includes technology” says Schlabig. It’s a win-win all the way around.

Worthington Industries is located at 200 Old Wilson Bridge Road, Columbus, OH 43085. To learn more, call 800.944.2255 or visit www.worthingtonindustries.com/Home