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Life@Leggett

Employee Appreciation Day at L&P

Our employees recently celebrated Employee Appreciation Day by giving thanks for one another and enjoying a variety of snacks and activities! Check out some of the photos from our teams’ celebrations:

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Sibi Chakravarthy (left) received an award for perfect attendance during the 2023 year. “It was an honor and pleasure to receive this award,” shared Sibi. “I have love and respect for my work, and I believe commitment towards our work will lead us to success.”

Zhaoqing, Guangdong, China

Wuxi, Jiangsu, China

Changsha, Hunan, China

Changchun, Jilin, China

Chongqing, Sichuan, China

Tianjin, China

Changshu, Jiangsu, China

Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

Happy World Sleep Day!

March 15 is World Sleep Day – a day to recognize the importance of sleep and promote good sleep health.

Did you know that L&P holds more than one thousand bedding-related patents? As a go-to source for all things bedding, we enhance people’s lives with superior sleep experiences and appreciate the sleep health professionals who help people get a good night’s rest.

Like exercising and eating well, getting good quality sleep is a part of maintaining good health. If you’re interested in more information on healthy sleep, check out this page: Start Your Day with Good Quality Sleep.

Women and Innovation: HRIS Configuration Team

At L&P, we’re inspired by our colleagues who go above and beyond to enhance our businesses. This month, we’re sharing stories of women at L&P who have improved our products and processes with their creativity and leadership.

We’d like you to meet three members of our Human Resources Information System (HRIS) Configuration Team – Ashley Woods, Krystal Baker, and Lyn Eivers.

Ashley Woods is based in Jefferson City, MO, and has been with L&P for two and a half years. Krystal Baker lives in Joplin, MO, and has been with L&P for five years, and Lyn Eivers is based in Meath, Ireland, and has been with L&P for one and a half years. These women have an average of 15 years of experience implementing various Human Resources (HR) systems and have been instrumental in the successful launch of our HRIS system, LP CORE.

Being on different continents, the team only has a few hours daily to focus, collaborate, and train. In July 2022, the team had the opportunity to meet in person at the project kick-off. This time together helped them bond and foster a sense of trust and camaraderie.

Each of the women has a strong HR foundation built on practical experience, which helped them navigate the global complexities of our business with skill and efficiency and helped make the launch of LP CORE a success. We asked the team some questions about this project, the challenges they faced, and how LP CORE has improved our business.

What challenges did your team face while building LP CORE, and how did you overcome them?

We had a lot of listening to do at the start of this process. Early stakeholder engagement in the implementation phase identified a communication barrier. We were able to lean on L&P’s Translation Services team, including Liliana Cano-Montoya and Freda Ge from our Asia Pacific (APAC) region, for invaluable support throughout the process. The HRIS team translated the system into six languages for go-live to assist every level of HR employee.

Our team offered different learning solutions for every learning style, utilizing Teams training and written guides in all languages, and built online learning courses in the Learning Management System (LMS).

One of our core values is to be easy to work with and provide excellent customer service. Our team covers multiple time zones, so there is always one of us online to help the global HR community. Another way we overcame any challenges is by keeping a sense of humor – we all had great fun working together on the implementation.  

How did you approach building the HRIS and problem-solving as issues arose?

We are passionate about data and finding solutions. We spent hours building and testing configurations before presenting a solution to the L&P stakeholders. We also stayed agile; requirements changed daily, so new technical solutions had to be created to meet the latest needs. Our knowledge and experience with our previous organizations encouraged L&P to be open-minded and receptive to new and improved processes. 

How has LP CORE improved our business?                          

We delivered an HR solution that is now the recognized system of record for employee data globally. Data Security was always at the forefront of our minds as we configured and developed the system, ensuring authorized access was granted and approved prior to Go-Live. In addition, workflow approvals in the system have now reduced the number of paper/digital forms within the business and are fully auditable. Real-time reporting now allows data to be extracted and analyzed centrally. Going Live with LP CORE is only the start of the team’s journey – we are now busy preparing for new modules and continuous improvements.

Thank you to Ashley, Krystal, and Lyn for your dedication to our business and for showing what it looks like to do great work together!

Happy International Women’s Day!

Today is International Women’s Day! On this day, we celebrate the achievements of the women around us and raise awareness about the continued struggles for equality and gender parity.

This year’s global theme is “inspiring inclusion.” Inspiring inclusion encourages everyone to recognize the unique perspectives and contributions of women worldwide by challenging stereotypes, breaking down barriers, and creating an environment where all women are respected.

Here are some ways we can inspire inclusion in our workplace: 

  • Be an Ally: Support and uplift your female colleagues and help champion their voices. Listen to their experiences and validate their perspectives.
  • Celebrate Women’s Achievements: One of our values is Do Great Work Together. When one of us succeeds, we all succeed. Recognizing each other’s achievements promotes camaraderie and boosts morale.
  • Seek Women’s Input: Involve women coworkers in the decision-making processes. Their perspectives are valuable and contribute to well-rounded decisions.
  • Support Groups at L&P that Champion Women: The Women’s ERG’s mission is to raise the visibility of women, celebrate their unique contributions and perspectives, foster personal and professional development, broaden their support network, build allyship, and influence positive change.

Women and Innovation: Linda Parker

At L&P, we’re inspired by our colleagues who go above and beyond to enhance our businesses. This month, we’re sharing stories of women at L&P who have improved our products and processes with their creativity and leadership.

Meet Linda Parker, Controller for U.S. Operations within Home Furniture! Throughout her 25 years with us, Linda has enhanced our businesses by improving efficiency and introducing new forms of standardization. We asked her some questions about work, mentorship, and how she overcomes challenges.

What is a day at work like for you?

Every day is different. At the start of a new financial period, I might field questions related to the previous period and start preparing forecast material. That morphs into the Finance and Accounting team preparing forecasts that I review and consolidate. After the forecasts are consolidated, I provide financial explanations to our Home Furniture group’s management.

Sometimes, I work on different analyses for Home Furniture’s management team so they have the financial information they need to drive our business forward. I also work with branch management on accounting and internal control issues.

How have you enhanced our businesses?

There are two enhancements that I am most proud of. The first relates to my tenure in overseeing the compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We had an issue where we needed to revise our physical inventory procedures, and I visited branches to see what the pain points were. I assembled a team across L&P to help solve the issues, and our process changes resulted in annual savings of approximately $1M+ for the company.  

The second enhancement relates to standardizing accounting processes for Home Furniture. Standardization allows team members to easily cover for each other when there is a personal emergency, makes process changes easier because the team is executing the task the same way, and helps reviewers find the information they need to perform a good review. This work was already in process when I joined the Home Furniture team, but I found additional areas where we could improve our efficiency and accuracy in financial reporting.

What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

Implementing procedures to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act were challenging because compliance guidance kept changing and there was no roadmap on how to comply. There was also stakeholder resistance to these changes, and it was difficult to ensure that we had minimal impact to our operating locations. I found that the best way to tackle these types of large-scale projects is to break them down into pieces, use the best information available, and overcommunicate.

Process changes cannot be completed in a vacuum. I try to involve subject matter experts whenever possible. I learned very early in my career that, when converting locations to L&P systems, you need to involve representatives from all areas of the process so that you do not have unintended consequences. A change that makes sense for one area may cause problems in another. 

You’ve served as a mentor at L&P to plant accountants. What has your mentoring experience been like, and why do you think it’s important to be a mentor?

Each plant accountant on my team wants different things out of their career. As a mentor, my job is to listen to what their career goals are and help them achieve those goals – whether that’s progressing to a more advanced role or learning more advanced accounting processes. It’s very rewarding to see individuals achieve a career milestone or grasp a complicated accounting concept that they thought they couldn’t grasp.

I’ve benefited from some outstanding mentors – like Bill Weil, Joe Franklin, Megan Dawson, and Mike Carter – who have helped shape my career at L&P and enhanced my understanding of the manufacturing environment. I think it’s important to be a mentor so that there is someone who can be a sounding board for problem solving, help with identifying career opportunities, and be a source of technical knowledge. I also learn from our plant accountants!

Women and Innovation at L&P

Every day, we see women driving innovation in our workplaces and communities. Our colleagues’ creativity, leadership, and unique experiences enrich our businesses, and we are proud to recognize and celebrate their contributions. This month on L&P social, we’re excited to share some stories of women at L&P who have improved our processes and products!

Although representation of women across the workforce continues to grow, barriers exist that can make it difficult for them to navigate their careers. At L&P, our Women’s Employee Resource Group (ERG) supports women across our company by building awareness of these barriers so we can work together to overcome them. Their mission is to raise the visibility of women, celebrate their unique contributions and perspectives, foster personal and professional development, broaden their support network, build allyship, and influence positive change.

This month, our Women’s ERG will host a guest speaker and resume monthly Coffee Chats – casual, virtual conversations where ERG members can connect. Later this year, they’ll share details about launching a mentorship program and future events.

Happy Employee Appreciation Day!

Today is Employee Appreciation Day! We want to say thank you to our team members all over the globe for your contributions, dedication, and resilience.

Perspective and Passion: Brandon Phothichack’s Career at L&P

From taking on new responsibilities to learning new skills, our colleagues have shown dedication and commitment to their careers. This month, we’re sharing some of their stories related to professional growth.

Brandon Phothichack started his career with Hanes Industries in Conover, North Carolina, nearly nine years ago as an Intra Winder/Machine Operator on the third shift. He worked in several roles over the three-and-a-half years he spent on the third shift before landing his first role on the day shift. Over the years, Brandon worked in Panel Cell and various other roles. He even cross-trained in other departments like shipping and receiving and offered assistance at Hanes Dye in Winston-Salem, NC.

This past year, Brandon took the position of Training Coordinator. In his new role, Brandon facilitates the job training process of new team members and transfers. He helps to ensure the transition to their new job is seamless with thorough training in the most current, accepted practices and quality. In addition, Brandon gets to conduct plant tours where he’s had the opportunity to meet many great people within L&P and the community.

“I still feel blessed and honored for this opportunity. Many people helped me along the way, including Leonard Ruggiero, Dee Sawyer, Steve Griffin, Steven Davis, and many long-time friends I’ve worked beside who told me to go for it.”

Brandon credits keeping perspective as a contributing factor to his success. When he can’t control what’s happening, he knows he can control his reaction to a situation. He offers the same advice to someone else facing decisions in their career or life.

“Go for it. It’s your time, and you will be great. Control your emotions, but allow yourself to show passion in your beliefs. Insert your beliefs, but always be kind. Show your worth. You got this.”

Outside work, Brandon enjoys golfing, playing paintball, and spending time with his friends and family, including his son, who recently enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He and his wife are getting used to being empty-nesters and catching up with their Airman through video chat.

Welcoming Change: Cari Southern’s Career at L&P

From taking on new responsibilities to learning new skills, our team members have shown dedication and commitment to their careers. This month, we’re sharing some of their stories related to professional growth.

Cari Southern started at Leggett & Platt 25 years ago in the accounting department of one of our manufacturing facilities. In her ten years at the branch, she served in various roles, with the last few years being the Division Controller. Cari then transferred to Corporate, working on Sales and Operations (S&OP) deployment and then the Customer and Product Profitability (CPP) initiative.

About eight years ago, Cari had the opportunity to become the Segment Controller for the Specialized Products and Furniture segments. In 2018, Cari transferred to the Automotive Business Unit as the Senior Director of Governance. Recently, her role was expanded to include Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP).

As the Senior Director of S&OP and Governance of Automotive, Cari and her team are responsible for rebuilding the sales and operations planning process and maintaining the integrity of the business processes, systems, and master data.

Cari credits her growth over the last 25 years to welcoming the inevitability of change and using those experiences to propel her career.

“Change can be very scary, but things are constantly changing. People are often hesitant to make a change for various reasons; probably the most frequent reasons are being comfortable or fearing you might not like a new opportunity. A mentor told me many years ago that change doesn’t have to be a one-way door – very few changes are something you can’t come back from, and if you dislike what you are doing, you can make another change. New experiences and increased knowledge opens more doors for the future.”

Cari hopes her story inspires others to take chances within Leggett, embrace change, and lean on the people around you who are invested in your success.

“L&P is a diverse, global company – and you can learn a lot working with and in the various business units. The leaders in the company can provide different perspectives and management styles. I have had great leaders who took a chance on me and gave me additional responsibilities that allowed me to excel in new roles. Take a chance on yourself and your development.”

Cari’s busiest and most important role is as a mom. If she is not at L&P, you can find her in her car, transporting her two boys, Chapman, 13, and Colton, 17, to their sporting events and cheering them from the sidelines.

Meet Demian Waller, Organizational Change Management Specialist

During February, we’re inviting our colleagues to share about life at Leggett, what they’re proud of, and what Black History Month means to them.

Meet Demian Waller, Organizational Change Management Specialist! Demian has been with us for one year and is part of our Change Management team.

What does a typical day at work look like for you, and what do you enjoy most about your role?

A typical day for me includes meeting with leadership teams from different departments, discussing changes coming to L&P, and sharing how our Change Management team can assist with the strategy, implementation, and execution of these changes.

I enjoy working with various teams and collaborating to reach a common goal. Change Management is important because it allows organizations to utilize proven methodologies and tools to ensure that any major changes are met with less resistance and higher success rates.

What are you most proud of?

I’m most proud of my two sons and their creativity, optimism, and zest for life.

What does Black History Month mean to you?

To me, Black History Month is an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments and achievements of men and women of color who have contributed to the shaping of our great nation.