Today is Random Acts of Kindness Day, a day to encourage doing simple deeds for others and instilling a habit of generosity in our lives.
A recent study found that being kind to ourselves, to anyone else, or actively observing kindness around us boosts happiness. Kindness can be as simple as a smile, holding the door for someone, sending a note of thanks, or even observing kindness in others. Kindness makes the world a better place.
Our Automotive team in India recently celebrated Pongal – a Hindu harvest festival that marks the beginning of the month called Thai and is celebrated by people with ties to Tamil Nadu, India.
Lasting for four days, Pongal involves new beginnings, giving thanks, and strengthening communal ties. People often gather together for festive meals, which includes boiling pots of pongal – a traditional mix of rice and milk.
To celebrate, our colleagues played a traditional pot-breaking game called Uriyadi. In this game, participants are blindfolded and spun around several times before trying to break a suspended clay pot with a stick while observers cheer and music plays. Mr. Gnanaprakasam, Manufacturing Coach, and Ms. Abinaya, Production Associate, successfully broke the pot!
Uriyadi
The team also made pongal and created rangoli – beautiful floor patterns created from rice flour.
pongal
rangoli
A couple of our colleagues shared their thoughts on the celebration:
Susi
Monika
Susi: “As an employee, I appreciate this time to recharge and reconnect with loved ones, strengthening the sense of community. It is a time to celebrate progress while cherishing the roots of our culture. I look forward to positively contributing to the year ahead.”
Monika: “We often juggle multiple roles, both at work and at home. During Pongal, we honor our role in contributing to both the economy and our families. The festival reminds me of the resilience of women who continue to balance their careers, responsibilities, and traditions.”
This past December, our Automotive team in India celebrated Christmas together for the first time!
The team decorated their branch and kicked off their celebration with a cake cutting. Susi, a manufacturing teammate, created a colorful rangoli featuring Santa Claus and a Christmas tree.
We’re happy to see our teams making memories together!
Check out some of the photos from their celebration below.
In November, teams globally celebrated Quality Month – a time dedicated to sharing best practices, recognizing quality control professionals, and emphasizing the continuous improvement of processes and products.
Our Automotive team in India marked the occasion with a kickoff ceremony celebrating the theme “Quality: From Compliance to Performance.” Branch leadership highlighted the significance of quality management, and the team committed to upholding high standards. Team members competed in a contest, creating posters displayed throughout the branch that inspired excellence and a focus on continuous improvement.
Thank you to our teams for continuously pursuing exceptional quality and improvement and to our Automotive team in India for showing what it looks like to do great work together!
October is Global Diversity Awareness Month, a time to recognize and appreciate the cultures, traditions, and perspectives that make up our world. As a global company, it’s important that we embrace the diverse backgrounds of our people so we can take more meaningful steps toward building a more inclusive, innovative, and successful company.
Last month, our Learning & Development team spotlighted how to embrace a global mindset and shared many resources with our employees. Here are a few of the things we learned and ways we can embrace a global mindset:
1. Gain self-awareness. Become aware of your own culture and biases. You might only realize you carry biases once you examine your perspectives.
2. Be curious. To quote a line from Ted Lasso: “Be curious, not judgmental.” If you don’t understand something, instead of judging, ask questions. When we ask questions, it opens our minds to new perspectives.
3. Be flexible and open-minded. If a colleague in Europe does something different, be open to the new way of working. Neither way is wrong; it’s just different.
4. Practice. Take every opportunity to learn something new about someone, whether it’s speaking their language, learning about their culture, or trying their food. The more you practice and learn, the more your mindset will grow.
The Maple Leaf Parade is an annual event held in Carthage, Missouri, and this year marked its 58th anniversary. The theme was “Celebrating America’s Maple Leaf City,” and L&P’s float showcased iconic features of a trip down Garrison Street. Leggett won the Sweepstakes Prize, the top honor in the float division of 182 entries.
The parade attracted an estimated 65,000 visitors to Carthage. As L&P employees and their families walked the 2-mile parade route, handing out candy, they were met with enthusiastic clapping and cheering. Leggett & Platt’s strong community spirit was on full display.
Thank you to everyone who helped construct the float, participated in the parade, and demonstrated our value of doing great work together!
More than 45 L&P volunteers helped host Carthage Area United Way’s annual Golf Scramble. From planning to hosting the event, our volunteers helped register 35 teams, set up stations, manage door prizes valued at over $6,000, and much more.
Together, L&P raised nearly $25,000 for the Carthage Area United Way! This was $5,000 more than the goal, and $9,000 more than last year.
Thank you to everyone who participated in making this event successful and continue to uphold our values of putting people first and doing great work together.
This month, L&P teams across North America will walk together in the Susan G. Komen’s More Than Pink Walk, raising funds for breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer.
Throughout October, we are sharing stories from our team members on how breast cancer has affected their lives.
Meet Jennifer Birch, who works in IT in Carthage, MO. We asked Jen about her experience with breast cancer and why L&P’s support of the Susan G. Komen Foundation is meaningful.
This month, L&P teams across North America will walk together in the Susan G. Komen’s More Than Pink Walk, raising funds for breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer.
Throughout October, we are sharing stories from our team members on how breast cancer has affected their lives.
Meet Mary Jo Little, who works in Creative Services in Carthage, MO. We asked Mary Jo about her experience with breast cancer and why L&P’s support of the Susan G. Komen Foundation is meaningful.
