Our Bedding Products team in Rensselaer, Indiana, found a few ways to give back this year!
This spring and summer, their Eco Team visited a local elementary school, participated in a community clean-up event, and donated $1,500 to their local Fire Department Training Center. At the elementary school, the team taught third graders about the history of Arbor Day, their state tree, and why trees are important for the ecosystem. They also gave 200 trees to the school’s students and staff and planted some trees with the kids. During the clean-up event, they picked up eight large bags of trash at a local boat landing.
The Eco Team visited a local elementary school.
The Eco Team picked up trash during a clean-up event.
As a group, Branch 0788 sponsored their county fair and raffled off 10 grandstand tickets to their production partners. They also donated a mattress and power base to an auction benefiting a cancer event and the proceeds went to the wife of one of their team members.
We’re proud of Branch 0788 for doing great work together and giving back to their community!
Every day, humanitarian workers risk their lives to serve the most vulnerable people around the world. We are proud to support humanitarians by contributing to the agencies they work for.
In 2023, we contributed approximately $800,000 in cash and in-kind donations to nearly 150 agencies working to provide vital resources and programs to those in need around the world.
With core values like putting people first and doing the right thing, we’re committed to investing in the communities where we live and work. Since 2001, we’ve given more than 11 million dollars to these communities.
We prioritize giving with three main goals:
Inspiring Our Future. We support programs that are inclusive and create pathways to a better future through education, including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs; scholarship programs; technical vocational; college- access and career-readiness programs; and community-based arts and music programming.
Elevating Our Communities. We give to organizations that strengthen the fabric of our communities, preserve and protect resources, and aid those facing financial hardship and instability, including programs that address homelessness and hunger, support economic mobility, and protect victims of violence.
Helping Communities in Crisis. We seek to assist in disaster relief and humanitarian work around the world with financial or in-kind contributions to those in need.
We’re also proud of our employees who frequently give their own time and resources to address local needs and build a brighter future for communities around the world.
This month on L&P social, we’re excited to share content related to giving back!
July 30 is International Day of Friendship – a day to recognize the bonds that support and uplift us!
To celebrate, we’re spotlighting a great friendship at L&P: Alex Lazarchik, Social Media Strategist, and Mollie Deskin, Marketing Project Manager!
Mollie and Alex
“Having a good friend at work makes life so much better,” shared Alex. “Not only is Mollie an amazing friend – she’s fantastic at her job. It’s really cool to see your friend succeed and grow in their role. Mollie is someone I can lean on and count on to do a job well and with a positive attitude. The people you work with play such a huge role in your life, and Mollie makes work a place where I’m happy to be.”
“Having a good friend at work has a huge positive affect on me!” shared Mollie. “We spend so much of our life at work and working remotely can feel isolating at times, which makes having a work bestie even more important. It’s also enjoyable to celebrate your friends’ wins at work because you already have so much context into the work that went into their accomplishments.”
Becoming friends at work
Alex: “When I joined L&P, Mollie trained me on all things social media. We quickly became close, and after a few weeks, our professional relationship blossomed into a friendship. Now, we talk outside of work and still partner together on certain projects.
Mollie is so good at what she does, extremely smart, incredibly kind, and has a heart of gold. I feel lucky to not only work with her but to call her a friend. Over the last year and a half, I watched Mollie blossom into an amazing person and talented project manager. I’m looking forward to watching her continued success in her career and personal life.”
Mollie: “We initially bonded over our love of reading. She often jokes about being someone who talks a lot. And while I admit, her words per minute can be quite high at times (*lol*), she’s also a very gifted active listener. I’ve lost count of the number of times my long rants were met with her genuine curiosity and non-judgment. These are qualities I’ve always admired and appreciated about her, and the decision to be her friend was a quick and easy one.”
Navigating a long-distance friendship
Alex: “I often forget that we don’t see each other in person. At work, Mollie and I have at least one meeting together every week. Outside of work, we FaceTime and text quite a bit. As grateful as I am to work remotely, I wish we could work together in person a few days a week and grab dinner after work. However, it still feels like we get to talk and hang out every day.”
Mollie: “It’s been a really interesting experience. There have been many instances where I’ve wanted to go to lunch, take a walk, or have a happy hour after work with her! Since that’s not an option, we’ve found other ways to cultivate a friendship through FaceTime, sharing weekly “recaps” on Sundays (she’s way better at this), sending each other very niche-humored memes on social media, and sharing book and music recommendations. Although our friendship formed through digital means (thank you, modern technology), it feels no different than friendships I’ve developed in person. Alex is a forever friend, and I’m grateful that L&P allowed our paths to cross.”
While June is Safety Month, prioritizing safety and caring for one another is a daily goal at L&P. Our teams make safety a habit, staying up to date on Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations and looking for ways to enhance safety around their facilities.
Recently, our Hanes Companies, Flooring Products, Home Furniture, and Work Furniture businesses came together for an OSHA 30-hour certification class. Many of our colleagues in environmental health and safety (EHS), HR, supervisor, maintenance, and production roles shared best practices and networked with one another to help advance safety across L&P. The event was sponsored by Flooring Products and hosted by Hanes Companies.
“We spent the week educating our partners on OSHA regulations and how SafeGuard – our L&P safety program – can be used to not only comply with OSHA but also drive us towards making safety a habit,” shared Tim Williams, EHS Manager. “We were fortunate to spend the last day of the class on the shop floor, applying what we learned by identifying opportunities for improvement.”
Belonging is more than a feeling – it’s a space we create between us. It’s knowing that we’re welcome at L&P and there’s a place for more than our skills. There’s room for who we are.
As many of our colleagues and communities around the world celebrate and lift up the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month, we join them by reaffirming that you belong here. We commit to strengthening workplaces that create space for everyone, including members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Supporting The Trevor Project
Pride Month is also a time to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. At L&P, we made a monetary contribution to The Trevor Project – the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ youth. Because they are often stigmatized in society, LGBTQ+ youth have an increased risk of dying by suicide when compared to their peers.
Learning More During PrideMonth
If you’d like to learn more about LGBTQ+ history, experiences, and supporting LGBTQ+ colleagues, check out the following resources:
Pride by Google Arts & Culture: Learn about Pride marches throughout the years, the Stonewall Uprising, LGBTQ+ artists, and more.
At L&P, safety – both physical and psychological – is a top priority.
We’re committed to creating safe workplaces, and we’re very proud of our teams around the world for putting people first. They prioritize safety, care for one another, and create an inclusive environment of mutual respect, empathy, and belonging.
This month on L&P social, we’re excited to share content and stories related to safety and belonging with you!
This month, we’ve been sharing content related to promoting wellbeing. One way to promote emotional wellbeing is to raise awareness of imposter syndrome in our work lives.
Imposter syndrome occurs when an individual doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments despite genuine success. Many people who experience imposter syndrome feel like fakes or phonies and that their achievements are based on good fortune or timing instead of their own effort and hard work.
Imposter Syndrome can significantly impact how we perceive our work, self-worth, and social interactions with colleagues and peers. A study found that 75% of female executives surveyed reported experiencing imposter syndrome. 53% of female professionals between the ages of 25-34 are currently experiencing imposter syndrome. And it affects not only our work lives but also our personal lives and relationships. 70% of adults will experience feelings of imposter syndrome at some point in their lifetime.
We can overcome imposter syndrome by understanding its prevalence, cultivating compassion for ourselves and others, and sharing our experiences to raise awareness.
Here are a few ways you can address imposter syndrome:
Acknowledge it: Many successful people struggle with imposter syndrome. You are not alone. Recognizing and sharing your feelings with others helps normalize it.
Challenge Negative Thoughts: When you start to experience self-doubt, ask yourself whether these thoughts are valid. Are they rooted in evidence?
Practice Compassion: Be kind to yourself. Everyone has setbacks, but it doesn’t define you.
View Criticism as an Opportunity for Growth: Many people who experience imposter syndrome are perfectionists. Understand perfection is unattainable, and when you receive feedback, it’s an opportunity for growth and improvement.
Track Achievements and Celebrate Progress: Keep a record of praise and accomplishments. When you are experiencing self-doubt, reflect on these achievements and praise. Reward yourself whenever you combat those feelings of self-doubt and realize that progress proves your hard work.
Henry Grice and Jim West at Leggett & Platt Flooring Products in Houston, Mississippi, have found a unique way to promote sustainability while nurturing their mental and physical health. Henry and Jim often bike to work along the Tanglefoot Trail.
The Tanglefoot Trail is Mississippi’s longest “Rails to Trails” conversion that preserved an abandoned railroad corridor by transforming it into recreational trails. The trail runs right behind our flooring facility.
“Every little bit counts when it comes to saving money, reducing wear and tear on our vehicles, and working in a small way to conserve the environment,” said Jim. “The bonus is that it helps us enjoy nature while remaining mentally and physically healthy and environmentally conscious.”
At L&P, we do great work together by encouraging connection and the open exchange of perspectives and ideas between teams around the world. It’s how we build understanding, unite above our differences, and stay innovative.
Judith Kuhn, HR Director – Specialized Products Europe & Global HR Lead – Hydraulics, shared a quick tip and resource for collaborating across cultures more effectively. She said we can start by being aware of cultural differences – how we communicate, manage time, make decisions, and lead differently – and pointed us to an introduction of Erin Meyer’s eight-scale Culture Map to learn more.
For more information on collaborating across cultures, check out Erin Meyer’s book called The Culture Map.
