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. Families clean their homes, remove unwanted items, and decorate the entrances of their homes with kolam – beautiful floor patterns created from rice flour. They also gather together for festive meals, which includes boiling pots of pongal – a traditional mix of rice and milk. During the festival, the community honors Surya, the Sun God, and cattle for helping bring a bountiful harvest.

To celebrate, our colleagues in India gathered for a small pooja (worship ceremony), played games, and created kolam. A couple of our colleagues shared their thoughts on the celebration:

Pugazhendi, Manufacturing Department, said, “I liked participating in our event and was thrilled to win the pot break challenge. Every year during Pongal, L&P gives us time to spend with family, and I’m grateful for that. I’m looking forward to more special events in the future.”

E. Sharath Kumar, Manufacturing Department, shared, “Pongal is a fun-packed event that keeps us engaged and united. I had a lot of fun participating in the activities and got second place during one of the games.”

Check out some of the photos from the event below!

As a global company, we come from many backgrounds, cultures, and experiences, and what unites us is how we work together to support one another and help L&P grow.

Our four company values — Put People First, Do the Right Thing, Do Great Work Together, and Take Ownership and Raise the Bar — are a set of shared principles that guide our decisions, actions, and relationships. At L&P, we:

• put people first by prioritizing safety and care for each other, offering learning and development opportunities, demonstrating trustworthiness, and creating an inclusive environment of mutual respect, empathy, and belonging.
• do the right thing by acting with honesty and integrity, delivering results the right way, taking pride in our work, and speaking the truth.
• do great work together by engaging without hierarchy, collaborating as a team, embracing challenges, and working for the good of all of us.
• take ownership and raise the bar by adding value and making a difference, challenging the status quo and biases, fostering innovative and creative solutions to drive impact, exploring new perspectives, and embracing change.

Throughout January, we’ll share some stories from our global teams on how they exemplify our values. You’ll also see some of our newest team members share what our values mean to them.

Has your L&P team exemplified our values at work? We’d love to hear from you! Email us at social@leggett.com.

This time of year means many things to each of us, and to celebrate the cultures and traditions that make up L&P, we invited our employees from around the world to share season’s greetings—what we are looking forward to this season, hopes for colleagues, and a variety of traditions.

This time of year means many things to each of us, and to celebrate the cultures and traditions that make up L&P, we invited our employees from around the world to share season’s greetings—what we are looking forward to this season, hopes for colleagues, and a variety of traditions.