Category Archives: Women’s History Month

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.

Employee Spotlight: Carey Zuidema-Gray

During the month of March, we’re inviting women at L&P to share about work and what makes them proud to be women in the workforce.

We’d like you to meet Carey Zuidema-Gray! Carey has been with L&P for 16 years and serves as Quality System Engineering on our team in Lakeshore, Ontario, Canada.

Tell us about work.

I report to the Quality Manager in Lakeshore and provide support to the L&P Automotive branches in North America. I’m always continuing to learn and grow, even after 16 years.

I really enjoy working with our L&P family to maintain and improve our management systems and celebrate our success. I enjoy these rewarding opportunities and experiences. 

What makes you proud to be a woman in the workforce?

I am proud to be part of a dedicated and professional team where I am valued and appreciated for the individual that I am!

What does International Women’s Day mean to you? 

This day gives me the opportunity to focus on, acknowledge, and appreciate women and their achievements. What would we do without our esteemed colleagues, beloved mothers, daughters, and wives, dear sisters?

And, I want to note that when it comes to sports, women and girls have got it all. I think women’s sports are thriving, and there are many reasons for this. Most notably, it’s because of the success of women’s teams and athletes in tournaments globally!

Employee Spotlight: Damaris Velazquez

During the month of March, we’re inviting women at L&P to share about work and what makes them proud to be women in the workforce.

We’d like you to meet Damaris Velazquez! Damaris has been with L&P for almost seven years and is a Senior Programmer Analyst based in San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico.

Tell us about work.

I’m a Senior Programmer Analyst for the iScala team. In this role, I develop new LPscala projects, and I support current programs to help users do their daily work.

On a typical day, I work on projects that are assigned to me, and if a user reports an issue or has questions about LPscala or iScala, I research and find the solution to their request.

I really enjoy the opportunities to talk with people around the world, learn new things every day, and challenge myself to find better solutions for users.

What makes you proud to be a woman in the workforce?

It makes me proud to find solutions that make user activities faster or easier within different branches.

Also, I am proud of being able to match my work, family, and personal roles to achieve my professional and personal goals, and I am proud to be an inspiration to my daughters.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you? 

Women’s Day shows us how strong and capable we are. It teaches us that gender is not decisive for standing out in the world and that the most important thing is to have determination, drive, and desire.

This day is a constant reminder of the motivation and drive that all women have to get ahead, grow, create, motivate, and evolve.

Employee Spotlight: Laiza Cardoso

During the month of March, we’re inviting women at L&P to share about work and what makes them proud to be women in the workforce.

We’d like to introduce you to Laiza Cardoso! Laiza recently joined L&P as a Plant Accountant for our branch in London, Ontario, Canada.

Tell us about work.

My day is full of numbers, spreadsheets, forecasts, and balancing accounts. I work with other departments and people from different branches to ensure our numbers are correct.

What I like most about work is that while I do my job and complete my activities, I can count on a team who is available to help one another.

What makes you proud to be a woman in the workforce?

I feel honored to be part of a great company. I believe that I have this opportunity, not only because I sought to study, work, and learn, but also as a result of the fight for equality.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you? 

International Women’s Day represents the strength, beauty, and sensitivity of women who, from the beginning, have fought for their families and for their positions in society.

Employee Spotlight: Rajeswari Subramani

During the month of March, we’re inviting women at L&P to share about work and what makes them proud to be women in the workforce.

We’d like you to meet Rajeswari Subramani! Rajeswari joined L&P in 2008 and is currently a Human Resources Business Partner for our branch in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

Tell us about work.

For me, a typical workday involves recruitment, managing staffing, attending management meetings, completing reports, and addressing compliance and employee concerns.

Fourteen years at L&P makes me feel at home, and engaging with employees for their professional and personal betterment is something I enjoy the most.

What makes you proud to be a woman in the workforce?

I am proud to work as the only female manager among nine male managers. I’m also proud of helping to maintain a safe workplace environment.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you? 

Women should be embraced—day in and day out. However, in this fast-moving life, we don’t pay attention to our achievements or to other women’s achievements. It’s good to have a day to appreciate and celebrate women alongside other strong women.

Employee Spotlight: Beth Rocheleau

During the month of March, we’re inviting women at L&P to share about work and what makes them proud to be women in the workforce.

We’d like to introduce you to Beth Rocheleau! Beth has been with our team in Lakeshore, Ontario, Canada, for 24 years and has been a Manufacturing Engineer Manager for eight years.

Tell us about work.

I spend a lot of time in meetings where I work with cross-functional teams on future projects for my branch. I work with manufacturing engineers on daily production issues and getting equipment ready for new projects. I also work with equipment suppliers on obtaining new equipment for my branch.

What I enjoy most about my job is the team in the Manufacturing Engineering Department. They are a great group of people, and half of our department has worked at L&P for more than 10 years! Everyone respects one another, celebrates each other’s accomplishments, and volunteers to help one another when needed.

What makes you proud to be a woman in the workforce?

I have worked in the Manufacturing Engineering Department for more than 20 years and am proud of what we’ve accomplished. When we launched the first automation line 20 years ago, the equipment in the plant was very manual. Our team has introduced many new processes, technology, and types of equipment. Now, our branch has 15 automation lines, approximately 35 robots, and six laser welders.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you? 

I am grateful to have had opportunities to enter any career. Previous generations did not have those options. When I was in high school, wondering what to take in university, I never considered engineering. When my guidance counselor suggested it, I had no idea what engineers did. The next generations of women are being exposed to engineering in grade school, which is wonderful.

“A Day to Inspire and Empower Women”

In honor of International Women’s Day, Sonia Smith, President of L&P Automotive, shares what this day means to her:

I wanted to share with you the significance of International Women’s Day for me, personally. As a woman, I have encountered numerous challenges and obstacles that women face in various aspects of life, including, but not limited to, gender discrimination in the workplace, unequal access to education and healthcare, and limited opportunities for advancement.

With that said, I have been so fortunate that here, in the Leggett family, I was given so many opportunities to advance my career, learn new skills and have exposure to different aspects of the business. Not only does it fill me with pride to be able to do what I enjoy so much, it drives the sense of responsibility that I feel to ensure that others get such opportunities so that they may thrive as I do.

International Women’s Day is an annual global event that is observed on March 8th to commemorate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women worldwide. It is also a day to advocate for women’s rights and gender equality and to raise awareness about the ongoing struggles and challenges faced by women.

For me, this day holds a special meaning as it provides an opportunity to reflect on the experiences of women from diverse backgrounds, to celebrate their achievements and contributions, and to advocate for their rights and equal opportunities. It is a day to recognize the tireless efforts of women who have made significant strides towards gender equality and to acknowledge the work that still needs to be done.

International Women’s Day is not just a symbolic event, but a powerful platform for women to raise their voices and advocate for their rights. It is a day to inspire and empower women to overcome challenges, break stereotypes, and pursue their dreams.

International Women’s Day is an important occasion for me and for women around the world to celebrate, reflect, and take action towards achieving gender equality. I hope that we can all join hands to create a more inclusive and equitable world where women can thrive and reach their full potential.