Supervisory Certificate Program helps owners and managers keep employees on board


Zoetis quick tips

Employees in any business want to feel like they are contributing to the company's success. According to a Corporate Leadership Council survey, employees who are engaged in the workplace are 87% less likely to leave the company.1

"Employees are the ones who get the work done," said Annette Thomas, Zoetis PeopleFirst™ business solutions manager. "A lot of times, improving your employees' engagement and productivity is one of the largest opportunities for a business and operation to improve profitability."

Engaged employees are fully involved and enthusiastic about their work and committed to the organization's goals and values. Improving engagement begins with the leadership of the business. In fact, it's been shown that the No. 1 driver of what keeps employees engaged at work is their relationship with their immediate supervisor.2 To create the productivity of a highly motivated team, it's essential that managers learn how to be as effective a leader as possible and understand how to build relationships with their team.

Jason Gerstberger, general manager at Pioneer Feedyard in Oakley, Kan., sought the PeopleFirst Supervisory Certificate Program from Zoetis to learn more about how managers can help keep employees motivated and excited about their jobs on the operation.

"We invested in the PeopleFirst program to help us get the most potential out of our employees, not only through work but by understanding them," Gerstberger said. "I think we have an improved labor force just by dealing with problems or arising situations. If we have an improved workforce, we're going to get more out of our employees. Therefore, we're going to get more profitability out of our employees."

This course trains leaders in agribusiness and veterinary medicine how to develop a highly motivated workforce and offers skills that have been shown to improve employee engagement. It also trains managers to understand their employees' wants and needs.

"The business has business needs, and the employee has employee needs," Thomas said. "When both of these are being met, you should see a very highly engaged employee that will contribute significantly to the operation's bottom line."

A Global Workforce Study points out that companies with higher employee engagement have a 19% higher operating income than those without.3 Focusing on employee engagement in the workplace will lead to growth in the operation, along with a more unified and satisfied team of employees.

"Managers should realize that employee engagement is something that is very attainable," Thomas said. "In agriculture, it is an opportunity for us to improve profitability and flow of our businesses. We need to get the right people on board, make them part of the team and continue to train and develop them so they are increasingly valuable to our businesses."

To learn more from other managers about the Supervisory Certificate Program, watch these videos. For information on how PeopleFirst consultants can assist your operation or to sign up for a course in your area, contact your Zoetis representative or visit growpeoplefirst.com.

About Zoetis
Zoetis (z?-EH-tis) is the leading animal health company, dedicated to supporting its customers and their businesses. Building on a 60-year history as the animal health business of Pfizer, Zoetis discovers, develops, manufactures and markets veterinary vaccines and medicines, complemented by diagnostic products and genetic tests and supported by a range of services. In 2012, the company generated annual revenues of $4.3 billion. With approximately 9,300 employees worldwide at the beginning of 2013, Zoetis has a local presence in approximately 70 countries, including 29 manufacturing facilities in 11 countries. Its products serve veterinarians, livestock producers and people who raise and care for farm and companion animals in 120 countries. For more information on the company, visit www.zoetisUS.com.

Zoetis is the proud sponsor with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and the American Veterinary Medical Association of the mobile educational exhibit Animal Connections: Our Journey Together. Families visiting the exhibit will explore the vast bonds between people and animals and learn about the important role veterinarians play in protecting animal and human health. For more information, visit http://www.zoetis.com/animal-connections-tour/.

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12.19.2013