News

This week in our B Corporation blog series, we are inspired by an article at the bthechange.com website about a B Corporation that is reshaping hiring and employment practices to diversify the workforce. As our readers are aware, AMS is known for its hiring practices. Being both a B Corporation and a Social Enterprise, we have focused on hiring a diverse workforce and offering education and training as well.

Even though AMS Fulfillment is well established in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) practices we recently engaged an organization to provide additional training. About the training, Ken Wiseman, AMS Chief Workforce Development Officer, had this to say:

“But like any employer, we know we have blind spots. Recently we engaged Diversity Works, which used a rigorous data-driven approach to evaluate our DEI performance. We approached the effort like an individual would take up exercise and eating well – we wanted to set an intention to do better because we knew we’d come out the other side stronger and more resilient. The results confirmed some things that we already knew, and it identified opportunities for us to hardwire the changes we had made to ensure they last. Most importantly, the recommendations were tailored to our business and aligned to our values – our people are more than inputs, they are integral to our success and future performance.“

The following article from bthechange.com talks about a digital marketing company called Two Octobers that developed an apprenticeship program for Black, Indigenous and other People of Color that does not require a college degree. We hope you enjoy this inspiring article.

How B Corps Are Reshaping Hiring and Employment Practices to Diversify Their Workforce and Strengthen Their Business

Through New Programs and Training, B Corps Live Their Values and Expand Their Teams

“Research shows the benefits of a more diverse workforce — financial, societal, professional, and otherwise. But it was firsthand experience as a marketer and educator as well as a desire to better resemble and serve the community that inspired Nico Brooks and his colleagues at Two Octobers to establish a new hiring program. Similarly, other Certified B Corporations are adopting practices and policies to eliminate common barriers to employment.

“Earlier this year, Denver-based B Corp Two Octobers launched a digital marketing apprenticeship to provide an on-ramp to careers in the field for applicants who are Black, Indigenous, or other People of Color or do not have a college degree. The 20-person digital marketing agency provides analytics, paid media management, SEO and content services. It works primarily with purpose-driven organizations, including nonprofits and fellow B Corps, with an emphasis on teaching, coaching, and training.”

Read the full article HERE.

Over the past months, we’ve produced a number of safety blogs focused on COVID safety, as AMS Fulfillment has been a leader in protecting employees during the pandemic. Every measure that could be taken for employee protection was taken, including a number of very successful vaccine clinics held on the AMS campus. The AMS vaccination rate is 90% fully vaccinated. We continue promoting the clinics, including a booster shot this coming week for the safety of our employees. But we also know that while the COVID protection effort is going on, general safety practices and training have to be engaged as well.

According to an article produced by Cyzerg.com on warehouse safety, the most common workplace injuries in warehouses are: Heavy Equipment Accidents; Slips, Trips, and Falls; Exposure to Chemicals; Being Hit by Falling Objects; and Machine Entanglement. The article goes on to list tips for the warehouse safety experts to follow.

AMS has an outstanding safety record and we know this is from the training and attention given to safety. Recently we saw that once again, in September, there were NO lost time injuries in any AMS warehouse.

What Does Lost Time Injury (LTI) Mean? According to Safopedia.com, a lost time injury is an injury sustained on the job by an employee that results in the loss of productive work time. An injury is considered an LTI only when the injured worker: 1) Is unable to perform regular job duties; 2) Takes time off for recovery, and 3) Is assigned modified work duties while recovering.

The reason LTIs are so significant is that they are key indicators of the effectiveness of the company’s safety program. To find out more about AMS’ safety program and LTIs specifically, we asked Matthew Warholy, AMS Security & Safety Supervisor for his comments:

“At AMS, the fact that our Lost Time Injury rate is very low is due to our O.S.H.A. safety training courses every month and the amount of employees that have been through the course.

“A large portion of our employees that have been through the course are now empowered to look out for and report any safety issues. We can’t do it alone. The employees are our eyes in the warehouses. We have been able to curtail a large portion of accidents and injuries with simple preventative maintenance. That goes a long way. Coming up in 2022, we will be offering our OSHA course in Spanish for our non-English and limited English speaking employees who haven’t been able to take advantage of our current course. This will empower the majority of our workforce to use our safety initiatives.

“With our peak season looming, our workforce increases significantly. Safety is of the highest regard in our warehouses. 

“The majority of our injuries are caused by simply not paying attention to surroundings or taking shortcuts while working. These injuries create workers comp claims which can be expensive and cause our insurance rates to rise. Keeping injuries to our employees low ensures safer work locations, healthy employees and lower insurance premiums. As I stated earlier, preventative maintenance goes a long way.”

Workers across the Midwest walked off their jobs at John Deere recently, echoing the frustrations of workers at Kellogg the month before. After years of relatively low strike activity, a spike in 2018 and 2019 followed by a disruptive global pandemic may be shifting the power dynamic between employees and owners, who often view their people as inputs, the same as they view materials, buildings, or equipment.

This mindset creates unnecessary risks, not just the risk of strikes but the risk of unsafe working conditions, high turnover, lawsuits, and low productivity. And it is why companies that take diversity, equity, and inclusion seriously are already a better investment and will continue to outperform their peers in the future.

Many companies started thinking about DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) in the wake of George Floyd’s death, particularly as employees started asking how their employers would respond to the problem of structural racism and the call for social justice.

Certified B Corporations like AMS Fulfillment have this commitment baked in, and it is a significant factor in our success. We focus on DEI to create a safe environment for our employees which in turn makes us a more attractive employer than some of our competitors. We use our DEI values to make sure managers follow the rules and to coach all of our employees on how to resolve conflict and improve communication. As a result, we perform better and improve our margin.

But like any employer, we know we have blind spots. Recently we engaged Diversity Works, which used a rigorous data-driven approach to evaluate our DEI performance. We approached the effort like an individual would take up exercise and eating well – we wanted to set an intention to do better because we knew we’d come out the other side stronger and more resilient.

The results confirmed some things that we already knew, and it identified opportunities for us to hardwire the changes we had made to ensure they last. Most importantly, the recommendations were tailored to our business and aligned to our values – our people are more than inputs, they are integral to our success and future performance.

When we were acquired by a private equity firm a few years ago, it was these values that made us an attractive investment. Thirteen investor teams made us an offer. In the end, we selected an investor who didn’t offer us the most money but the one that agreed to sign the B Corporation agreement and saw our DEI commitments as a competitive advantage.

There are rewards for doing well by your people and considering your employees’ success as your own success. As the former CEO and now, in semi-retirement, Chief Workforce Development Officer of AMS Fulfillment, I see our B Corporation certification and our DEI strategy as part of my legacy.

We’ve created opportunities for people who often have very few, such as individuals who have been involved in the justice system. We’ve worked with our customers to support organizations that help vulnerable mothers provide for their kids and that help people with disabilities find work. And we celebrate every time one of our employees advances their career because of the leadership training that we provide. We do all of this while also giving our investors a good return.

It remains to be seen if striking employees in the Midwest or even right here in Los Angeles with the film and television workers are able to shift the balance of power in their favor. But it doesn’t have to be an adversarial relationship. In our experience, you can value and invest in your employees while also being profitable and competitive. We can do better and protect the bottom line.

By: Ken Wiseman, Chief Workforce Development Officer, AMS Fulfillment

Follow this link to read the above article at hometownstation.com.

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“Change starts with a culture of respect, acceptance, encouragement and progresses on the basis of providing opportunity and education while instilling confidence and trust,” said Ken Wiseman.

Wiseman is a well-known figure in the SCV community, appreciated for developing the workforce at AMS Fulfillment, and for his extensive volunteering while guiding AMS as its CEO. Wiseman has served on a number of boards including Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation, 10-year SCV Sheriff’s Foundation, former Chair of the SCV Mayor’s Committee for the Employment of Individuals with Disabilities, member of the College of the Canyons Business Alliance and current President of the Piru Neighborhood Council. He also served until recently as an 18-year volunteer with the SCV Sheriff’s Search & Rescue Team.

In 2019, Wiseman made the decision to go into semi-retirement and serve AMS as Chief Workforce Development Officer. Among his many achievements are the establishment of an employee learning center, and the creation of opportunities for persons struggling to enter and achieve success in the workforce. Wiseman continues to focus on training and creating a diverse, equitable and nurturing work environment.

Halloween is an evolving holiday with a long and weird history, but for most people nowadays it’s a time for children to wear costumes and have some fun going door-to-door for treats. The intention in 2021 is to have fun and be safe, whether or not the most popular costumes can be found on the store shelves! 

A recent article in Today.com pointed out that the ‘scream’ mask and animal and mythical creatures costumes are in short supply as well as gaming costumes. The Wall Street Journal reported as well on the supply chain issues affecting the availability of Halloween decorations and costumes.

In a recent blog John Bevacqua, VP of Logistics at AMS Fulfillment talked at length about supply chain issues and how they are affecting the upcoming holidays. John stated that “… a huge and massive surge in demand for products far outweighs the market’s capacity,” and the supply chain issues will not be resolved soon. He recommended ordering early.

We know that costume creation can be done by inventive Moms and Dads, and while specific characters and items might not be available, creative face paint and sewing machines can come to the rescue. All parents and celebrants want to see this year’s holiday season, including Halloween, be something very enjoyable and also very safe for all, despite obstacles!

The tradition of Halloween actually can be traced back 2000 years to a Celtic festival where the people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. It was called Samhain. The Samhain celebration took place in the area that is now Ireland, the UK and Northern France. The paragraph below, from the History website explains how ghosts came into the picture:

“This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.”

The Samhain celebration began to be associated with All Saints Day around the eighth century. Pope Gregory III designated November 1st as a time to honor all saints, and soon some of the traditions of Samhain were incorporated, making the evening before into All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween.

In the US, Halloween was not celebrated to any degree until the second half of the 19th century when immigrants from Ireland came in, fleeing the Irish Potato Famine. The early Halloween tradition had Americans dressing up in costumes and going house to house asking for food or money. That practice eventually became today’s “trick-or-treat” tradition.

Today Halloween has lost most of its superstitious and religious overtones and has become a time for children (and adults who feel the ‘spirit’) to dress up in costumes for the pure fun of it. While parents may not be able to find the exact choice of costume, with some imagination they can still provide an exciting look for the little ones as they safely go out to collect candy and gifts and the adults who create costumes will still get to collect some laughter and smiles.

Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable Halloween!!

Thank you for your exemplary performance during the month of September! Damion D., Sarah M., Jenn H., Thomas C., Gabriela H., Lisette B., Ana M., Armando C., Raul G.

In the fulfillment industry, employees directly serve the company’s clients, making their efforts vital to the growth and success of the business. At AMS Fulfillment we know the value of our employees, and we respect them and invest in them.

The following nominations demonstrate that the individual being recognized has gone above and beyond, and deserves Special Thanks! All Winners will receive an Employee of the Month Certificate & T-Shirt!

Damion D., DFC Supervisor (08/16/2010), Newark, DE

I would like to nominate Damion for September EOM because he is an outstanding clam truck driver that keeps us going day to day. His knowledge and work ethic shine through to everyone daily. He is a pleasure to work with.

Sarah M., Inventory Manager, New Castle, DE

I would like to nominate Sarah for September EOM. When it comes to dedication it is undeniable that Sarah pours her heart and soul into this job here at AMS. A great person to have on our team!!! She comes in early and stays late. A person that is always willing to step up and take on any task that is asked of her. Thank You Sarah for all you do here in New Castle!

Jenn H., DFC Supervisor (09/17/2019), New Holland, PA

I would like to nominate Jenn for September EOM. Jenn joined our team Sept 17^th, two years ago. She has been fantastic to work with. She works so hard and takes initiative to learn whenever able. She never hesitates to ask questions or ask for advice on professional matters. Jenn has overcome so many obstacles during her career with us and never once gave up. She doesn’t let anything shake her and I love that quality about her! She has proven to be dedicated, loyal, and committed to her clients and team members. It has been and still is a pleasure to be able to coach and guide her along the way.

Thomas C., General Warehouse II (04/01/2021), Harrison, CA

I would like to nominate Thomas for September EOM. He has shown that he is a great team player, also he has currently added extra Responsibilities to his daily task and has shown that he is open to learning new processes. Also Thomas has been a great team player, helping the team in other areas and other buildings.

Gabriela H., General Warehouse II (11/27/2020), Williams, CA

I would like to nominate Gabriela for September EOM. Gabriela is a Punctual employee and a hard worker. She can always be counted on her to get the job done very Efficiently and correctly. She has been a great addition to the Williams warehouse and is a key person to the team. She has shown she can handle a task on her own and train and mentor other employees. Gabriela is also eager and ready to help in other departments if necessary and ready to always learn something new. She is a go getter in every way and a joy to have in our building.

Lisette B., Operations Manager (05/20/2012), Witherspoon, CA

I would like to nominate Lis for September EOM. We have been changing processes, learning new technology, and dealing with a semi slow period. She has done a great job implementing along with properly managing her departments and labor needs. Lis is consistently looking for improvements in the department, helping other departments, and handling employee relations very well. She is also always willing to go above and beyond to ensure her team succeeds.

Ana M., Receiving Lead (11/30/2005), Livingston, CA

I would like to nominate Ana for September EOM. Ana has been a great employee for the last 16 years. She is very smart, caring and dedicated, and she helps with training new team members. Ana has so much system knowledge and physical ability, making the Receiving process efficient and accurate. Ana is a great team player, always happy to help, respectful, honest, smart, and caring. She is the employee of the year for me.

Armando C., General Warehouse II (10/12/2020), Headquarters, CA

I nominate Armando for September EOM because he is always the first to work more. He comes in early and leaves late. The bell rings and he will finish the task and not leave it for the next day. He helps everyone on the team including every person in this warehouse. He always comes in with a positive attitude and wants to learn more. Everyone goes to him for help. Armando is an all-around nice guy and a great asset to the team.

Raul G., Account Manager (02/01/2012), HQ Admin, CA

I would like to nominate Raul for EOM for September because Raul is the type of team member who comes in and works hard every day. He never complains, never makes excuses, and does whatever he can to finish the workload. When someone asks Raul for help, he never tells you what he’s working on or how busy he is, he makes time to complete the job and keeps a good moral through thick and thin. Raul has a good friendship with all of the members on our team and we appreciate him very much.

To all of our Honorees, please know that whatever role you play, you are the reason for our success. Congratulations and Thank You!