The Business of People

Kim Kovac
Executive Vice President
Human Resources Metaldyne University

No matter where we work, our primary business is still people. Too often we get so caught up in the numbers, the market and technology; we shortchange the soft side of business.

I would assert that in today’s highly charged and competitive environment, no one in our industry can afford to do that. Without people and the skills they bring to the table – there is no global business.

The phrase “Metaldyne believes in the power of people and ideas” is one we take very seriously. We believe helping our people to cope and to grow by exposing them to new ideas is one of the most important things we can do. Continuous learning is an effective key to coping and thriving in an environment of constant change.

Metaldyne has a successful training forum called Metaldyne University which allows our company to share best practices across all of our global operations. Many of our offerings are available online 24/7, and most of our faculty as well as the students are Metaldyne employees. In fact 90 percent of our university courses are taught by our employees, so it is very much Metaldyne Teaching Metaldyne. There is something very powerful about logging onto a webinar and seeing Metaldyne employees participating from several continents around the globe.

With the new web-based technology, the costs are extremely low – we don’t even incur long distance charges -- but the payoff in terms of employee engagement and learning are extremely high. Metaldyne University is an integral part of our vision and underscores the company’s commitment to be an innovative learning organization. The topics covered and courses offered are varied – from communications and leadership skill building, to language classes, to learning about diversity and understanding cultural differences to more concrete topics like tooling, programming and engineering courses. We also educate employees on how to live a healthy lifestyle.

Since 2006, Metaldyne has proactively encouraged employees to enjoy their health through our Living Well wellness program. Facilities participate in friendly competition for the healthiest location, and it's incredible to see the efforts employees make with a little incentive. In Pyeongtaek, Korea, employees took a weekend trip to go mountain climbing. In Halifax, UK, twelve employees quit smoking together. One employee in Twinsburg, Ohio lost nearly 40 pounds in five months by riding his bike to and from work every day - a 60-mile round trip.

Today our employees can log on to our living well website and access a variety of information on nutrition, physical fitness and disease prevention. They can also put together a personalized health action plan and receive access to free and effective quit smoking programs. This wellness effort has been embraced and praised by our employees. It has also won us recognition by Crain’s Detroit Business as a Health Care Hero contest winner.

Our ability to thrive in the global marketplace relies on the continuous education and productivity of our workforce, an empowered group of individuals steering us towards future success.

Related Links
Speech transcript - July 18 , 2007– Niagra Falls, Ontario
International Conference on Advances in Management
Kimberly A. Kovac, executive vice president, Human Resources and Metaldyne University