It is well-known that eating good food leads to good health, which in turn allows us to be more creative and productive. The same principle applies to businesses. When employees are well-cared for, they are more motivated to help the company achieve its goals and create positive outcomes.
Griffith Foods, a food company founded in 1919, has long recognized the importance of employee well-being. The company has been continuously working to ensure that its employees are happy at work, so that they can create positive outcomes for the company and the world.
As a result of its efforts, Griffith Foods was awarded the Best Companies To Work For in Asia award by HR Asia in 2023.
HREX recently spoke with Khun Ae – Tatchakorn Suwannasopon HR Director – SEA & Joint Ventures APAC, to learn more about the company’s success in creating a workplace that people want to be a part of. You may learn more about why Griffith Foods received this award by reading this article.
What contributed to your company winning the “HR Asia Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2023” and what does this achievement represent for your company’s success?
Tatchakorn: To be HR Asia Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2023 for Thailand, Griffith Foods has the purpose and values as a caring family company where everyone has the opportunity to grow, follow their own personal “Purpose” and find fulfilment in their work. We support each other and demonstrate mutual respect and nourish people’s well-being – physical, mental, and financial.
With our purpose that “We blend care and creativity to nourish the world” led by Mr. Brian Griffith, Griffith Foods’s Owner and Executive Chairman, Griffith Foods is a global product development partner with 100 years of experience in the food industry founded by Enoch Luther Griffith and Carroll Ladd Griffith, specializing in food ingredients from seasoning and sauces to breadings, coatings, flavours, bakery products, and more.
Griffith Foods operates in over 30 countries and 19 plants in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia and employs over 3,200 associates around the world.
How did the HR department in Griffith Foods incorporate employee feedback and implement changes to enhance the workplace environment?
Tatchakorn: Communication is the key to get employee feedback and implement changes to enhance the workplace environment. Griffith Foods helps find personal purpose and fulfilment in their work to grow personally and professionally through peer coaching and seek and provide feedback.
The company supports each other and demonstrates mutual respect by creating constructive conversations to understand minority viewpoints and develop mutually agreeable solutions.
Griffith foods encourages two-way communication by conducting OurVoice survey as the global engagement and fulfilment survey benchmarking the company with other global organizations to enable the most impactful ways to take action.
How can HR in today’s world support the growth of the firm and turn this into an Organization where everyone wants to work?
Tatchakorn: Griffith Foods recognizes diversity as the unique strength to work together globally through our way to collaborate, communicate, share, and learn. The company has policies to enhance gender balance and promote the empowerment of women that are able to increase the representation for women in managerial positions to 53% of their total managers and in top management to 30% of the total roles at these levels.
The company has organized several events to empower and raise awareness of gender equality for physical, mental, and financial well-being.
“HR in the new era must be the strategist and the business driver,” someone once said. How can HR prepare for this sort of scenario?
Tatchakorn: As a HR leader, I truly believe that any transformation or change is the matter of ‘People’. Then HR can play the strategic role to drive the business success. It is what we target for the company’s achievement to bring our partners along with us in this success journey.
Griffith Foods believes in leading by example connected by a shared purpose committed to the well-being of every Griffith Foods employees. As a purpose-driven company, we encourage employees to find their own purpose to drive their motivation and decision fulfilment in life and work.
What key objectives must HR achieve over the next five years to enhance the company’s readiness for a rapidly evolving world?
Tatchakorn: Griffith Foods takes care of employees and the communities we do business. We believe in caring for our employees. Within the Sustainability Platform, People are key to fostering a culture of community, engagement, and excellence.
The company with the brand promise of Creating Better Together and the meaningful contributions of employees enable us to deliver the Purpose, fueling the company performance and creating positive change in the world.
What do you want to say to HR or employees who are burned out at work and need encouragement to get back on their feet?
Tatchakorn: Griffith Foods takes pride in our family-oriented culture and continues Creating Better Together. Griffith foods nourishes culture to treat people with empathy and respect to behave authentically and transparently with no hidden agendas.
The company creates a place where people have fun and develops in ways that interest employees. Like a family, we do understand what the people carry on and how they feel. To prevent or relieve the burn-out moment, we allow our colleagues to design and plan their flexibility on work-from-home programs and co-creation culture as our real family.
