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| La Mesa RV |
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Background
La Mesa RV Center is the largest Winnebago recreation vehicle dealer in the world. The company is based in San Diego and is ranked the city’s fourth largest private company. La Mesa RV employs a diverse workforce of more than 700 people in four states including California, Arizona, Georgia and Florida. The company is committed to a deeply entrenched set of core values that encompasses the unity of family and the pride of a diverse workforce.
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Challenge
During the last few years, La Mesa RV had become increasingly concerned about maintaining a work environment that encourages team work among employees at all levels, enhances dialogue among all departments, and honors diversity. The company leadership sensed from recent conflicts that teamwork and camaraderie could be compromised without attention.
La Mesa RV decided to offer diversity training to all of its employees – from management to sales, and admin to mechanics – but wanted a customized and compelling training that would fit the unique needs of its multi-ethnic workforce, which ranged in ages from 20 – 82.
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Solution
Patti Perez, CEO and president of Puente Consulting, Inc., went to work by first assessing the specific challenges and requirements of the company. In candid discussions with La Mesa RV’s CEO, legal counsel, and HR director, Perez was able to determine the topics and approach that would be best for La Mesa RV.
Puente recommended that La Mesa RV provide AB 1825 Sexual Harassment Prevention training to its supervisors. The State mandates the training for supervisors at companies headquartered in California with 50 or more employees.
From there the diversity training was created to meet La Mesa RV’s specific goals. First, Puente wanted to create a training program that would ultimately support the company’s core values and facilitate a productive atmosphere also that created empathy, enhanced team work, and encouraged understanding.
Puente used a series of on-location games, slides, case studies and entertaining true-to-life examples to demonstrate common challenges in the workplace. She also explained what sexual harassment is and how to avoid it, showed employees how to honor and respect differences among diverse groups, and instructed them on how to work effectively as a team in pressure situations.
La Mesa RV’s Director of Human Resources Yvette Broderick, said, “Patti didn’t just tell us where ‘the line’ was in many circumstances, but defined the line. Employees say they now understand much better what is and isn’t appropriate in many common workplace situations and how not to cross any lines – even the ones they never saw before Puente’s trainings,” said Broderick.
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Results
Executives at La Mesa RV reported that they received extremely positive feedback from employees and a definite uptick in overall morale from the experience. Employees seemed impressed with the company’s desire to offer additional training that was beyond “mandatory.” The diversity training was offered as a benefit and method to create dialogue and teamwork among employees company-wide.
“Patti met all of our objectives. She was consistent – always spot on – and kept our employees really engaged,” said Broderick. She turned what we thought would be a straightforward training program into something that was enjoyable and interesting for the employees. She exceeded our expectations.”
La Mesa RV states it is planning on hiring Puente for ongoing diversity and compliance training.
Some of the employees were compelled to tell the La Mesa RV management how impressed they were with the diversity training presented by Puente.
“I have attended numerous diversity training programs, and this is the best I’ve had since 1964!,” said Larry Caugh, Transportation Manager, La Mesa RV Center. |
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