Many of you have read, engaged with and shared your #whyAME stories. It is exciting and humbling to hear how AME has touched all of us personally and professionally. At this organization’s core are the people—members, contributors, supporters and friends. Our volunteers, in particular, make AME unique. We have the most incredibly passionate and talented group of industry leaders working collaboratively to make our organizations better. AME volunteers are comprised of subject matter experts and published authors—all at the forefront of industry.
Today, I would like to share insights from AME national board member and good friend Robert Martichenko. He is pioneering thought leadership around what it takes to make a work environment meaningful. In his newest white paper, he shares how AME is at the forefront of helping businesses and organizations cultivate meaningful employment environments and how this is critical to adapt to and thrive in rapid demographic shifts and changing cultural attitudes in the workforce.
Robert has said, “The real prize in all our work is the incredible lessons learned about the importance of people in the workplace. We have learned the importance of dignity, respect, empathy, relationships and critical thinking relative to the role people play in all our operations, regardless of the level of technology or automation in our particular industry.”
Sound familiar? AME’s values and organizational culture reflect the fundamental principles of what it takes to grow a meaningful employment environment. Since 1985, we have developed the vision of “a renaissance driven by people-centric leadership coupled with enterprise excellence.” We believe that to do this we must treat all people with dignity, respect and consideration of all personal differences.
As our workforce continues to evolve and we grapple with population shifts, leveraging advancements in technology and higher standards for workplace environments, how we treat people must remain at the center of the narrative. How do we cultivate cultures of respect for every individual? What more can we do to ensure our employees not only have the resources needed to survive but also to thrive and grow professionally?
In an age of quiet quitting and decreasing employee retention, we must create environments where workers are proud to represent our various missions, where employee retention is high because structural and cultural foundations are in place to invest in talent and, in turn, enable the organization as a whole to thrive. Peter Marks, former president and CEO of Bosch, stated, "Meaningful employment environments will be the new focus for organizational development leading to the competitive edge for the enterprise. The challenges to attract, keep and develop a highly engaged workforce will require a significant transformation in company culture.”
In the spirit of sharing, learning and growing, AME is proud to co-brand Robert’s white paper Building Meaningful Employment Environments. I hope you are inspired to become part of this community, and I look forward to partnering with all of you in pioneering ways to make our work and the spaces in which it happens meaningful.
As always, please stay safe and keep looking out for one another.
