Alumni Perspectives
When it comes to the workplace, dynamics are ever evolving and have been accelerated with business models, policies and work-life balance coming into sharp relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, four alumni share their experiences in hiring, entrepreneurship, policy development, work-life trade-offs and more. The connections they have made, the solutions developed and the care with which they have approached their careers show that Business Bronco ingenuity is a constant across industries and graduation years.
Leslie Newton, B.B.A.’05
Change management
“Be open-minded and flexible.”
This advice—for hiring managers in all sectors—comes from Leslie Newton, principal recruiter at Redfin, a technology and full-service real estate brokerage.
“The mindset of ‘this is how we’ve always done it’ should be a thing of the past,” Newton notes. With the baby boomer generation continuing to leave the workforce, she advises managers to focus less on finding the candidate that checks all the boxes and instead to hire for aptitude.
“Real estate has taken a hit with the rise in interest rates, and currently there are many unknowns,” she says. “We’re being more strategic with the roles we decide to fill and backfill. In this environment, hiring managers tend to be less forgiving on experience and more focused on making sure the candidate is the right hire. This often impacts the time it takes to fill a position.”
According to Newton, she is witnessing a shift from what was once an employee market, where candidates held the power and could ask for everything they wanted (and would often get it), to an employer’s market where the company holds the power. “It’s classic supply and demand. We saw a similar trend after the financial crisis in 2008. In certain industries today, like tech, I’m starting to see the same thing happen.”
The labor market, workforce dynamics and employee needs are always changing, and that is one of the things that Newton loves about recruiting. “When I started in this career, picking up the phone and having a cold conversation was the norm. Today, I still pick up the phone, but for many candidates, texting is the preferred way to communicate. LinkedIn is still a great go-to platform for recruiters, but the tools we have access to in order to find organizational charts, personal emails, phone numbers and more have evolved a lot.”
The biggest game changer, though, has been remote work, which has impacted both employee expectations and the ability for employers to hire talent from a larger pool. Newton notes that remote work not only helps companies attract great talent but can help with building the diverse teams essential to success in business today.
Reflecting back on her experiences at WMU, Newton celebrates the skills and relationships she developed at WMU Haworth. “I landed my first job after graduation at Flagstar Bank, and I was referred to the hiring manager by a classmate who had graduated a few years before me. My career with Flagstar Bank eventually took me to Seattle in 2006, which led to my first recruiting role at a staffing agency. Today, I still draw on Dr. Eckert’s Advanced Selling Strategies course, reflecting on the role-plays, along with the negotiating and closing techniques. I owe much of my success as a top-producing recruiter to my experiences at Western.”
Daniel May, B.B.A.’14
Finding the right mix: entrepreneurial drive, hiring, culture and spirit
When Daniel May was in high school, he founded his first business, a venture named Suzie Kakes after his grandmother, where he baked delicious treats available for sale at his school and a local ice cream shop. That taste of success led May to try his hand at other entrepreneurial pursuits.
Now, roughly 16 years after he launched his first business, May has opened the doors of Dabney & Co. - Cocktail Bar and Lounge with a goal to revolutionize the cocktail bar scene in southwest Michigan by providing a unique experience that celebrates the beauty of Black culture through music and art.
“To those who are starting their own businesses, my advice is to stay focused,” says May. “Entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint. You may encounter some failures along the way, but they are learning opportunities that will help you find the correct product mix and target audience, as well as a community that supports your vision.”
May’s journey to opening Dabney & Co. has been a long time in the making. In early 2021, he found the perfect spot for Dabney & Co.—the space had the right ambiance for an upscale cocktail lounge. The restaurant gives a nod to speakeasies and focuses on handcrafted cocktails, soul food tapas, and music, including disco, blues, soul, jazz, R&B and hip hop. “Our ultimate goal is to make Dabney & Co. a hub of diversity and inclusion where people from all walks of life can gather and bond over a shared love of music,” says May. “We aspire to take this concept to other markets throughout the country.”
May has also found that scheduling staff members to work the same shifts every week allows employees to plan their schedules and take time off when needed. In addition, Dabney & Co. is closed Sundays and Mondays, providing employees two consistent days off each week. All of this has resulted in a staff turnover rate that is lower than the industry standard.
Crafting a best-in-class environment at Dabney & Co. starts with hiring and ends with the customer experience, which is why training is so critical. “The hiring process at Dabney & Co. requires my signoff and the approval of one of my managers,” says May. “My managers and I have worked together for years and understand the values we are trying to instill within our organization. It is important that each individual upholds the culture of exceptional customer service and a positive and safe working environment. We have comprehensive training, as well as cross training. Our team makes sure that we provide opportunities for individuals to make decisions, but also receive constructive feedback when necessary to better improve processes.”
May, a finance and management major at WMU Haworth, found his experiences outside of the classroom impacted him just as much as his in-class time. In particular, there was one individual who helped him immensely, Tomika Ward, who was May’s academic advisor. “Tomika played a critical role in my collegiate career, and without her I may not have been able to graduate,” says May.
“I spent several months searching for additional funding to continue my education, and at times, I was on the verge of dropping out due to a lack of financial resources. However, Tomika took on this challenge as if it were her own and worked tirelessly to explore all possible avenues.”
It was at her suggestion that May applied for the Greenleaf Trust Scholarship, which is specifically designed for finance students from underrepresented populations. “I received the scholarship, which enabled me to complete my undergraduate career. I am forever grateful, knowing that without her unwavering support, my life could have taken a different turn. I thank her for her dedication to students and for all that she did for me.”
Starting up with Starting Gate
May was a part of Starting Gate, a student business incubator at WMU. “This program provided me with insights into becoming a successful entrepreneur. I was able to explore my business concept, which involved creating a search engine for finding the best prices at restaurants. Looking back, I never could have imagined that eight years later, I would be opening my own restaurant. The valuable lessons that I learned through Starting Gate spurred me to pursue further education and acquire the tools and skills necessary to be an effective leader.”
Sarah Husain, B.B.A.’06
Work-life trade-offs
How do you achieve a good work-life balance? The first piece of advice that Sarah Husain, director, Mergers and Acquisitions at Stryker, has is to reframe the idea of balance. “I have come to the realization that there really is no such thing as the perfect work-life balance,” she says. “I prefer to use the term ‘work-life trade-offs’ because that accurately describes my process of decision making associated with time management and activity prioritization.”
Communication is key. “Take the time to list out both personal and work obligations and prioritize those that are most important to you. My husband and I have found efficient ways to organize our family activities in conjunction with work responsibilities using a shared digital calendar. Also, regular communication with your supervisor and team are critical. My awesome manager conducts weekly calls with each employee that include asking how everything is going, both personally and professionally. These scheduled check-ins allow leaders to get a pulse on the workload and personal well-being of each team member.”
Be present in the moment. “When I’m having dinner with my family or reading bedtime stories to my girls, I have started putting my phone on silent. I’m notoriously guilty of checking my work emails late at night, and my 4-year-old has started calling me out on it. I’m learning to be better about spending quality time with my daughters rather than being glued to my phone as emails come in."
Make time for what matters. “I have to constantly remind myself that ‘every time I say ‘yes’ to something, what am I saying ‘no’ to?’ This means looking at the opportunity cost for each commitment I take on. Will I be missing out on something that may be more important or a better value for my time? A few years ago, my mother was receiving a prestigious local award for her philanthropic efforts in the Kalamazoo community—while she was also being treated for pancreatic cancer. I was scheduled to be on a work trip the day she was to receive her award. I reached out to a wonderful colleague who offered to train as my replacement for the business trip. I will always be grateful to my kind coworker for stepping in. I am also thankful that I prioritized spending precious time with my mom. She lost her battle with cancer a few months later, and that award reception is one of the last special memories I have with her."
Considering all this, many job seekers want to know how to find a company culture that supports them inside the workplace and outside of it. Husain advises to look for a company that shares your values, allows you to bring your whole self to work, and takes care of its people in significant and meaningful ways. Level setting from the beginning in a new role is beneficial for both employee and employer and can set the tone for the rest of one’s career.
Joe Whalen, B.B.A.’98
Policy development
What goes into developing an effective HR policy? Research, clear communication, regular policy evaluation and alignment with corporate culture are just some of the elements of developing a policy that is useful for managers and employees alike according to Joe Whalen, director of HR and administration at Hino Trucks.
Throughout his career, Whalen has developed policies for paid maternity leave, hybrid work, paid time off, internships and shared work. When creating policies, it is pivotal to keep these core concepts in mind from Whalen’s perspective:
“You don’t want to turn into a department full of policies. The key is to develop relevant policies that provide guardrails, but not to get too bogged down in every possible scenario. If policies become too long to read, they are not useful.”
“Review policies annually. It is easy to get busy and push the task off, but policies get stale, laws change and company culture shifts, so even though it can be time consuming, it is a necessary task. And if a policy hasn’t been referred to in the past six to twelve months, it is time to consider that it may be outdated or no longer necessary.”
“Provide a clear explanation behind the decision to introduce a new policy and where the employee can access it. Not all policies will be well received, but a clearly-worded policy and the rationale for it will help managers explain the policy and employees adhere to it.”
Whalen notes that the COVID-19 pandemic—and the rapid shifts that happened in the workplace—helped many companies realize that policies do not need to be lengthy or may even be obsolete. “The pandemic showed all of us that companies can change and implement policies quickly. Many of us went to fully remote work overnight. Policies weren’t even written, which is an important point. We changed the way we worked in significant ways, and the new policy was an email or a quick meeting to explain the changes. Companies didn’t have time to write a full policy and get approval at all levels. Long term, this may show that some policies aren’t needed.”
Whalen’s college curriculum prepared him well for his career. Through both course projects and being the founding president of the Society for Excellence in Human Resources student organization in 1998, he gained critical skills in teamwork. “My time at WMU Haworth provided a well-rounded, collaborative education. The variety of classes and activities introduced me to much of what I have faced in the working world.”