TWINSBURG, Ohio—Creating a positive employee culture can be challenging at any time, let alone during an evolving and chaotic one—exactly what COVID-19 has presented to companies and industries around the world.
Yet for HB Chemical Corp., a Ravago company, it was a simple task to maintain employee satisfaction as a team. Collaboration is just one of the reasons why Twinsburg-based HB Chemical was named one of the Rubber & Plastics News Best Places to Work in 2020.
"For me, it was easy because of the people we have in place. Because of our people, it wasn't that difficult of a pivot," said Joe Moran, vice president at HB Chemical, about the shifts due to COVID-19.
"We have such a team environment. It was everyone rolling up their sleeves together, trying to figure it out."
When everyone is involved in the process, they are more likely to buy in to the solutions, he added.
HB Chemical faced more than just the pandemic recently. The company still was adjusting to being sold to Ravago in 2019 and its recent leadership changes, with Moran taking the role of vice president and Jeff Rand stepping down from day-to-day operations. But through all the changes, the HB Chemical team stayed together.
"The pivot was easy because the people stepped up. Every one of them," Moran said. "It's been fun in a weird way. It's been great to see how people adapt to things that are well out of their control."
Employee support
Adapting was key for two new customer service agents who were brought on one month before the pandemic hit. Personal connections come naturally in an office environment, but going remote so soon was a game changer. Support was needed, and HB Chemical provided it.
It just looked a little different.