In politics and now in business, Congressman Dick Gephardt is widely recognized as an innovative thinker in the area of Labor and Employee Relations. His actions have earned him the trust of the leadership and members of many of the largest International Labor Unions in the United States, including the Machinists, the Teamsters, the United Autoworkers, the Steelworkers, and many of the other AFL-CIO organizations. During the 2004 Presidential Election, Dick was endorsed for President by twenty-one of the largest labor unions.
Whether you’ve recently gone through a leadership change, you’re planning for a corporate transaction, or you are solidifying an already strong culture, Gephardt Group has the experience and solutions you need.
What We Believe
Gephardt Group believes in a set of core principles fundamental for improved employee relations:
- Inform companies of the benefits and the processes for improving employee engagement
- Increase the level of trust between management and workers by sharing information and promoting two-way dialogue
- Develop labor agreements that align the interests of the company and its workers
- Drive improved results by educating employees on their business so that they think and act like owners
- Trust employees to use common sense to solve problems and improve business performance
What Makes Us Different
We partner with our clients to develop an employee and labor relations strategy tailored to their business and leadership objectives. We then "roll up our sleeves" to quickly drive change in the organization. We do our work on the factory floor, in the warehouse and at the worksite.
We don't attempt to change a culture with scripted communications from headquarters and we don't send in inexperienced consultants who lack understanding of the nuances of employee engagement, especially in a union environment.
We collaborate with management to design a framework of employee engagement best practices. We then train and coach front-line supervisors on the use of the tools they need to be successful in driving cultural change at the front lines of the organization, where it needs to take root to be sustainable.
What We Do
Organization Effectiveness
Design and implementation of high performance workplace cultures - employee engagement, team building, communication planning and execution, continuous improvement processes, business and financial literacy training.
Labor Relations
Assess labor-management relationships, introduce strategies for improving cooperation and facilitate conflict resolution.
Business Literacy Training
Educate employees on the metrics used to measure business performance in order to enhance decision-making, using a hands-on business simulation exercise.
Contract Negotiations
Implement strategies for securing win-win agreements and establishing foundations for long term relationships. We also provide labor relations mediation services.
Mergers and Acquisitions
Identify and evaluate acquisition candidates, perform due diligence, assist with labor cost restructuring and workforce integration
How We Do It
Gephardt Group utilizes a 4-phase methodology for driving employee engagement and cultural change:
The ASSESSMENT phase utilizes employee surveys and focus groups to develop a baseline measurement of the current levels of employee engagement and business performance by organizational department.
In the PLANNING AND DESIGN phase, Gephardt Group works with leadership to define its vision for the new culture, redesign business processes to improve efficiencies and customer service and create a detailed implementation plan that meets leadership's objectives and timeline.
In the TRAINING AND IMPLEMENTATION phase, Gephardt Group trains front-line managers on tools and techniques that can be implemented quickly in each department and demonstrate immediate improvements in employee engagement and business performance.
The fourth and final phase of the engagement is the REASSESS phase. In this phase Gephardt Group conducts a department-by-department analysis to identify areas of opportunity that need to be addressed.