On January 18, Columbus Business First released an article detailing how some local companies are beginning to embrace millennials’ demands for greater flexibility in the workplace in an effort to attract the best possible talent in a tight labor market.
Prolink CEO Tony Munafo and Field Support Specialist Brittany Hablitzel weighed in on the subject, with special focus on the philanthropic benefits Prolink offers to its employees. As Columbus Business First content is available to subscribers only, an excerpt of their comments is shown below:
Brittany Hablitzel, a 28-year-old field support specialist for Prolink Services in Columbus, worked from home on a late December day so she could represent the Alzheimer’s Association’s local chapter at the ceremonial swearing in of U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty at the Columbus Metropolitan Library. She describes herself as “super-involved in the community” and says the company gives her the freedom to pursue her passions.
Communication and hard work make that flexibility possible.
“It’s a two-way street and Prolink does a really good job of working with their employees,” Hablitzel said. “In my work with the Alzheimer’s Association, I meet a lot of young people who are caregivers. If they get a call that their mom has had a bad fall and they have to leave work, being able to express that to your employer – these are the important things in my life – and have your company understand, it’s vastly important. Prolink has really hit this kind of mark for me.”
Prolink CEO Tony Munafo said this kind of work culture stems from the company’s commitment to the communities it serves. Companies have civic responsibilities and part of that includes backing the philanthropic efforts employees are most passionate about.
“Millennials want to be a part of something bigger,” Munafo said. “They care about philanthropy and getting engaged with the community – it’s tremendously important to them and for us as a company. More companies are doing things like providing matches to their employees’ philanthropic causes and giving paid time off to volunteer their time to support charities.”
For companies that aren’t as forward thinking, recruiting the open-minded millennials and the unconventional Gen Zers, the generation right behind them, could prove challenging going forward. Munafo said there’s a “war for talent” that’s stronger than he’s ever seen during the 16 years he’s been in this industry.
“If companies are naïve and think they can perform the way they did five to 10 years ago, they’re going to miss out on the opportunity to hire really great people,” he said.
“It’s like when technology changes. People either embrace it or fight it. You have to embrace change because this generation has a lot of great ideas to help take companies to another level. That excites me.”
--Laura Newpoff is a freelance writer for the Columbus Business First
