History is fascinating. Most of what we have learned about the past, has come from understanding the culture of ancient civilizations. Cultures tell us a great deal about how communities lived, what their people valued and how they communicated. To get a clear picture of a civilization’s culture, historians look at artifacts and piece together evidence of three main elements:
- Values and Beliefs - What the civilization discerned as good and just as well as the tenets and convictions they held to be true.
- Norms – How members of the civilization behaved either through formal norms, like laws and rules, or informal norms, such as typical behaviors.
- Symbols and Language – how this civilization conveyed meaning and context to the world around them.
What if hundreds or thousands of years from now, archeologists discovered evidence of the PHOENIX culture? What examples of these elements would be uncovered? How would a historian view the artifacts of our values, norms, and language?
In 2023, PHOENIX started to lay the groundwork toward creating better visibility of our tenets and convictions. A purpose statement and written values provides clarity for our customers and our communities on where our employees find meaning and value at work. (Read more about establishing our purpose and values) Our employees consistently listed PHOENIX’s culture as one of the reasons they enjoyed coming to work. The five values and beliefs our employees held most strongly were:
- Safety – As a manufacturer safety is an essential part of how we do business each day. We safeguard our workforce by implementing essential safety practices such as monthly safety audits, emergency actions plans, and safety checklists for new production equipment. We maintain safe buildings with well lighted parking lots and exterior cameras at each location. PHOENIX also provides safety to our customers and consumers by producing a high-quality closure that keeps products safe and secure. Safety is our first priority.
- Integrity & Accountability – Our employees believe that doing the right thing is always the right thing. Taking care of our product, and our people is what has created a legacy that has lasted more than 100 years. We are proud of our history and our commitment to delighting our customer with packaging that works, every time.
- Phamily – The quality of life for our employees, customers and the community is at the center of our values. Phamily with a PH is how we describe going above and beyond to celebrate, dignify, and support our employees to allow them to be the best versions of themselves. Whether it’s supporting a cause that strengthens the communities we live in or simply celebrating personal achievements, we encourage our employees to identify and pursue what fuels them and helps them feel effective and successful.
- Teamwork & Collaboration – Achieving growth and success as a company, stems from the growth and success of our employees. Our employees have a deep respect and appreciation for each other. Collaboration flows between departments and facilities and work together to achieve the best outcome possible.
- Innovation – This is at the heart of PHOENIX’s product and process development. Forward-thinking solutions and a dedication to sustaining excellence will keep us relevant and continue our positive impact in the world. Innovation moves beyond design: our employees are encouraged to apply creativity and problem-solving in every aspect of the business to drive continuous improvement.
In 2023 PHOENIX asked each facility to establish culture teams. These teams are meant to comprise employees from different departments and different shifts who help coordinate activities that exemplify the values and beliefs of PHOENIX. Locations typically have teams of about 10-15 individuals who work collaboratively to organize and host events that provide the type of recognition and community outreach that is especially meaningful to their facility.
For example, PHOENIX C.A.R.E.S, in Davenport coordinated a riverfront clean-up event where employees could utilize their volunteer time off to help clean the Mississippi River near the Quad Cities. Team SWEET, in Newport, TN arranged for an interactive Halloween game and established a bulletin board that lets employees share information with each other about community events. PHOENIX C.A.R.E.S. in Greencastle has provided Easter baskets and Christmas presents for the local county foster care system for several years, an event that is highly anticipated each year. Team Success at our Corporate office has held several different donation drives for everything from pet shelters to food pantries. Team Success in Bloomington, IN helped tornado victims in their community. All five of our locations have held numerous employee appreciation meals for their teams. These are just a few examples of the types of events each culture team strives to create.
Our commitment to Purpose, People, and Product are not mutually exclusive of each other. Culture is most effective when our employees know they can come to work as their whole selves and bring the needs of our communities with them. We seek to build a future that is secure and another 130 years from now we hope the evidence of our values and behaviors demonstrates this culture. We are looking forward to continuing our commitment to enabling the success of our employees, customers, and communities.
