Wednesday, January 01, 2020

The speed which we are working at is very different today than when I started 2 years ago. We are making decisions at the plant in minutes and sometimes in seconds, and those decisions are impacting 700 employees. We hear about the social media influencers using their platform as a voice. I want to be an organizational influencer where I can positively influence the culture through our people.

What Motivates You To Get Up Every Morning and Go To Work?

Every day is different for me. I can go into work thinking I have a plan and most times, my plans change, but I enjoy the challenge. Working at the plant and in the role of a People Lead, my work contributes directly to our people and our consumers. Although this has been more challenging in 2020, it has also been the most rewarding aspect of my job.

Which Mondelez Product Do You Love the Most, and Why?

Ohhh that is hard, I love so many! As I work in the bakery, I am surrounded by the products I love. If I need to choose only two, I will choose one salty and one sweet. I love Chips Ahoy Cookies. Ever since I was a kid, my Grandma would always have milk and cookies for me when I came home from school, and the best part was to dunk my cookies in cold milk. The milk soaks into the cookie and is a delight! And for salty, I love Ritz crackers!

What are the Positive Challenges your Job Offers You?

The speed which we are working at is very different today than when I started 2 years ago. We are making decisions at the plant in minutes and sometimes in seconds, and those decision are impacting 700 employees. We hear about the social media influencers using their platform as a voice. I want to be an organizational influencer where I can positively influence the culture through our people.

This can be a challenge on its own because we will always come across some that may not want to change, this is a challenge I accept!

How Have You Developed Your Career During Your Time at MDLZ?

I am grateful to have the opportunities where I can go beyond my role and my team. Whether you are learning new skills on the job or moving into another role to develop a new experience, there is no shortage of development. In my past roles with other organizations, strategies have been usually developed and executed by others. Here at Mondelez, I am applying my skills, developing and creating the strategies to reach our goals.

Give Us An Example of How You Can Step Outside of the Comfortable in Your Job

Raise your hand and ask for opportunities. I did this a few months ago and now I am working on initiatives for the Integrated Supply Chain team as a region as opposed to only my business unit. For me it’s go big or go home and I want to go big with my ideas!

What Do You Like About the Culture at Mondelez?

The inclusive culture. It makes you feel a part of the organization and makes you feel empowered, to be listened to and to have a say.

Do You Feel You Can Bring Your Best Self to Work?

100%! I feel I can bring my authentic self with my ideas, creativity, opinions and suggestions. I can be my true self which is what people see in my work. My values are my biggest contribution and they drive me to bring my best self to work.

Do You Feel You and Your Team are Able to Appreciate, Collaborate and Co-Create Together?

Yes absolutely! The best ideas come through collaboration! It is the only way we know how to work in the plant.

The best example was last year when Covid-19 hit. The virus did not come with a manual and none of us had any experience on how to manage it. Every leader at every level just focused on employee safety and ensuring we continued to produce for our consumers. Every day we met, we took actions and we worked together. It did not matter which role you had, everyone was working together for the same goal. This was not about driving KPI’s, this was working together as a team to focus on the safety of our colleagues and consumers.

How has Mondelez Handled the COVID-19 Pandemic?

As an essential worker at the manufacturing plant, it has been a challenging year for all of us. It has also been a realization of how much the entire team has embodied strength, commitment and resilience. First and foremost, our priority was to keep our employees safe in the workplace. With this, we implemented new protocols, including nurse screening, new space for eating, shift segregations and renovations to create social distancing in the locker rooms. We implemented masks in the workplace as early as April, developed a new call-in absence process to ensure we were isolating employees, we increased all our sanitation processes and protocols, set up dedicated communication boards to ensure employees had access to information and carried out mandatory training for all employees. We also established an additional 10 days of self-isolation pay and many strategies to keep people safe and informed.

As the People Leader for East York, I have played a key role in helping our leaders and colleagues manage through this unprecedented time. I could not be prouder of my role in helping to lead the team. We stepped up to take care of each other and keep production going to ensure there was food on shelf for our consumers.