Honoring and Supporting Veterans at Edgewell
As we approach Veteran’s Day this year, Edgewell is proud to recognize and support our Veteran teammates. From my own experience transitioning into civilian life, I quickly learned that the work ethic you gain in the Military is very valuable. It’s something I put to use every single day and something I try to share with others, too.
With this in mind, on November 12th the organization will host a one-hour session for our teammates, with Major General Beth A. Salisbury, who currently serves as the Commanding General of the 807th Medical Command (Deployment Support). She will speak on leadership, motivating and leading teams (within both the Military and civilian life), and transitioning out of the Military. She’ll also discuss how a leader who has never had Military experience can and should manage someone with Military experience. As Edgewell has done in the past, most of our manufacturing sites in the U.S. will also be offering up a meal and/or some form of a gift to the Veterans at their individual sites. It’s another way that we make an effort to take a moment and recognize the Veteran in our community.
My own experience as a Veteran started out a bit rocky, all be it over 20 years ago. My plant director at the time didn’t understand the value that Military folks brought to the organization and didn’t particularly make us feel welcome. Fast forward to today and Edgewell has moved so far and above what I ever thought it would. All of our Teammate Resource Groups (TRGs) bring so much to the organization, especially our Veterans TRG. It brings Veterans and non-veterans together, allows us to share our experiences and ideas, and gives us a platform to exchange information on important topics. It truly makes the company a stronger entity, as any Veteran we hire possesses a skill set that you can't necessarily teach.
In fact, the Veterans TRG is a vital piece of our organization and a great example of how we’ve worked to create a space for this community. It gives Veteran teammates a forum to share what they’ve learned from their past and how we can all tie them into what we do every day. It’s also a great way to pool our resources together to develop unique and different ways to support the wider EPC community, in addition to our own. It also provides information and organizes events that can increase our knowledge base about the Veteran community and serve as a way to make a difference by empowering its members.
At Edgewell, one core value we have is operating as a People First organization. We understand that all our accomplishments are the result of our people, and with that comes a responsibility to support them and foster a community that empowers them. This includes our Veteran community. It’s our hope that resources and events like these bring shared experiences within this community to the forefront and create a stronger bond amongst our teammates.
In my 20 years here at Edgewell, I have seen an increasingly focused effort toward tapping into those who are transitioning from the Military to civilian life. There are so many incredible and transferable skills that us Veterans have learned during our service. It can be hard to learn how to leverage those tools in civilian life, but that’s part of why I’m so proud of our team here at Edgewell.
Through our policies, programs, and shared experiences, we aim to create a workplace where our diversities are celebrated, regardless of our background or origin. We believe that each person’s unique experiences are what make this organization strong and allow us to continue to grow.
As a leader, I’ve learned that in the Military, your people are your most important asset, and it makes me proud to say that this is the same today at Edgewell.