UNPACKED: LinkedIn Edition – Volume 6

Welcome to a condensed version of our monthly newsletter built for LinkedIn.

If you like what you see, sign up for the full UNPACKED newsletter delivered to your inbox.

Engaged Colleagues = Better Customer Service and Overall Business Performance?

Regardless of their role, engaged colleagues go above and beyond to deliver an exceptional experience for our customers, partners, and fellow team members. Engagement has a clear and positive impact on four key business areas:

1. Customer Service

Achieving our vision of becoming the best customer service company in the world hinges on several key factors, with engaged colleagues topping the list. These colleagues are dedicated to delivering an exceptional experience for our customers, partners, and fellow team members.

Over the past few years, Greif has reached world-class levels in both our Net Promoter Score and colleague engagement. The connection is clear: facilities with high colleague engagement saw a significant seven-point increase in customer satisfaction scores in 2024.

Tim Bergwall, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, explains.

2. Financial Performance?

Across our more than 250 facilities, we have found that those with higher engagement scores also have higher Net Promoter Scores (NPS) and perform better financially. The reason is simple: colleagues who are part of high-performing teams and feel supported by their company are safer, more productive, more innovative, and more committed to quality.

In 2024, this translated into a 42% reduction in safety incidents, a 46% decrease in unplanned downtime, and a 30% improvement in day-to-day operations. Simply put, when we prioritize the well-being of our colleagues, they, in turn, drive the success of our business.

Hear more from Larry Hilsheimer, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

3. Safety

As a people-first company, the safety and well-being of our colleagues are our top priorities. Through our Zero Harm initiatives, we are committed to providing every colleague with the necessary training, equipment, and support to perform their jobs safely and efficiently.

While safety at Greif encompasses various initiatives, one of the key components is colleague engagement. In 2024, facilities with high engagement scores reported 42% fewer safety incidents compared to those with lower engagement levels across the industry.

Kim Kellermann, Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, dives deeper into the importance of safety at Greif.

4. Culture

Culture is often dismissed as a corporate buzzword, but it has a simple and profound meaning: the shared values and beliefs of our colleagues guide our discretionary behavior in ways that drive sustained excellence for our company.

We are guided by the Greif Way, which emphasizes servant leadership, action bias, and a sense of belonging. We recognize that our people are the driving force behind our success, making it possible every day. While anyone can create a packaging solution, no one can replicate the engagement and dedication of our colleagues in the marketplace.

Our data shows that teams led by engaged managers have an engagement ratio of 8 to 1, more than double the ratio of teams led by disengaged managers. In other words, when we provide colleagues with what they need, they return the favor by creating and maintaining a culture that enables us to set and achieve ambitious goals.?

Hear more from Bala Sathyanarayanan, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, as he shares his insights.

Don't miss out—subscribe to our newsletter for more articles like this. Also, follow us on LinkedIn or visit our website to keep up with the latest updates from Greif.