How to Build and Destroy a Great Place to Work

How to Build and Destroy a Great Place to Work

Building a Great Place to Work has been shown to benefit employees, families of employees, leaders, owners and society. In addition, it’s the right thing to do. On the other hand, a simple change in leadership can transform a Great Place to Work into a Toxic Place to Work. Toxic workplaces may look like any other company, but there is an underlying current of bad energy that drags people down rather than building them up.

Kevin Kennemer, founder and principal of The People Group, will tell his personal story of working as a human resource consultant and eventually chief human resource officer for SemGroup, a Tulsa-based mid-stream energy company that rose to prominence in the community from 2000 to 2008. In November 2006, Forbes ranked SemGroup the fifth largest privately held company with $20.17 billion in revenue. In July 2008, the company filed for bankruptcy.

Looking at the people side of the business while not exposing specific individuals, Kevin will share his lessons learned and research that proves organizations need people-centric leaders to be successful long-term.

Takeaways from this Presentation:

• The benefits of building a Great Place to Work
• Common myths about Great Places to Work
• Signs of a toxic leak in the culture
• Why good people do bad things
• The current state of the American workplace

More about the presenter:

Kevin Kennemer is founder and principal of The People Group, a people practice firm committed to improving business performance by facilitating the creation of great work environments where employees are treated with trust and respect. With twenty years of experience in his profession, Kennemer founded the people Group to help employers create a competitive advantage through positive people practices.  CEOs are catching the vision that becoming an employer of choice leads to greater financial returns.

Kennemer formerly served as workplace consultant and people practice champion in the position of chief human resource officer for an international energy company that rose from obscurity to #5 on Forbes list of largest privately held companies in the United States.

Kennemer holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Oral Roberts University and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management form the University of Phoenix.

Kevin is a certified senior professional in human resource management (SPHR), a member of the Society for Human Resource Management and World at Work, the premier organization for compensation, benefits and work/life professionals. Kennemer is an official blogger for the Society of Human Resource Management’s blog called Next and author of the nationally-recognized Chief People Officer Blog. He also serves as a judge for the annual America’s Worst Bosses List sponsored by eBossWatch.com.