The new world of work: Women’s leadership panel addresses culture’s role in the modern workforce

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The new world of work: Women’s leadership panel addresses culture’s role in the modern workforce

6 Oct 2021

Joanie Spencer

Since 2008, Joanie Spencer has covered the retail and wholesale sides of the baking industry.
Serving associations such as the American Society of Baking (ASB) and BEMA, Joanie is also in demand as an industry presenter on bakery operations and trends. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Rockhurst University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.

When she’s not running or playing soccer, Joanie spends her time with her husband and 11-year-old son.

LAS VEGAS — The world looks different today than it did just a few years ago, especially in terms of work. Between stay-home orders, office closings and travel bans, work-life balance has morphed into somewhat of a gelatinous muck for working women.

During Pack Expo 2021, PMMI’s Packaging and Processing Women’s Leadership Network gathered a panel of industry professionals, moderated by Stephanie Neil, editor in chief of OEM magazine, to discuss what the “new world of work” looks like in different areas of food manufacturing.

Pictured, from left, are panelists Tracey Noonan, founder of Wicked Good Cupcakes; Sharron Gilbert, president and CEO of Septimatech Group; Jan Tharp, president and CEO of Bumble Bee Seafood Co.; and Yolanda Malone, VP of global RD Foods at PepsiCo.

The reality of the new world of work, especially for professional women, is that culture is everything.

“We’re living in so much ambiguity right now, but we still need to hold onto our culture, to the many things that have gotten us through many other challenges,” Tharp said. Bumble Bee was named the Top Workplace in San Diego in the same year it was in the midst of a PR crisis.

So, how does a company create a culture conducive to a myriad of changing needs?

The answer is flexibility … a simple word that is often complicated to execute.

“It’s almost like chalk painting in the rain,” said Jan Tharp, president and CEO of Bumble Bee Seafood Co. What you thought was the answer yesterday, well, tomorrow it will be something different. So having flexibility means being able to watch what’s going on and maneuver.”

“It’s almost like chalk painting in the rain,” Tharp said. “What you thought was the answer yesterday, well, tomorrow it will be something different. So having flexibility means being able to watch what’s going on and maneuver.”

At Septimatech, culture is also integral to its workforce strategies, and that can mean getting creative for celebrations and acknowledgements when the company is, for the most part, working remotely.

“We were really in need of more creativity,” Gilbert said. “There was a lot of information we had to put out as an organization, and it was all part of culture creation. Most importantly was creating a culture of respect. Everyone had different opinions on what was going on, and the key was listening to one another and really collaborating and doing the best for each other to make sure everyone and their families were safe.”

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