The Edge for December 2024
We asked New Jersey business executives to share how they solicit genuine feedback from members of their team. The answers ranged from informal lunches to town hall meetings. One executive said he holds quarterly one-on-one meetings. Another holds weekly team huddles that last no more than 15 minutes. And another suggested sincerely asking employees what they need help with, and see what they say. Read the full article below.
We Host Lunches and Town Hall Meetings
Building a culture where people enjoy coming to work every day leads to success, so it’s important to find ways to engage with employees and connect with them on a personal level. We value our associates’ thoughts, experiences, and perspectives. Throughout the year, we host informal lunches with senior leadership and we conduct town hall meetings with associates to share business updates and give associates the opportunity to ask questions. Once a year, we conduct a formal survey of our employees to learn how we can better support them.
– Mike Munoz, Senior Vice President & Market President, AmeriHealth
Reward Feedback that Helps the Company
While I have used suggestion boxes and exit interviews (people are more “open” when they have nothing to lose), I prefer soliciting feedback in both group and one-on-one quarterly meetings.
I recommend:
- discussing with employees what is and isn’t working;
- sincerely asking employees what they need help with, or what they are struggling with;
- making feedback ‘fun’ by rewarding feedback that helps our company.
We are all in it together.
– Nick Malefyt, President, Master Search Solutions
Hold Weekly Team Huddles
When you frequently communicate with members of your team, they’re more likely to be open and honest because they’re comfortable speaking with you. I hold weekly team huddles to brainstorm and make sure we’re on the same page on issues and concerns. I call them “huddles” because they’re tightly focused and quick — usually 15 minutes. I don’t want the team to think they’ll be pulled into lengthy, unnecessary meetings. The feedback is important because when an employee feels they are being heard, they feel more invested in the organization.
– Patrick Daily, Vice President, Member Services, New Jersey Chamber of Commerce
Responses for this article were edited for space and clarity.
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Newsmakers
Shannon Lazare has been named M&T Bank’s New Jersey regional president, succeeding Tom Comiskey in the role. Lazare, who joined M&T in 2013 as a senior relationship manager with business banking, has held the role of regional manager since 2019.
JCP&L parent company FirstEnergy Corp. announced that Karen McClendon has been named senior vice president and chief human resources officer, effective Nov. 11.
Prudential Financial said Jacques Chappuis has been appointed president and CEO of PGIM, the global asset management business of Prudential Financial, effective May 1, 2025. He succeeds David Hunt, who will retire as president and CEO and stay on as chairman of PGIM until July 31, 2025. With nearly 30 years of investment management experience, Chappuis joins PGIM from Morgan Stanley, where he was co-head of Morgan Stanley Investment Management.
World Cup sponsor Bank of America teamed with FIFA for a second time, signing on as a sponsor for the Club World Cup tournament. Bank of America became FIFA’s first global banking partner in August and sealed a separate deal for a second event also being played in the U.S.
NJIT’s Institute for Space Weather Sciences has been awarded a $5 million NASA grant to open a new research center dedicated to developing the next generation of solar eruption prediction capabilities — powered by artificial intelligence.
Former New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli and former PSEG Chair and CEO Ralph Izzo are among a group of six leaders who will join the Hackensack Meridian Health Board of Trustees.
PSE&G was among the honorees at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's 43rd annual Recycling Awards, for its work to make the state a cleaner and safer place. Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G) is dedicated to recycling or reusing nearly all the waste it generates, the DEP said.
Kenvue is continuing to chart its own course in the Garden State after being spun out from Johnson & Johnson in 2023. Earlier this year it broke ground on a new global headquarters in Summit. Kenvue, which currently resides in Skillman, will employ some 3,000 employees at the new home base, a 290,000-square-foot campus, including a 100,000-square-foot extension for a state-of-the-art Science and Innovation Lab. The company is expected to open the new headquarters in the first quarter of next year – and be fully moved in by 2026
South Jersey Industries, in recognition of Giving Tuesday, announced it is partnering with its employees to donate more than $350,000 in support to local, regional, and statewide community-based organizations.
The American Water Charitable Foundation, established by Camden-based American Water, kicked off Giving Tuesday by awarding a $100,000 grant to Feeding America, helping to end food insecurity. It also provided American Water employees with a $100 reward to donate to eligible charities of their choice.
From a small 12-bed house to a nationally recognized 339-bed regional medical center with locations throughout Central New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, recently celebrated 125 years of providing health care to its community. The hospital was incorporated on Dec. 6, 1899.
Organ transplant recipients, living donors, and donor families from N.J, N.Y., and Connecticut gathered at MetLife Stadium to celebrate their achievements at the 2024 Transplant Games of America held in Birmingham, Alabama. The group, known as Team Liberty, brought home 118 medals in events such as basketball, track & field, swimming, pickleball and cornhole. They competed against thousands of participants from all 50 states. Team Liberty, a program of the Sharing Network Foundation, works year-round to raise awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation and transplantation.
Basking Ridge-based Verizon Communications has appointed Santiago "Yago" Tenorio as chief technology officer and senior vice president of strategy and technology enablement. Tenorio will lead Verizon’s work in advancing 5G and mapping out the next generation of technologies.
