HUNTSVILLE, AL – March 2022 – Unemployment in 2022 hit the lowest rate in 50 years, giving job-seekers a distinct advantage as they look for higher pay, greater flexibility, and more rewarding work. Employers across the U.S. have felt the negative impact of this phenomenon – dubbed the Great Resignation – as workers have left in droves in search of greener pastures.
While many employers scramble to adjust to newfound workers’ requirements, others are able to leverage the care and effort they’ve put into building the kind of culture that attracts and retains employees. Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation (INTUITIVE®) is one such company.
Specializing in systems engineering, programmatic support, product development, rapid prototyping, and technology management, INTUITIVE is an award-winning employer recognized by its peers, industry organizations, and major publications for consistently demonstrating excellence. INTUITIVE has even been recognized as the first inductee into the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber’s Best Places to Work Hall of Fame, an honor bestowed on companies who have been named a Best Place to Work for 10 or more years.
“INTUITIVE always has a focus on honoring good employees and keeping them with our company,” said Cortney Hardiman, Director of Capture and Proposal Management. Hardiman has been with the company since 2007 and held a variety of roles at INTUITIVE. “Our annual company objectives always include retention.”
Hardiman attributes the company’s ability to weather the current labor market to INTUITIVE’s culture, values, and the programs in place that support employee connections. “This does not mean that the Great Resignation hasn’t affected us,” Hardiman added. “It does mean that we have to constantly ensure that we are listening to the needs of our employees.”
Establishing a great place to work
INTUITIVE has been named to the Best Place to Work’s Hall of Fame, Military Times’ #1 Best for Vets: Employers List in Alabama, one of the Best of the Best Veteran-Friendly companies by U.S. Veterans magazine, and is a recipient of the U.S. Department of Labor’s 2021 Platinum HIRE Vets Medallion Award. The reason the company has been so widely recognized is no secret, at least among employees.
“I believe we’re consistently recognized as a ‘Best Place to Work’ because INTUITIVE truly cares about our employees, both professionally and personally,” said Melissa DeVore, Vice President of Employee Engagement. “As a company, our leadership values the employee responses to the Best Places to Work survey. We use those responses to make adjustments as needed and enhance the overall employee experience.”
Hardiman echoes DeVore’s assessment, adding that while many companies in the Madison County area offer comparable compensation, “You can’t put a price on INTUITIVE’s investment in its employees.”
Staying ahead of burnout
“We’ve long recognized that burnout has to be addressed on a number of levels,” said Hardiman. “INTUITIVE has programs that focus on wellness, including physical and mental health.”
Hardiman says that INTUITIVE listens to its employees as well as the labor market trends and adds that managers ensure employees are excited about the work they are doing and how they are contributing to the company’s overall vision. “We keep our team informed about how the company is performing and what we are doing for our customers and community. And we always look for ways to help employees engage with each other professionally and personally.”
Creating personalized opportunities for growth and development
Perhaps one of the most significant takeaways of the pandemic and the resulting labor shift is the desire for employees to have meaningful work and their willingness to pursue it. Unlike other companies, INTUITIVE has its own unique philosophy on hiring and retaining talent. DeVore explains that the company’s model is to hire people to be part of INTUITIVE now and in the future.
“Rather than hiring for a specific job, we hire skill sets that we believe will be significant now as well as in the future,” said DeVore. “We encourage our employees to think about where they see themselves in the future and what skills and professional development they will need to get there. Then we provide the education, training, skill development and professional development to support that professional journey.”
Hardiman emphasized that each employee is valued for the unique skills they bring to the company and, in turn, to the company’s customers. “We are invested in every employee as an individual, and our biggest success is when our employees have success. Our ability as a company to solve hard problems comes through our investment in our employees’ growth.”
In her own experience at INTUITIVE, Hardiman has seen that the company’s leadership is genuinely committed to individual success, offering a combination of opportunity, training, and encouragement.
“I’ve come a long way in my career in the last 15 years,” said Hardiman. “That would not have happened without leadership listening to where I wanted to take my career and also pushing me to stretch my abilities and grow.”
Making the right move
If the current job market has you rethinking your current career path, consider joining an organization committed to employee success as well as ethics, diversity, and giving back.
From the smallest task to the largest implementation, INTUITIVE takes great pride in its reputation for service excellence and for keeping its commitments. INTUITIVE is also committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce and doing business with diverse suppliers.
The company’s success requires the full and active participation of all its talented and committed employees. Embracing individual uniqueness brings creativity and vitality to INTUITIVE, and by fostering an atmosphere of acceptance and support, the company can fully value and appreciate the strengths afforded by the differences, styles, ideas, and organizational contributions of each person.
If INTUITIVE sounds like the kind of cutting-edge organization you’d like to join – and become one of the innovative, empathetic problem solvers committed to giving back to the community – explore INTUITIVE’s available positions by clicking here.
ABOUT INTUITIVE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION:
INTUITIVE® is an aerospace engineering and analysis firm headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama that provides production support, systems engineering, programmatic support, product development, rapid prototyping, and technology management to the Department of Defense, other State and Federal Government agencies, and commercial companies. Our approach couples the latest technology with engineering expertise, analytical proficiency, and keen managerial oversight. From design through production to sustainment, we proudly provide management and technical solutions throughout all phases of the systems lifecycle.