Bangor CEOs cite flexibility, benefits as key offerings in today's job market
Photo / PETER VAN ALLEN
Participants in the Mainebiz Bangor Forum were, from left, Deb Neuman, Joan Ferrini-Mundy, Denise McDonough, Andy Shepard, Jessica Masse, Michael Bourque and Herb Sargent.
The labor shortage, remote work and shifting priorities for employees have given job seekers the upper hand in the labor market.
But the leaders at the Mainebiz Bangor Forum said finding ways to adapt to those changes have become top priorities for them. The theme was “60 ideas in 60 minutes,” with each panelist presenting 10 leadership tips.
The forum, held at the Black Bear Inn & Conference Center in Orono, attracted about 75 people and was moderated by Deb Neuman, president and CEO of the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce.
Panelists cited the growing need to develop mentorship programs, offer flexible work arrangements and provide additional help with personal challenges, ranging from child care to allowing outside interests to be a greater part of the workday.
Denise McDonough, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine, said “two years ago, when a job candidate asked for remote work or flexibility, that translated as ‘not a hard worker.’”
Today, those benefits are the norm, she said.
There’s also an urgency to show even new staffers what’s possible in the way of career growth — to “map out a path for an employee,” as panelist Andy Shepard, CEO and general manager of Saddleback Mountain, said. He urged leaders to “empower” employees to brainstorm ideas and not be afraid to take business risks.
Regardless of the jobs being offered — whether senior positions or entry level — employees want more flexibility and more of a voice in how the company is managed.
Michael Bourque, president and CEO of MEMIC Group, said he has an open-door policy. The workers’ comp firm’s 500 employees — even the newest ones — routinely exercise that privilege.
“We try to make them feel part of something, so they understand the mission,” said Bourque, an Ashland native who said one of his first jobs was delivering the Bangor Daily News.
Jessica Masse, a partner at DesignLab, a Millinocket small business, said getting out into nature is a major part of the creative process at the firm. “Half of our ideas are seeded on Katahdin or on the lakes,” said the Caribou native whose first job was in the Aroostook County potato fields.
Masse said the company was committed to helping employees cultivate outside interests, citing the example of a staffer who used the office space to set up an arts nonprofit.
Joan Ferrini-Mundy, president of the University of Maine, cited the need for leaders to “listen for good ideas and suggestions — they can come from anyone and anywhere,” which was her first tip. She said Zoom meetings in the past two years have created a “flatter organization,” with people having more direct access to leaders, which allowed employees to “bypass the traditional routes. We’re now trying to figure out how to hold onto that.”
Herb Sargent, president and CEO of Stillwater-based Sargent Co., an employee-owned construction firm, said leaders need to be comfortable saying, “I don’t know,” which, he quipped, “comes very naturally to me.” He also made an analogy to the NFL draft, saying companies need to continually scout out and develop talent.
Sargent also summed up what he’d learned from the other panelists, traits like being curious, human, authentic, more empathic and about being aware of what employees are going through in their life outside of work. Possibly most important, he said, “was how to deal with problems with grace.”
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