Again this month, CEO Joanna Philson was elected Employee of the Month by the 288 staffers at Miami liquidator Rackson/Pittlinger. It was the 95th month in a row she received the award – which is determined by a show of hands conducted in each of the company’s 17 departments.
“It’s obviously very humbling,” says Philson, “especially when there are almost 300 others who work so hard.”
The last time someone else was employee of the month was June of 2014 – the month before Philson assumed the company’s top job, and the last time voting was by secret ballot. “What makes it especially meaningful is that I always seem to be elected unanimously,” says Philson. “It tells me I must be doing something right.”
“It’s pretty obvious that Joanna is held in extremely high regard by her underlings,” says James Nolan, Rackson’s HR Director. He cites these testimonials from two employees:
“When you talk about leadership, this is a person who can lead, and we are very pleased to follow.” – Janet Reames, Accounts Payable
“Voting for Joanna just seems like the natural thing to do. There’s absolutely no pressure, and no feeling that there would be any retribution or repercussion if you raised your hand for another employee.” – Oliver Weston, Marketing
“These are just two people,” says Nolan. “I guarantee that if I talked to any of the other 288 they’d say pretty much the same thing.”
The Rackson/Pittlinger employee of the month receives a $2000 gift card, redeemable at a number of restaurants and retailers.
