Spotlight: How Wellington became a talent leader
Micheal Zelek of the Wellington Group of Companies discusses their areas of focus to keep and maintain a talent advantage
In an industry known for high driver turnover and constant change, what does it take to be named one of the “Top Fleet Employers in North America” and one of the “Best Fleets to Drive For”, three years running? For Aberfoyle based Wellington Group, the answer has several moving parts.
Founded in 2014, Wellington started as a non-asset-based, third-party logistics company with a handful of office staff and no drivers of their own. In 2018, the company started buying trucks, expanded its brokerage department and began to travel down the road to substantial organic growth. Today, the company runs a fleet of 75 rigs, 100 drivers and maintains a staff of 90 at their combined office and warehouse. Here’s how they got there.
Factor #1: Great drivers
As mentioned earlier, our industry in general has an issue with driver turnover. According to some experts, many companies experience 100% driver turnover year over year. At Wellington, that number is only 2%.
Michael Zelek
Vice President, Human Resources
Wellington Motor Freight
According to Micheal Zelek, Wellington’s VP of Human Resources, this incredibly high retention rate all comes down to treating drivers fairly and valuing their time. “I think we do a lot of things right when it comes to our drivers,” Zelek said. “Number one, we pay them a dedicated salary.”
For drivers accustomed to being paid by the mile, a dedicated salary is a large benefit that goes a long way to building loyalty. In turn, low driver turnover has resulted in numerous benefits for the company itself. Without needing to constantly look for new drivers, not only can Wellington stay focused on growth, they’ve seen their safety score and insurance rates improve.
Factor #2: Great customer relationships
In addition to driver retention, Zelek also explained that one of the key values driving the company forward is the notion that as a company, “We’re only as good as we are for our customers.”
As a day-to-day strategy, this notion translates into working hard to drive growth with existing clients and going the extra mile to attract new ones. “We’re looking for long term partnerships where they rely on us for transportation expertise, so they can focus on whatever their niche business is,” Zelek continued. To that end, Wellington attributes their growth in part to favouring three to five-year contracts, with costs that don’t change with the seasons, whether they’re cost-plus or by-the-mile.
Factor #3: A genuine culture
Another factor driving Wellington’s recent success is their unique company culture. More than just saying or doing the right things on social media or offering meaningful contributions to charity (both of which Wellington does), the company goes out of their way to ensure their workplace is as enjoyable as it is professional. According to Zelek, part of the interview process always includes a walk of the floor, to give prospects a feel for the “work hard, play hard” atmosphere they’re going for.
A notable example of this approach was the formation of the Golf Alliance of Transportation Professionals, a weekly golf league open to anyone in the transportation and logistics business. Started as a way to get Wellington employees out of the office for a few hours each week, the event has evolved into a weekly gathering, where a rotating group of 40 transportation professionals come together to hit the links, socialize and talk shop.
Factor #4: A collaborative approach to growth
The final moving piece of the puzzle for Wellington, is the company’s flexible and collaborative approach to growth. The company puts a large focus on succession planning and where they want to go as a company, and as individuals within the company.
For employees, this means that on a personal level, Wellington works with them to help advance their careers. Again, from a retention point of view, this plays a large role in helping Wellington retain personnel and plan for future expansion. People are encouraged to speak their minds. If someone has an idea that might challenge the status quo, the company listens.
According to Zelek, when it comes to growth the outlook is, “We never say, it’s always been done that way. There’s always ways to improve, be more efficient, do it quicker, better or for less money. I mean, that's kind of the beauty of the transportation industry. It's always changing and those that adapt to change the best are the ones who are going to succeed the most.”
Wellington Group of Companies is a CITT Endorsed Logistics Employer. You can read the official announcement here, or learn more about CITT's endorsed logistics employer program here.