‘Supported, Heard and Trusted'
Transparency, autonomy and opportunity drive employees’ passion for Partners Personnel
Prior employers often left Hiram Gautier feeling “blindsided,” rarely knowing the status of the company. At Partners Personnel, though, the area manager says it’s “full transparency across the board.” Monthly companywide calls provide knowledge and insight from leadership regarding initiatives and upcoming changes as well as promote unity and comfortability through open dialogue on various DE&I topics.
At Partners, employees have direct access to all of its materials and movement. The organization is “consistent about making sure we understand what the three-year plan looks like,” says Gautier, who has overseen the company’s Pennsylvania and New York City markets since 2023.
Founded in 2017 in Santa Barbara, California, by Steve and Shannon Sorensen, Partners Personnel operates with a “people-first mentality”. It is creating a reputation of putting internal employees, associates, and clients first. Now operating nationwide with over 100 branches, Partners Personnel staffs across all industries and positions, from the light industrial worker to C-suite executives.
Openness and Trust
Gautier credits transparency — along with trust and open communication — for Partners Personnel being a Best Staffing Firm to Work For three times, adding he anticipates the company staying on the SIA list.
Area Manager April Jones echoes Gautier’s sentiments, noting the ease with which she can communicate with senior leaders as needed. While guidance, feedback and troubleshooting are available at a moment’s notice, Jones adds that she is continuously inspired and motivated by the trust placed in her, which was a shift from the leadership styles she had worked under previously.
“It’s not a micromanaged situation, and that really builds confidence in those that report to them,” Jones says. While she knows help and a sounding board are always available to her, she has the ability and space to make decisions independently. “We feel supported and heard and trusted.”
Mindful Evolution
Being adaptable is also a priority for the company. Industry veterans have had a front row seat to major changes in not only the staffing industry but the world of work as a whole. Leaning on its open communications, Partners prioritizes the feedback it receives to ensure that it continues to evolve to meet the needs and desires of the individuals it employs.
“I remember being the youngest person in the room when I started, and I was taught to want what they wanted: very much career, career, career,” says Pattie Smith, executive vice president and managing partner, who has 30 years’ experience in staffing. Partners Personnel, on the other hand, asks employees what they want and need — and works to give it to them. “We’re very good about employee and colleague surveys, and we don’t take them lightly,” Smith explains. “We listen! We want to give people a voice.”
Development and Training
On top of the autonomy and trust employees enjoy, they also have countless opportunities for professional development and training. After starting at “the very bottom,” Jones says she has seen firsthand there is no ceiling to what can be accomplished at Partners, especially for those with a competitive drive. Today, she cherishes her ability to pay it forward, giving others similarly life-changing opportunities.
Ensuring employees feel happy and heard isn’t a “cherry on top” of their continuous professional growth and success but the primary reason behind it, Smith notes. “Our partners put our associates first, and obviously it comes with our customers. We help them achieve their goals by having great, happy associates, so if we can have those synergies – our colleagues, our customers and our associates – I think we’ve done our job.”
Core Values
At Partners Personnel’s heart is its stated core values of passion, commitment to service, accountability, innovation, integrity and collaboration. For Gautier, it is the firm’s value-driven approach that sets it apart from the competition. “Our vertical is supported by our core values and not vice versa,” Gautier says. “With Partners, they’re hand in hand, so you really can’t achieve the ultimate goal without following the core values.”
Jones adds that the firm’s consistent pursuit of these values, rather than perfect adherence, is one of its biggest strengths. “Our company is definitely not perfect — the people that are in it are definitely not perfect,” she reflects. “One of our values is ‘plus one,’ just one percent better every single day. Striving for that goal as individuals, as professionals, as an organization — that is something that I really love.”
For her part, Smith believes the publicity associated with being a Best Staffing Firm to Work For has helped the firm attract the best of the best. “We surround ourselves by greatness. We attract great people by putting the word out there of who Partners is,” Smith explains. “We’re not afraid that our competition is going to see who we are.”