By: Rebecca G., Global Employer Brand and Talent Marketing
About a year ago, I was looking for a new career and interviewing with several companies. I moved through each stage, right down to the offer (or rejection stage – the recruitment process can be tough, right!?!) with a handful of them. It was at that point that I had my first conversation with my recruiter at Kimberly-Clark. I let her know exactly where I was in my job search journey and in doing so, she was transparent about where the company was in their recruiting process. She then put on her super-recruiter cape and accelerated the process so both myself and the company wouldn’t miss out on this opportunity. She checked in with me regularly and very quickly after every interaction. She cared about my career and my experience with Kimberly-Clark.
During an interview with one of my would-be partners, I asked him something like, “Can we pause for a moment? You’re so nice. Everyone I’ve spoken with has been so nice. But can you tell me what it’s like when priorities are clashing and stuff is hitting the fan? How does the team behave?” His response struck me, “I guess we just do a good job of caring for each other.” While this certainly was refreshing to hear, I’ve worked my whole career in fast-paced environments where, let’s just say, caring for each other was not a priority even if it was part of the corporate values. I was left with a strong curiosity of how caring actually shows up at Kimberly-Clark and to be honest, with a little bit of skepticism.
Fast forward a couple of months beyond my on-boarding stage, I observed something profoundly different than what I had experienced my entire career. In meetings, even ones where tough decisions had to be made and/or there were disagreements on the topic, everyone was kind and respectful of each other. I noticed my colleagues listened to each other, allowed people to finish their thoughts, asked questions, and respectfully disagreed with each other. They cared.
At my previous company, I had a leader who I reported to for several years who I felt deeply cared about me personally and professionally. The big distinction for me here at Kimberly-Clark is that I have a leader who cares about me and nearly every person I interact with cares about me. Perhaps the pandemic has put behaviors and feelings on steroids… or perhaps I’m surrounded by a caring Kimberly-Clark community. I’m a mom of two young boys who, with my husband, relocated across the country for my role here. I have colleagues checking in on me, encouraging me, and reminding me to take care of my family first.
I really could go on and on about the ways caring has shown up for me. Instead, I’ve provided a short list below. My hope is that it helps you understand what it could mean for you and your career here at Kimberly-Clark.
• Complete and utter support to manage work and life during the pandemic
• Leaders offering support, mentorship and an open-door policy
• Leaders reaching out to provide recognition and feedback
• Colleagues reaching out to provide recognition and feedback
• Colleagues offering personal support – one of colleagues brought my family a meal after I had a surgery (seriously, so thoughtful!)
• Colleagues taking actions to care for our consumers and customers
• Colleagues caring deeply about the quality of their work and the results they drive