Goodwill Industries uses its’ guiding values and strong “teamwork” mentality to embody the workplace culture we strive to demonstrate daily. Our values include:
– People: They are our greatest asset and investment.
– Stewardship: We will be responsible for the resources entrusted to us and for protecting our organization’s assets while educating others about our mission.
– Ethics: We are committed to doing what is right with honestly and integrity.
– Learning: We provide an environment of continuous learning opportunities that empowers growth.
– Innovation: We embrace change and challenge existing systems in bold and creative ways to exceed our goals and ever changing needs.
While no company is perfect, our management team uses these principals each day to coach our employees, and revisit weekly with their employees to work towards a great workplace culture.
Goodwill is known for hiring candidates using a process that is free from biases by using merit based recruitment and hiring strategy. Our workforce is very diverse (61% African American, 35% Caucasian, 1% Hispanic and 1% Asian, 1% Two or More Races, 1% American Indian/Alaska Native), and represents the population we serve. Goodwill Industries has an active Culture Committee comprised of Board members and staff to promote the organization’s growth in diversity and inclusion, central to the mission to educate individuals to think and act as ethical leaders and responsible citizens in the community.
Goodwill provides fulltime employees with the following benefits: health, dental, vision coverage; group life insurance; a 403B Retirement Plan; flex schedule for certain positions; mileage and cell phone reimbursement for certain positions; PTO and Major Holiday time; FMLA; Bereavement Leave; and Jury Duty and Military Leave. Another benefit offered to our employees are free training resources including Lunch and Learn sessions, a succession development program, Skills to Succeed Academy, Northstar Digital Literacy and GCF Learn programs. Finally, Goodwill offers an employee assistance fund program (which is funded by fellow employees) and offers store discounts to shop in the stores on their days off. Additionally, Goodwill works with several large partners (AT & T, Penske, Sprint, etc.) and the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana that allows our employees to obtain additional discounts at these organizations.
Annually, we recognize employees in several areas: Employee of the Year, Manager of the Year, Store and Team of the Year, Rising Star Award, Good Willy Award. We also celebrate birthdays and work anniversaries of our employees, offer employee engagement activities like potlucks, holiday parties, and experiental training opportunities, and have been known to gather as a group outside of work.
Yes, many of our staff participate in outside community service activities – Chamber, Rotary, SHRM, etc. Additionally, we utilize some community service activities for our employees, to participate in as a group, to help build better teamwork.
As part of fulfilling Goodwill’s values, our organization provides an Employee Assistance Program that provides the following services to both employees and any of their household members:
• Counseling: 3 face-to-face sessions on 3 issues per year;
• Legal Connect: unlimited legal information via phone from ComPsych attorney;
• Financial Connect: unlimited financial information via the phone from ComPsych CFPs;
• Family Source: day to day “resource” list;
• GRO: guidance resource online
Additionally, Goodwill’s Human Resource department provides monthly wellness topics through newsletters, activities and upon request.
We are so much more than a thrift store. The general public really only knows about the retail division of our organization, but Goodwill is known as one of the leading employment providers in our communities. In 2023, Goodwill Industries of North Louisiana created an $9,961,536 economic impact through our job placements, and an additional $12 million dollar impact through our retail sales. Goodwill has been providing job-related training and placement services to the community since 1926. Since 2005, Goodwill Industries has served more than 63,000 individuals. Goodwill creates better futures for to individuals by helping them secure employment and setting them on a patch for self-sufficiency. Currently, GINLA operates 22 programs, 23 EDS contracts sites and nine retail stores throughout their 26 parish territory of North Louisiana. Annually, more than $3 million dollars of donated items are given to Goodwill, which is leveraged into more than $6 million dollars to fund our programs and operations.
In 2023, we helped 397 employers find employees that they needed to help sustain their business. Annually, the individuals placed into these companies had a retention rate in excess of 75% — more than 20% higher than the national average.