Learning Action Recording with Moog's Harvey Beldner - 11/12/20

This week’s Learning and Development action call hosted special guest Harvey Beldner, Global Talent Director at Moog, a worldwide designer, manufacturer, and integrator of precision control components and systems, serving the airline, defense, space, medical, energy, and industrial markets. Beldner was interviewed by i4cp CEO and co-founder Kevin Oakes and Sr. Research Analyst Tom Stone. Here are some highlights from the call:

• Moog was deemed an essential business, so their plants remained open even while many of their 13,000 employees went remote back in March. This took a lot of adjustment, as the type of work they do, and their corporate culture, were not geared toward being virtual.
• When able, Moog employees will return to the traditional workplace to optimize the highly technical and secure work they must do. However, Beldner noted there will be more flexibility than before, e.g., perhaps one day a week remote options or similar, as some tasks benefit from the lack of distractions that some home offices provide. This flexibility will also be important to aid in recruiting and retention in a world where many organizations will offer remote or hybrid work options.
• While in-person instructor-led training will eventually be the norm, their use of virtual classroom training has had successes and so will continue to be used where beneficial (e.g., cost, scale, etc.)
• Leaders have been willing to be teachers in the new virtual training environment, providing their expertise in areas like financial/business acumen and disaster/change management.
• Given their locations have remained open, Moog has managed to have new employees come in for at least the first day of their onboarding.
• Moog is implementing Fuel50 as an employee-driven and employee-centered solution to allow for greater talent mobility. Employees can compare their skills with open stretch assignments, internal gigs, etc.
• Previously at Moog the biggest focus for diversity, equity, and inclusion was around gender. Now it is broader, and they will bring in external expertise to unpack the topic fully.
• What does the future hold? Beldner said they will be more thoughtful about developing leaders for specific roles, and their criteria for assessing and developing talent by making it less relationship-based. While proud of their culture of promoting from within, they will also look to external talent.

In addition to this recording, please see the i4cp Coronavirus Employer Resource Center for new research and next practices to help address the COVID-19 pandemic.