he Luxottica Retail HR
team was trying to build relationships with new colleagues from Cole National. But
they ended up cementing bonds among themselves as well. After
eyewear firm Luxottica acquired Cole in October 2004, about a dozen members of the
Luxottica HR department based in Mason, Ohio, began making four-hour van trips to
Cole’s former headquarters in Twinsburg, Ohio. The Mason crew typically would stay
in Twinsburg for a week at a time, living at a hotel. And they made multiple trips
over a period of several months.
The visits were part of an effort to avoid a culture clash
between the two major eyewear retailers, says Robin Wilson, senior director of human
resources technology and analytics at Luxottica.
But even as they helped bring Cole into the Luxottica family,
Luxottica’s HR pros tightened their own relationships. So much time away from family
members can be hard. But driving and eating together encouraged camaraderie, Wilson
says.
"You found out about people’s kids, people’s weddings, everything
from life to death," Wilson says.
In the wake of the intense integration project, Luxottica’s
HR team took its performance up a notch, Wilson says.
"The productivity probably increased at a sustainable [level]
as a result of the relationships that were formed."
Workforce Management Online, March 2007 --
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