Mike Polis first became a SHRM member twenty-five years ago when he started as the human resource manager for Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co. He knew he would need assistance in this new role, and SHRM had the professional tools and the network to help him succeed. The organization also provided a place to meet and exchange ideas. There, he found his manufacturing HR peers thanks to the industry’s predominance in Alabama. Polis is happy to give back to the organization that played such a vital role in his career. He served three years as board president for the Montgomery, Alabama, chapter and is currently serving as state director for the 14 SHRM chapters throughout Alabama. Both opportunities are experiences that have been invaluable to Polis.
Polis is now the vice president of human resources for Morris Group International (MGI)—the parent company of Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co. Throughout his career, even early on when he was a labor relations representative at United Technologies, his work philosophy has remained consistent; always treat employees as people, not problems. Polis credits his father with making him who he is today. His father taught him to stay strong when life got hard. While you need to be tough in certain situations, you should always back that up with fairness and compassion. It is advice that still motivates Polis and helps him through challenging times such as this past year.
“It’s easy to be a yes man, but it’s much harder to do the meaningful work—to help put food on employees’ tables and helping the CEO make sound business decisions when it comes to their people,” said Polis. The last year has been a troubling time indeed, but Polis says handling the crisis properly is an opportunity to shine a positive light on the HR profession.
“MGI leadership’s number one priority from the beginning has been providing a safe workplace,” said Polis.“After that we tackled the hard work of updating policy to keep up with local, state, and federal guidelines.” Polis also had to help the CEO figure out how to pivot a manufacturing business to adhere to social distancing guidelines and support employees who had to work from home.
An ongoing challenge for Polis is the scarcity of manufacturing talent in the US. It is a problem that affects a company’s ability to compete globally. While it is not a problem that can be solved entirely by HR, Polis has some ideas. He would like to see more trade and vocational programs and expand manufacturing’s reach into STEM programs.
To that end, Polis is active in his local Chamber of Commerce and the Montgomery Public Schools Career Technologies Center (MPACT). Mike serves on the steering committee for “school to work,” which he admits helps fill his pipeline. However, more importantly, it helps to empower the next generation by showing students that manufacturing can provide them a meaningful caree