A face-to-face approach

For Jasmin Williams success starts with building strong relationships, even if it means going the extra mile. So, when she saw a job posting at our Jackson, Mississippi, plant, she didn’t email her resumé and wait for a response. Instead, she printed her resumé, drove to the office, and told the first person she met, shop floor manager Matthias Eckert, that she wanted the job.

That was in 2021 and two years later, she continues to take a direct, face-to-face approach to getting things done. In fact, it’s a critical element to the training program she has developed for the site.

Jasmin is a manufacturing process trainer for circuit breakers. But, in true Jasmin fashion, she has taken the job a step further, creating a certification program from the ground up.

“When I started, a formal training program didn’t really exist,” she explains. “It was missing structure and a hands-on component. I created a three-point rating system for certification. It includes an assessment with each employee, then I watch them perform to rank their skill level.”

Jasmin also brings new hires up to speed quickly. She makes sure they meet the management team and then completes their hands-on training before they are released to work on the shop floor. She believes, “It’s important that everyone has the same understanding of the fundamentals.” After their 90-day probation, she certifies new employees, too.

Almost half (about 80) of the circuit breaker employees have been certified to at least one breaker station. By working closely with the engineering, quality, HR, safety, and manufacturing teams, Jasmin continues to add different elements to the training program. For example, since February, she has been leading the revival of a 5S program based on LEAN manufacturing.

Jasmin considers herself to be the liaison between the front office and the shop floor. If there’s an issue on the floor, she finds a solution – preferably by discussing it in-person.

“It’s all about the relationships we create. It starts with a simple ‘good morning.’ Even if I’m having a bad day, I still say good morning to every person I see because what we do – making sure everyone has electricity – is more important than what I may be feeling at that moment.

“The operators are my experts and my first line of defense, so I make an effort to engage them. I ask how they’re doing, answer their questions, help solve their problems.

“That’s the most fulfilling part of my job – to see the finished product. And I don’t mean the circuit breaker – I mean seeing the person who is doing the work be successful because they have what they need to get the job done,” says Jasmin.

Born and raised in Jackson, Jasmin says her mother kept any signs of the stress she may have been dealing with hidden from her and her sister.

“She was persistent in doing what needed to be done,” says Jasmin. “I learned from her to just keep pushing through to the end of a stressful day or difficult task. And when it’s done, I look back and realize it wasn’t as hard as I thought.”

Jasmin applies this philosophy to her personal life as well. As soon as she started at Siemens Energy, she enrolled in a local college to obtain an AS in science, which she completed last December. She is now enrolled in Mississippi State University as a full-time student.

When she has free time, Jasmin’s guilty pleasure is, surprisingly, watching Korean dramas on Netflix. Her greatest pleasure, though, is fishing with her family, which includes fiancé Greg, 13-year-old Christopher, 8-year-old Landen, 6-year-old Anais, and 5-year-old Mady. One day she would like to backpack through Europe, but for now she has two main goals. One, to own a farmhouse with land for cows, sheep and horses. And two, to make sure her children get the best education.

“My kids are my priority,” she says. “That’s what I appreciate most about working for Siemens Energy. The company provides balance so I can be with my family when I’m needed and not made to feel guilty about taking time away from work.”

Whether she’s making memories with her kids or training a colleague, Jasmin believes strongly in the power of being open and inclusive to build strong partnerships.

“If we are all on the same page, using good communications and working toward a common goal, how can we go wrong? And when we get that right, our customers get top quality from us.”