Be the Person People Want to Work For

David Fluker has grown into an excellent leader because he is smart, respectful of all people and generous. One of the employees says that David is a better boss than was his Dad and his Dad agrees. David Fluker is CEO of Fluker Farms located in Port Allen, Louisiana.

TRANSCRIPT

ELISE (Employee): Actually, I catch them just like that, shake them off the..., pour the measurer, just like that.

HATTIE: OK, so you're measuring now.

ELISE: Yes, ma'am, this 1,000 four week.

HATTIE: This is 1,000 crickets right here?

ELISE: Yes, ma'am.

HATTIE: You know that.

ELISE: I know that.

HATTIE: How do you know?

ELISE: I know. I work 24 years, that's why I know.

HATTIE: You've done this for 24 years?

ELISE: Yes, ma'am.

HATTIE: OK. So for 24 years, this has been 1,000 crickets.

ELISE: Yes, ma'am. This 500, four week, this 1,000, four week, this 1,500, four week...

DAVID: (Voiceover) Unfortunately this is a hot, dirty job, so basically we try to pay a little better than the average hot, dirty job. And that's how we've managed to keep a lot of our workers. And, you know, it's not easy to find people. You know, we do have a turnover rate because of the job. It's just not a real clean office-type job.

HATTIE: (Voiceover) Do you have a nice package of benefits?

DAVID: Yes. We have a decent pay scale, we offer year-end bonuses, we pay half of the health insurance for them and their families, which is not a law, that's just something that we do. We have paid vacation time, we have paid sick time, we have paid holidays, which is quite unusual in this type of industry. Most of the other farms that I know don't quite have that type of array of benefits. You know, there's usually no holidays, paid vacations.

HATTIE: ... it's an improvement.

ELISE: Old boss, little bit deaf, and new boss, better. Old boss, little bit know much, new boss, him, he change lot.

HATTIE: The new boss.

ELISE: He did.

DAVID: In the business realm, really all that I've learned probably has been from my dad.

RICHARD: I always included the Lord in part of my business. We're Baptists, and we believe in tithing.

HATTIE: The philosophy of giving, it brings back goodness to you.

RICHARD: Goodness to me and it comes back in tenfold. And so my kids...

HATTIE: So don't be selfish, is what you're saying.

RICHARD: Don't be selfish. And my kids--my father brought me up thataway, and my kids were brought up thataway, and they're always helping someone.

This video appears as an illustration of generosity in "The Wise Worker is Generous (Proverbs)" in Proverbs and Work at www.theologyofwork.org.