Meet Marcia...

Tell us about what you do.  

I’m the Vice President of MSP. In my position, I have a specific portfolio of customers within our workforce solutions division at Day & Zimmermann. I’m part of the managed services side of the business, which oversees customers’ contingent labor workers outsourced to our company. I provide strategic guidance in order to ensure a successful partnership between us and the customers we serve.

How would you describe your position to someone completely unfamiliar with what you do?

Companies have full-time employees who receive benefits. They also have people to provide additional support to the full-time staff called contingent labor workers. Contingent labor workers are found by staffing organizations like Yoh. Customers come to the workforce solutions division of Yoh to help them manage their contingent labor workers, work with their staffing organizations and make sure policies and procedures are compliant. We hold them to performance metrics to make sure they are providing our customers with the right talent. 

I oversee the entire Yoh operations team that sits on site with our various customers.

What do you love most about your job?

No two days are ever the same. Every day that I come to work, there’s a new challenge or a new opportunity to do something interesting or exciting. I’m given the opportunity to think outside of the box, to learn, to grow, and to do different things than you might think a traditional lawyer job entails. That helps me in my career, but it also helps the company. We talk a lot about innovation at Day & Zimmermann, and I think a lot of great ideas come from thinking about problems or opportunities in a different way.  

What makes you successful at what you do?

I was a waitress in high school and every table had people with different personalities. This experience showed me that I’m good at reading and interacting with many personality types. For example, some customers are very vocal and like a lot of conversation and discussion. Some customers are very direct and to the point. Understanding that dynamic early on has allowed me to be successful.  Prior to coming to Yoh I was a school teacher.  I have used that training to really focus on listening and understanding the various dynamics of my customers and delivering on their goals and objectives in a way that works for their business.

Over the past 18 years of your career, what have you noticed has changed in the industry?

I would have to say the technology. When I started doing my job and had new hires, I would FedEx paperwork by 4 p.m. to make sure it got to corporate the next day. In 2001, Day & Zimmermann started to implement SAP on the workforce solution side. Today, in addition to SAP we have all of this wonderful vendor management technology at our fingertips. We can do reporting for customers and get to important discussions much faster because data is readily available.

Any advice for someone pursuing this profession? 

You need a love for customer service. You also need to have the ability to adapt and be agile, but also firm. The only way you can successfully say “no” to a customer is if you have a better idea to present them with, which requires a level of confidence between you and those you’re serving.

Any advice for someone pursuing law?

Personal integrity is built over time. It’s built in the choices that we make privately and publicly. In my opinion, if you are fully committed to integrity and personal accountability, a lawyer is a great profession.

If you look at this industry as a nine to five job and don’t pay attention to the impact you make on your customer, it’s not the right job for you. You have to keep in mind that everyone you are dealing with is a customer, not just those who you sit on site with. The staffing organizations who provide you with the contingent labor workers are customers. The internal individuals who ensure things run smoothly on all levels are your customers. Being able to establish and develop these strong relationships with all customers is important. It’s critical to be a team player and customer service driven.

Do you have any particular stories that stand out during your time at Yoh and Day & Zimmermann?

In 2000 – 2001, Day & Zimmermann had an annual meeting in Georgia. I invited my sponsor - the people who oversee our program for our customer - to sit on the customer panel. They were asking him various questions and every answer was, "I go to Marcia." This experience drove home the fact that my customers should be able to come to me and know that I will get any issue resolved. When the CEO of Day & Zimmermann hears your customers talk about you in that way, it really sets the stage for you to ensure that you do what you say and deliver on your commitments. At that moment, I really understood the impact of what we do for our customers and it really set the foundation for my commitment to Yoh and my current and future customers. That was my goal as a program manager and continues to be my goal today as I’ve evolved at Day & Zimmermann.

Do you have anything else to add about your time at Day & Zimmermann?

I think the biggest thing is the fact that I love my job and the company I work for. As everyone knows, there are similar organizations out there where I could be doing the same thing. I tell people time and time again that one of the reasons why I stay with Yoh is because as our VP of sales mentions many times, we're a hidden gem in the industry.  Day & Zimmermann’s commitment to talent is what has kept me here for over 18 years.  I feel like I am making a contribution and a difference.