Program hopes to engage new employees in community

Will roll out the welcome mat

The Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce is in the early stages of implementing a program to introduce new hires at area businesses to Jefferson City's amenities and resources.

"We want to be able to retain our employees," said Missy Bonnot, director of economic development for the chamber. "It costs a lot of money to retrain employees, and turnover costs companies lots and lots of dollars every year. We want to be able to engage those new employees into our community and retain them in our community for many years to come."

She said the program, called Jeff City INSIGHT, would be bootcamp-style, possibly spanning two half-days. It would be offered not only to new hires from out of town, but also those from Jefferson City.

"We would be doing some touring, letting them know about all of the benefits Jefferson City has, whether that's volunteering, our recreation system, or housing that's available in Jefferson City," Bonnot said. "Things like that to let them know what Jefferson City has to offer."

Bonnot said the chamber is hoping to launch Jeff City INSIGHT late this summer or early fall.

"We're thinking we would do this twice a year, depending on how much interest we get from our employers," she said. "We're really excited about it."

She said the program is all about talent attraction and engagement in the community.

"If an employee doesn't feel engaged in the community, they are more apt to go somewhere else," she said. "We want to keep them here."

The chamber has sent out a survey to employers to gauge their interest in Jeff City INSIGHT. Bonnot welcomes any interest, input or feedback about the program. You may contact her at 573-638-3582 or [email protected].