CNH Industrial Gives Children a Taste of the Real World of Work

Children were invited to CNH Industrial sites across North America to find out what their parents – and grandparents – really get up to at work. It was also an occasion to learn new skills, including budgeting, interview techniques and driving a tractor

Bring Your Child to Work Day is a hugely popular event for CNH Industrial employees. This annual event, usually sees up to some 500 children participating at the Company’s locations across Canada and the United States.

“It’s my personal favorite day of the work year,” says Deborah Maio, Finance Administration Representative at CNH Industrial, who coordinated the event at the Case IH and CASE Construction Equipment facility in Racine, Wisconsin, U.S.A. with her colleague DeDe Obuch, an IT Auditor at CNH Industrial. “It’s a lot of fun to have all that energy in the office.”

Across the sites at Racine, activities included a payroll game in which children budgeted for cars, houses and bills, and another game on supply chains that challenged the youngsters to coordinate deliveries across the United States using a floor map. Walkie-talkies were provided so that “suppliers” could negotiate with “managers” in a separate room. By far the most popular event at Racine was the chance for children over 14 to drive a tractor. It was the first time they were allowed to move the vehicles, rather than just look them over. “It’s completely different for them to get in and actually move it, to be able to swivel it around and do all the fun stuff,” says Maio

At the plant in New Holland Agriculture plant in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, which produces equipment such as corn planters, children arrived with their parents, and in one case, with a grandparent. “That was a first for us,” says Allan Thiessen, senior Human Resources Representative at CNH Industrial and coordinator of the event at the plant. The children tried out welding and found out about 3D modeling and product design.

Employees also enjoy the day and many volunteered to help across the seven sites in Burr Ridge, Fargo, New Holland, Racine, Burlington, and Saskatoon.

“They are proud to be able to show their children, the friends of their children, and their grandchildren, what they do and what we build,” says Thiessen. “I’ve had many parents come back and thank me over and over for allowing them to see what we do first hand.”