It has been said that companies pay employees just enough so they won’t quit, and employees put in just enough work so they won’t get fired. On any given day, the balance between these two forces is called “employment.” However, some companies seem to try harder than others to make this arrangement more permanent – by paying attractive wages, providing competitive benefits, training those who want to advance, and encouraging a spirit of teamwork. Another often-overlooked factor in keeping employees happy is recognition, which can be anything from choosing an “Employee of the Month” to rewarding a top salesperson with a hefty bonus.
Why go to all this trouble? Because happy employees are more productive, less likely to try to cheat the company, and more likely to stay, thus reducing the substantial costs associated with employee turnover. Providing education and opportunities for advancement can encourage people to remain with the company and move up the ranks, which has the added advantage of providing an exit strategy for current owners and managers when it becomes time for them to turn the company over to the next generation.
This is the fourth year Nevada Business Journal has chosen the state’s “Best Companies to Work For.” Our staff surveyed economic development agencies, local chambers of commerce, state agencies dealing with employment issues, and private placement firms, to get nominations for the best workplaces. We also accepted at-large nominations submitted to our website. As always, it was difficult to make final choices, and there are certainly many other companies in Nevada worthy of recognition for their efforts to keep employees satisfied.
That being said, we narrowed our list to the following seven companies:
Antioch Company is the parent company of the Creative Memories scrapbook line, sold through direct-sales distributors. Its 150,000-square-foot Sparks facility, which manufactures scrapbooks and ships Creative Memories products, employs approximately 170 people, most of them in warehouse and manufacturing positions. Antioch is in a unique position as an employee-owned firm, said John Zurn, operations manager. “The owners of the company are the same people we manage.” Employee owners elected from each of the company’s locations in Ohio, Virginia, Minnesota and Nevada attend board meetings and report back to their locations. Employees also sit on committees, such as those concerned with safety, employee wellness, and the company’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).
Arrow Electronics is a global provider of products, services and solutions to industrial and commercial users of electronic components and computer products. Headquartered in Melville, New York, Arrow serves as a supply-channel partner for more than 600 suppliers and 150,000 original equipment manufacturers, contract manufacturers and commercial customers through a global network of more than 200 locations in 41 countries and territories. Its Reno facility houses a state-of-the-art warehouse and global programming-services center, with more than 500 employees.
Colonial Bank, Nevada Region, operates 13 offices throughout Nevada, including two in Reno, five in Las Vegas, two in Henderson, and one each in Sparks, Fallon, Carson City and Stateline. With 220 employees statewide, it is a division of the Alabama-based Colonial BancGroup, a $16 billion multi-state bank holding company. “Colonial Bank prides itself on the diversity of our workforce, the involvement of our employees in the community, and the friendly, family-like atmosphere that is often cited by employees when describing our work culture,” said Mark Daigle, president and CEO for the Nevada Region.
Desert Radiologists is a physician-owned provider of radiology services with five stand-alone locations in Southern Nevada. It also provides in-house diagnostic services at five hospitals. It employs 280 people, including 30 radiologists. James Kilbur, CEO of the company, proudly noted that 121 employees have worked for the company for over five years, and 42 of those have been with the company over 10 years. “We make an extra effort to help people enjoy their jobs,” said Kilbur. “Even if people do leave to work somewhere else, they end up back here, because they find out the grass isn’t greener after all.”
Geotechnical and Environmental Services (GES), based in Las Vegas, provides geotechnical engineering services, testing and inspections of construction materials, environmental site assessments, soil and groundwater sampling, drilling and well installations. It employs 44 people.
In Nevada, MGM MIRAGE owns Bellagio, MGM Grand Las Vegas, The MIRAGE, Treasure Island, New-York, Boardwalk, and 50 percent of the Monte Carlo, as well as Shadow Creek Golf Course in North Las Vegas and resort properties at the Nevada-California state line. It is the state’s largest employer, with approximately 33,000 employees in Southern Nevada, most in “front-line” customer service positions. “In order to ensure the best possible experience for our guests, we try to create a great culture and morale in our workplaces,” said Cynthia Kiser Murphey, the company’s senior vice president of human resources. “A great workplace is different for each person, so we have a variety of programs to appeal to all these diverse individuals,” she pointed out. “Some aspire to management, some want to improve their skills or cross-train. It’s not ‘one-size-fits-all.’”
Microsoft Licensing in Reno handles product licensing agreements worldwide for computer giant Microsoft. It established its Reno facility in 1997 with 30 people, and now employs about 220. insert quote insert quote insert quote insert quote insert quote insert quote insert quote insert quote insert quote insert quote insert quote insert quote insert quote insert quote insert quote from Paula Huckaby, onsite general manager and OEM operations general manager.
Benefits
After six years of employment, Antioch’semployees become vested in the company’s ESOP, and the company also provides a 401(k) program with company matching. It pays 85 percent of the premiums for health, dental, vision and pharmacy coverage and also provides company-paid life insurance, as well as short- and long-term disability coverage. Cash profit-sharing is another incentive. Paid leave time starts with two weeks after one year of employment, and increases in increments to five weeks after 15 years.
All the companies chosen as winners this year provide health insurance coverage for their employees, at low or minimal cost. However, only Desert Radiologists offers paid health insurance for dependents as well, including health, dental, vision and life insurance. It also offers a profit-sharing plan, and Kilbur said the minimum percentage contributed for each employee in 2003 was 7 percent. It has flexible work schedules, casual Fridays, and an employee assistance program offering consultation, information and referrals to community services. It has a contract with Children’s Choice Learning Centers to provide daycare alternatives for employees, and offers a childcare reimbursement account as part of its cafeteria plan.
Microsoft Licensing offers some unique benefits, including healthcare coverage for same-sex domestic partners, weight management programs, infertility treatments and four weeks of paid parental leave for all new parents. It also reimburses its employees for “wellness activities,” which can include gym memberships, ski tickets, greens fees, camping equipment and fees for sports leagues. In addition to a 401(k) plan, it also offers an employee stock purchase plan that allows employees to purchase Microsoft stock at a substantial discount.
GES has initiated a program to help its staff members get homes in the increasingly expensive Southern Nevada real estate market. It offers a limited number of $5,000 low-interest loans to be applied towards a down payment on a house. The employee makes interest-only payments of approximately $10 a month, and the principal may eventually be forgiven for long-term employees. This benefit s in addition to full health, dental and vision coverage at no cost to employees, as well as athletic-club membership and a retirement package with 100 percent matching contributions for up to 3 percent of annual salary.
As a very large employer, MGM MIRAGE has the resources to offer a comprehensive benefits package to its workers. It operates it own child development center at the MGM Grand, with a capacity of around 300 children, and it can accommodate people working all shifts in the 24-hour resorts. Employees enjoy discounts on logo merchandise at company stores, and may also get discounts on photo processing, food court meals and carwashes on-site by presenting employee identification. The MGM MIRAGE Family Scholarship Program offers scholarships worth up to $2,500 to children of full-time employees who have worked at one of its properties at least one year. Its training and development programs prepare employees to move up the corporate ladder by participating in long-term courses to train front-line employees to become supervisors, and to teach entry-level managers how to move up to the executive ranks.
Arrow Electronics offers a unique sabbatical program in which employees who are with the company for more than seven years are eligible for up to 10 weeks of paid time off.
Being a bank, Colonial Bank can provide benefits that other employers cannot, including free checking, reduced interest rates on credit cards and discounts on loans. It also provides a loan program to enable employees to purchase home computers.
Training
Antioch offers a $3500 tuition reimbursement after one year of employment, in any field related to the employee’s job. It also offers on-site training in subjects such as conflict resolution, problem-solving and the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Warehouse employees are offered cross-training opportunities, are they are rewarded with higher pay.
GES provides a tuition reimbursement program for eligible staff members and encourages employees to continue their professional development by paying for dues for most professional associations, monthly meetings and luncheons. It also offers a cash scholarship program for employees and their dependents who want to attend college.
Colonial Bank provides reimbursement up to $2,500 annually in tuition, books and fees for employees who want to continue their formal education. Its in-house training department teaches technical and sales topics, as well as classes in annuity sales, mortgage loan origination, and lending. Each new hire at a branch location is assigned to a peer mentor to help him or her “learn the ropes” of the business. “This program was rolled out about a year ago and has been a tremendous help to new employees,” said Daigle.
Most MGM MIRAGE properties offer reimbursement of tuition fees for job-related courses, and the company maintains its own in-house training programs, with such varied offerings as: orientation for supervisors, computer training, business writing, customer service, public speaking, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. It also offers classes to teach English as a second language to employees who want to gain more confidence in their language skills, as well as “Workplace Spanish” to help employees communicate with each other and with guests. Since July 2002, over 200 managers and supervisors have completed a 40-hour Diversity Champions Workshop, a train-the-trainers program that includes education in leadership skills, recognizing stereotypes, sensitivity to different cultures, and developing personal potential and high-performing teams.
Rewards and Recognition
Desert Radiologists gives cash awards for length of service, starting with $150 for three years, and progressing to $4,000 for 25 years. Its employee suggestion program pays $100 for each helpful suggestion implemented by the company. The STARS program (Search to Acknowledge Remarkable Service) is an employee recognition program that provides employees with a means to recognize each other for excellence in customer service or morale-boosting. It also allows managers to provide “on-the-spot” recognition by handing out certificates and awards when they spot an employee going the extra mile.
“One of the primary objectives at GES is to create a work environment where the best people want to work,” said Greg DeSart president of GES. “This is not a place for slackers, and high performance is generously rewarded.” Performance evaluations for each employee twice a year are used to develop goals, and those who achieve goals are rewarded with merit salary adjustments. Each quarter, employees elect a fellow employee as a “Staff Star” who has demonstrated dedication, diligence and team spirit. The Staff Star is awarded a coveted parking spot for three months, which is especially valued in the company’s small parking lot.
MGM MIRAGE offers various reward programs at each of its properties. At the MIRAGE, employees are rewarded with one extra paid day off for each six months of perfect attendance. It sponsors Employee of the Month and Employee of the Year awards at each of its properties. Employees of the Month receive cash awards, as well as free dinners and show tickets. At the end of the year, 60 employees (12 each from the five major properties) are nominated for Employee of the Year and receive an additional cash award, a free trip and a week’s paid vacation to enjoy the trip. The five annual winners (one from each major property) receive an additional cash award.
Arrow Electronics, GES and Colonial Bank all offer rewards to employees who refer friends or colleagues who are subsequently hired. At Colonial Bank, employees submitting a customer referral are entered into a quarterly drawing for big-ticket prizes, and completed customer referrals for various bank services bring cash rewards up to $75. Employees are also eligible for bonuses if they give good service to “mystery shoppers” posing as bank customers, and quarterly cash incentive awards are presented to employees whose bank branch meets production and quality goals.
Teambuilding
Microsoft Licensing hosts an annual company picnic with games, music and food. In addition, each group within the company has a budget to pay for “morale-boosting events,” such as group outings to sporting events, skiing at Lake Tahoe, or attending a play or symphony in San Francisco. “We recognize the challenges employees face as they push hard to finish deadlines,” said Huckaby. “For this reason, we encourage our managers to sponsor morale events for their teams. The creativity it produces is amazing. Managers have been known to rent chair massages, take their teams on hot air balloon rides, and arrange tours of a local microbrewery.”
Antioch offers unique opportunities for teambuilding by encouraging employees to bring family photos in to work each quarter, when they are paid to spend company time arranging them on scrapbook pages. The company’s in-house store offers a 75 percent discount to employees on all its products. The company also encourages its employees to donate their time to community non-profits, and pays them for up to 16 hours per year of volunteer time. For each dollar the employee contributes to charity, the company pays $2, up to a maximum of $400 annually.
This year, Arrow Electronics employees will participate in building a house for the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. The company also hosts quarterly blood drives and sponsors employees’ teams in local sports leagues. “Besides a year-end holiday party, summer family picnic and take-your-kids-to-work day, our most popular event is an annual open house in which employees bring in family and friends to tour the facility and enjoy holiday entertainment,” said Richardson.
Once a quarter, Colonial Bank hosts a breakfast for employees hired during that quarter. They are introduced to the executive team and to other new employees from different branches and departments. Twice a year, the bank hosts a rally for all employees, including food, music and entertainment. Both the north and south regions of Colonial Bank-Nevada have active employee committees, which receive annual budgets and are put in charge of planning and organizing events, including an employee picnic, a holiday party, family outings and friendly competitions. The committees also select the charities the bank will support and coordinate fund-raising and volunteer efforts.
Kudos To Nevada Employers
The previous brief descriptions of programs offered by our top seven employers merely scratch the surface of their commitment to their employees. In addition, we received information on many other companies that deserve recognition for their efforts. Most of the large resort properties provide generous benefits to their full-time employees. Caesars Entertainment constructed two on-site wellness centers at its Las Vegas properties in 2003, and will complete two more this year, offering pharmacy services, rehabilitation centers, preventive care, health fairs and free flu shots. Circus Circus in Reno Sponsors a “Simply the Best” employee recognition program in which quarterly winners receive $500, a logo bomber jacket, special parking privileges and recognition at an awards banquet. Annual winners (one employee and one supervisor) each receive $20,000 and four runners-up receive $5,000 each.
Retaining employees is especially important in industries in which qualified people are in short supply. Nevada homebuilders are struggling to erect homes fast enough to satisfy demand. In Southern Nevada, KB Home puts every employee through a six-week “Construction 101” program designed to train them in all aspects of home construction, from pouring the foundation to providing service after the sale. Employees from all departments comprise a “KBFun” committee that organizes quarterly parties, annual picnics, bowling nights, potluck dinners, raffles and other teambuilding activities. Pardee Homes was selected as one of the “101 Best Companies to Work For” by the Reed Business Group, which publishes four national trade magazines. Competitive factors includes corporate culture, job satisfaction, workplace trust, respect, pride, camaraderie, compensation, fairness, communication, training and customer satisfaction.
Healthcare professionals are also in demand in Nevada, and hospitals compete with each other for a limited pool of trained medical staffers. In Northern Nevada, St. Mary’s Health Network provides on-site, subsidized child care, a tuition reimbursement program and an array of on-site training in medical subjects, as well as personal-enrichment classes such as parenting, financial planning, self defense and stress management. Washoe Health System features an on-site gym, complete with personal trainers and a full range of cardio and weight programs. Flexible scheduling allows personnel to work partial or occasional shifts so they can meet family demands. Employees are encouraged to work and play together by participating in golf tournaments, employee picnics, ice cream socials, health fairs, Corporate Challenge and numerous sporting and cultural events. In Southern Nevada, St. Rose Dominican Hospital offers employees $2,500 toward the purchase or refinancing of a home, and also has a relationship with several apartments complexes, which give employees s discount on rent and move-in costs. The hospital provides health insurance at no cost to its employees and also their dependents.
Many other Nevada companies spend valuable time and money making their workplaces attractive to current and future workers. It may be a small, family-owned company sponsoring a picnic at the local park, or a large resort property opening an on-site health center. In both cases, employers recognize that it makes good business sense to invest in positive workplace environments.
