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Association of Washington Business Recognizes 22 Companies as Great Places to Work |
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Written On: December 5, 2000 |
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SEATTLE - The Association of Washington Business has honored 22 business throughout the state for going the extra mile in creating and maintaining better workplaces.
The awards will be presented during AWB's Wednesday, Dec. 13 board meeting at the Marriott Hotel in SeaTac.
The annual awards program recognizes AWB member companies that go the extra mile to create workplaces that are family-friendly, promote safety and enable employees to achieve their best. The awards also draw attention to examples of workplace policies that may help other companies identify and develop programs aimed at boosting morale, increasing productivity, improving recruiting and retention and reducing training costs.
The 2000 AWB Better Workplace Awards were given to AWB member firms both small and large. Award categories included workplace safety; job training and advancement; and innovative benefits & compensation programs. The winners were chosen by an independent panel of judges.
This year, AWB established the Frank Russell Company Award honoring companies which consistently work on improving their workplaces for their employees. The Frank Russell Company is the first recipient of its namesake award.
The other 2000 AWB Better Workplace Award winners are as follows:
Workplace Safety
Fewer than 25 Employees
Hobart Machined Products, Inc., winner, for going eight years without a time-loss accident. The company stresses safety training, particularly in the handling of hazardous materials.
26-100 Employees
Pacific Research Lab, winner, for its efforts in reducing repetitive motion injuries. The company has hired a physical therapist who regularly tours the plant and observes how workers do their jobs. She also holds weekly sessions to educate workers on how to prevent repetitive motion injuries geared specifically to their particular job.
Central Washington Grain Growers, certificate of merit, for overall safety efforts. The company employs a full time safety manager and invests in regular training. The company frequently and regular performs safety inspections and gives priority to making safety-oriented repairs.
101-250 Employees
Echo Bay Minerals Co., winner, for overall safety efforts. The company conducts weekly safety meetings as well as an 8-hour annual refresher course on safety procedures. Each supervisor conducts and documents a safety inspection on every shift. A member of the safety department performs a weekly inspection of all worksites.
250 Plus Employees
Birmingham Steel, winner, for reducing its recordable injuries by 66 percent, or just 24 in the 2000 fiscal year. Birmingham’s four-year improvement can be attributed in part to continuous employee training, written policies, safety committees and other standard parts of a safety program. The company also has developed several innovative programs such as internal facility evaluation; cpr/first responder training and employment health features.
Costco Wholesale, winner, for growing from 34,000 to 61,000 employees in the last five years yet reducing its accident rate by 47 percent. To help reduce the accident rate Costco has a safety coordinator at each of its locations. If an injury does occur it has an after hours emergency beeper number, an 800 workers compensation/injury number and a fee "call-a-nurse" program available for employee assistance.
Northwest Alloys, winner, for embracing a thorough safety program consisting of 523 elements.
Last year it received an award from its parent company, ALCOA, for its safety program. It also was honored by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries for safety excellence. On September 30 the company reached a milestone when it reached 2,000,000 work hours without a lost workday to injury
Port Townsend Paper Corporation, winner, for improving its "return to work" program in its converting department. The company found that many of injuries could be prevented by a simple daily warm-up and exercise program.
Fluor Hanford, certificate of merit, for working more than 10 million hours without serious injury. The company also has shown considerable improvement in its reportable injury rate, reducing it from a high of 5.2 injuries per 100 workers in 1996 to 1.8 in 2000.
Verizon, certificate of merit, for reducing driving injuries. The company was faced with escalating medical and vehicle-repair costs. It set about set about fixing the problem not by focusing on the cause of the accident, but by the behavior itself. By working to reduce at-risk behavior and reducing unsafe acts the company experienced a 31 percent reduction in motor-vehicle incidents, a 15 percent reduction in OSHA-recordable cases and 18 percent fewer lost-workday cases.
Job Training & Advancement
101-250 Employees
AK Media NW, winner, for its outstanding apprenticeship program and in hiring people from the federally funded Job Corps. It also tries to follow a policy of reclassifying positions rather than have layoffs. In addition it provides a number of benefits including a comprehensive health plan, prescription drug plan and programs that support and enhance employee safety and training.
First Community Bank, certificate of merit, for its "career growth program." This is for new employees who are hired as customer service representatives or new account representatives. The program was established to reward branch staff by accelerated progression through the salary range and prepare them for promotions.
250 Plus Employees
Pathology Associates Medical Lab, certificate of merit, for its "Excel" program for career advancement. All its non-exempt staff have the opportunity to increase their levels of competency and responsibility.
Innovative Benefit/Compensation Programs
Fewer than 25 Employees
Pacific Aero Tech, winner, for its strong benefits and compensation program. The program includes a cash bonus for the "Hero of the Quarter" and a company-wide trip for all employees if the company reaches set financial goals.
Everett Area Chamber of Commerce, certificate of merit, for its family-friendly benefits. Some of the benefits it offers include offering job share and flexible work hours, and closing early on Friday afternoons. This allows more family time, especially for those with children at home.
Printcom, certificate of merit, for a unique employee outing. Each year Jim and Judy Coovert invite their employees, spouses, children and even grandchildren to a three-day camp out at a privately owned park near Black Diamond. Jim and Judy provide everything, except camping gear, for the three days including doing most of the cooking.
100-250 Employees
Dick’s Drive In Restaurant, continuous improvement, for it’s continuing improvement of employee benefits and compensation. The company offers employees that work at least part-time, scholarships that will cover almost all tuition costs for attending two years of community college and two years at the University of Washington.
DIS Corporation, winner, for a wide range of employee benefits, especially in the area of wellness. This company offers its employees free fresh fruit, vegetables and juice in the lunchroom and paid memberships to the YMCA, gold’s Gym and the Bellingham Athletic Club.
Nuprecon, Inc., winner, for a wide range of employee benefits including flex time, telecommuting and pprofit sharing. The company also funds in-house special events.
First Choice Health Network, certificate of merit, for implementing a telecommuting program. The company covers part or all of the costs an employee incurs in working from their home including the upgrading or purchasing of computers and the installation of modem lines.
250 Plus Employees
Perkins Coie LLP, winner, for a wide range of benefits. Perkins Coie offers a 37.5 hour work-week, a variety of cash bonus programs and even provides an in-house catering service to provide employees with take-home meals. It offers a generous overtime policy, not only in terms of cash, but also provides meals and taxi fare.
Energy Northwest, certificate of merit, for a wide range of benefits and incentives. The company offers flex time and allows workers to generous personal leave which can be used for any reason. It also allows peers to present each other with "On-The-Spot" awards which recognize employee contributions.
Overall Winner in All Three Categories
McKinstry Company, Seattle, winner. This company was nominated in all three AWB Better Workplace Award categories, and could well have received awards in each one. Due to the outstanding quality of the company’s workplace safety, job training and education, and innovative benefits and compensation programs, the panel of judges chose to recognize McKinstry as overall winner.
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