Best Workplaces: No Place I'd Rather Work...
According to Debby Boyd, director of human resources, harassment and diversity training are staples for all John Roberts employees. General training is built into the calendar, with at least one aspect slated for 10 of the 12 months. Topics range from emergency preparedness and defibrillator (AED) training to back injury prevention and hazardous waste.
Boyd notes that the company does its best to help employees strike a work/family life balance. Creating an atmosphere that is comfortable, familiar and friendly goes a long way in making the Twin Cities firm a worker's paradise.
"John Roberts is a great place to work. It is a safe environment where our employees can excel and grow," she says. "It has a feel of a family-owned company. We bring our employees together for events like baseball picnics, breast cancer walks, golf tournaments, fitness classes and Take Your Dog to Work Day."
The John Roberts Co.'s quality recognition and continuous improvement bulletin boards keep employees abreast of such examples on a quarterly basis. Blank "good catch" and "continuous improvement" cards are available for employees to fill out in citing a co-worker for his/her actions in identifying a mistake before the product reaches the customer, or in improving systems and processes to increase workflow efficiencies.
Upon review, the cards are posted. Each recognition results in the employee receiving a thank you note, which can be converted into VISA gift cards after hitting a certain threshold. Prizes are also doled out each quarter for the QRC (Quality Recognition Committee) Lottery award. Employees can earn as much as $120 in gift cards or one paid day of vacation.
Ripon Printers, Ripon, WI
Ripon Printers has grown by leaps and bounds since it debuted as Ripon Community Printers back in 1962 with 13 employees. Now boasting a staff of 340, the company offers an arsenal of coldset and heatset web presses, along with sheetfed offset and digital printers. Ripon prides itself on satisfying the needs of its customers, from premedia down the line to fulfillment and distribution, with multi-channel sources including Traxion Marketing Services.
