Acuity: AARP Best Employers 2008
By: AARP.org | Source: AARP.org | September 2008
2008 Best Employers
View winners of the 2008 AARP Best Employers for Workers Over 50 Program.
Location: Sheboygan, Wis.
Highlights of 2008 Winning Strategies
ACUITY offers employees unlimited paid sick leave with a long-term disability plan that offers a 66 2/3 benefit after a nine-month elimination period. In addition, the company has not raised its health insurance premiums in seven years. Upon retirement, retirees receive a bonus of $100 per year of service. The average tenure of employees age 50+ is 14.1 years.
Workplace Culture/Continued Opportunities: ACUITY offers the following learning and development programs to full- and part-time employees working at least 16 hours a week: tuition reimbursement, in-house classroom training, online training, certification classes, and leadership and management training for senior-level employees. In the past 12 months, 85 percent of ACUITY employees participated in at least one of its training opportunities, with an average of 75 hours spent in training.
The company celebrates long-service anniversaries with announcements, parties, awards, and bonus checks for years of service. Due to employee requests, many benefit improvements have been made, including the following: an annual holiday party for all employees and retirees, enhanced retirement programs and investment education efforts, free financial planning with a registered financial advisor, an on-site exercise facility, an on-site bank, free Weight Watchers classes, and enhanced disability insurance.
Employees gain new experience by working on temporary assignments in other departments and on team projects. Workers also have access to a formal job-rotation program. Senior-level employees take advantage of the Leadership and Management Training program and special executive education.
Accommodations made for employees include providing proper chairs and workstations, sign-language interpreters for the hearing impaired, compressed work weeks and flextime schedules, wellness rooms at corporate headquarters for rest and relaxation if needed, and specially designed mothers’ rooms.
Employees receive financial planning information from staff members, from the firm that administers their 401(k) plan, and from external experts not associated with the 401(k) plan. The company offers employees paid time off especially designated for caregiving, short-term time off without pay, and long-term leaves of absence without pay for caregiving.
Full- and part-time employees are offered the following wellness programs: flu shots, health screenings, health-risk appraisals, smoking-cessation programs, health club discounts, physical activity and exercise programs, weight-loss programs, stress management training, lunch-and-learn health and wellness programs, and massage therapy. Seventy-six percent of employees have used at least one of the company’s wellness benefits during the past 12 months. ACUITY offers dependent-care benefits, such as referral services to help employees with care for children and grandchildren and with eldercare, to its full- and part-time employees.
Opportunities for Retirees: ACUITY currently has 75 retirees and an employee directly responsible for retiree relations. The company stays connected with its retirees by communicating regularly, by inviting retirees to organization events and celebrations, by giving retirees ongoing access to retirement-planning workshops and information, and by formally acknowledging them when they retire. ACUITY offers retirees temporary work assignments, consulting and contract work, telecommuting, and full- and part-time work.
Age of Workforce: Twenty-seven percent of ACUITY employees are age 50+. The average tenure of employees age 50+ is 14.1 years.
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