Manheim: AARP Best Employers 2008

Winning year: 2008

Industry: Wholesale Trade

Location: Atlanta, Ga.

URL: www.manheim.com

2008 Rank:  36

 

 

Manheim has no mandatory retirement age, and more than 50 percent of its employees are age 50+. At Manheim, part-time employment is very popular among retirees from other industries, with thousands currently working at the company.

 

Additional Policies and Practices:

 

Recruiting: Manheim uses placement agencies for older job-seekers to target mature workers and retirees.

 

Workplace Culture/Continued Opportunities: Manheim offers the following learning and development programs to its employees: tuition reimbursement, in-house classroom training, online training, and certification classes. The tuition reimbursement program is offered exclusively to employees working at least 40 hours per week. During the past 12 months, 35 percent of Manheim employees participated in at least one of its training opportunities, with an average of six hours spent in training.

 

The company celebrates long-service anniversaries with announcements, parties, and awards.

 

Responding to employee feedback, Manheim has made the following improvements to its employee benefits: An annual compensation study ensures that compensation is competitive. The company also has a performance-management system that includes comprehensive training modules, expanded career development and training opportunities, and extensive benefits communication and training.

 

Employees gain experience and develop new skills by working on temporary assignments in other departments, on team projects, and by participating in formal job-rotation programs. In addition, some locations have Mentor Training Programs.

 

Manheim accommodates employees with special needs by providing proper equipment and job reassignments. For example, one employee who had back surgery could not bend or lift, so she was accommodated to train and lead employee work performance. Another employee, who had vision problems and  suffered from headaches, received a big screen for her monitor so the fonts could be enlarged.

 

Benefits/Health: Full-time employees working at least 30 hours per week receive individual and family medical coverage, individual and family prescription-drug coverage, individual and family vision and dental insurance, individual and family long-term care insurance, and long-term disability. Short-term disability is offered exclusively to employees working 40 hours a week.

 

Health benefits for retirees under 65 and 65+ include individual and spousal medical and drug coverage, individual and spousal dental coverage, individual and spousal long-term care insurance, and EAP services. New hires are eligible for all these benefits upon retirement.

 

Mannheim offers employees flexible-spending accounts to help cover out-of-pocket health care costs.

 

Benefits/Financial: Manheim offers a 401(k) plan with an employer match to its full- and part-time employees. Employees may invest in lifecycle funds, and employees age 50+ can make catch-up contributions to their 401(k) accounts. Employees receive financial-planning information, including age-targeted seminars, from external financial-planning experts .

 

The company offers short-term time off without pay to allow for caregiving.

 

All employees can receive flu shots and have access to the company’s fitness center. Manheim also provides health-club discounts to full-time employees . The company offers referral services to assist with childcare, grandchild care, and eldercare, to its full-time employees.

 

Benefits/Alternative Work Arrangements: Manheim offers compressed work scheduling to its full-time employees. Full-time employees are eligible to move to part-time work on a permanent or temporary basis.

 

Opportunities for Retirees: Manheim currently has 1,086 retirees and an employee directly responsible for retiree relations. The company stays connected with retirees by communicating on a regular basis and by formally acknowledging employees when they retire. Manheim offers retirees consulting and contract work as well as full- and part-time work.

 

Age of Workforce: Fifty-one percent of the company’s employees are age 50+. The average tenure of employees age 50+ is 5 years.