How Good Companies Are Staying That Way
On the surface it looks like working just got a lot harder. The nation’s unemployment rate hit 9.7% and the number of people who are working part-time but would like to be working full time rose to 16.8%. These numbers do not paint a pretty picture for the country as a whole, but luckily Richmond is faring a little better than many urban areas. Our unemployment rate is 8% and when you look underneath the statistics there are some positive stories to uncover. One such story is how places that were once recognized as having great work environments have managed to continue these practices despite economic difficulty.
Men’s Wearhouse made Fortune magazine’s Best Places To Work list earlier in the year with a ranking of 71. Since retailers all over the country are taking a big hit in terms of revenues, this is one of the employers you would think would quickly resort to cost-cutting measures. Up to this point, however, they have managed to continue their commitment to being a great place to work. “The southern region—including Southeastern Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia—has been fortunate in that it has not had to downsize all too much. Although hiring is more part-time that full-time, the closing of S & K Menswear has grown our business, allowing us to increase staffing,” says Danny Vaughan, Vice President of Men’s Wearhouse Southern Region Zone.
He adds that every Men's Wearhouse store in the country is given a budget to spend on employee extras, which typically goes towards covering the catering costs for shared breakfasts or lunches. They also provide at least two major social events each year for employees and their families—such as a holiday party or summer picnic.
Healthcare jobs are known for being some of the most stable jobs around, but they can also be some of the most demanding jobs to have. Bon Secours Health Care System, which has been recognized with a Greater Richmond Employer of Choice Award as well as the annual Best Places to Work list by Working Mother Magazine for the past nine years, is one place that still looks out for its employees. According to Kim Brundage, Administrative Director of Patient Relations, almost all of the employee perks have stayed the same. This includes tuition assistance and the on-site daycare program, as well as a pretty generous package for the usual set of benefits. The only thing that has changed, says Brundage, is that non-clinical staff are now required to take some holiday vacations (such as the upcoming Labor Day, for example).
“Senior leadership is great here. They are very strategic and visionary,” says Brundage. “Our CEO, Peter Bernard, has said Bon Secours is staying the course and is going to continue to grow. We always have an eye towards improving quality while reducing cost.”
All the lists out there that rank the best places to work show that medium-sized companies are consistently hitting their mark. They are big enough to ride out the recession, but not so large that they become unwieldy. One good thing about these lists is that once a company gets on one, they have a big incentive to keep up with the practices that got them there. If not, a dose of bad PR is in their future. As for what that guy from the Men’s Wearhouse commercials has to say about all this. Well, he guarantees it.
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