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This past Sunday, June 20, The Plain Dealer published its list of the Top Workplaces 2010.  Out of 129 participating companies, 75 Northeast Ohio employers were considered cream of the crop and InfoCision made the cut in the top 15 in the large company category. 

So how did we get on the list of top employers? When InfoCision was founded 28 years ago, we took on a ‘people first’ attitude.  That same employee-centric business model applies today.  With the help of WorkplaceDynamics, The Plain Dealer determined the best places to work in Northeast Ohio based solely on employee responses to survey questions. We must be doing something right since InfoCision employees put us on the list.

We are committed to employee work-life balance.  Over the years, we have developed on-site amenities that offer flexibility and stability to both salaried and hourly workers.  Our employees can take advantage of InfoFitness fitness facilities, InfoWellness health care centers and InfoKids early learning centers. 

InfoFitness, employees can take advantage of the on-site fitness center before work, after work or even during their lunch break.  Our employees can take classes and access equipment.  The convenience and flexibility of an on-site workout facility gives our workers a reason to stay healthy and fit.

InfoKids Early Learning Centers are great amenities offered to our employees at both the Akron corporate headquarters and the Dayton location.  We provide our employees with the highest-quality child care at a lower cost than other daycare facilities. Parents have the luxury of being just across the street and can even pop in to have lunch with their children. 

When our employees are at work and begin feeling under the weather, they can visit our on-site physicians and nurse practitioners. Our on-site health care services extend to dependents of our employees, as well. 

Other programs we offer include education assistance, dry cleaning service, prescription delivery and much more.  We get it.  We know that employees can’t devote their full attention to work if they lack the time or tools necessary to attend to personal and family responsibilities.  Our employees drive our business initiatives, and being named one of the top workplaces is motivation to continue putting them first!

 “The foundation of InfoCision’s success is our employees,” Albright said. “We know from experience that a happier, healthier employee is a better employee – for our company and our clients.” –Carl Albright, InfoCision President and CEO

With two young daughters who are less than ten years away from entering college, I have come to realize that college can be very expensive these days. As an employer of 4,000 people, I am glad InfoCision recognizes that, and has taken steps to help by offering a way to help ease some of those tuition costs for employees. Any InfoCision employee whose spouse, children – or even they themselves – are students or future students at The University of Akron is eligible for The InfoCision – University of Akron Scholarship.

The InfoCision – University of Akron Scholarship was established by Gary and Karen Taylor in 2006 to help employees and their families achieve higher education. To date, 16 qualified students have been awarded $50,000 toward their educational expenses, and it has made a huge difference for those individuals and their families.

We are so proud of all of our scholarship winners, and everyone at InfoCision who is pursuing their educational goals. I’m also proud to work at an organization that places such a high value on education.

Let me know if your organization has any similar programs for employees. I’d like to hear about them.

Last week, at InfoCision’s Employee of the Month Ceremony, Kim Enoch, Senior Heart Walk Director from the American Heart Association (AHA) presented InfoCision with its latest honor for creating a healthy workplace for employees; the Start! Fit Friendly Companies Gold Recognition.  The Start! Fit Friendly Companies program was developed by the AHA to recognize employers like InfoCision who go above and beyond when it comes to their employees’ health; and to reward those companies for their progressive leadership and highlight their concern for their staff. 

When a health organization as prestigious as the American Heart Association recognizes InfoCision as a company that truly cares about the health and well-being of employees, I think that speaks volumes about the health and wellness programs we have developed.  We offer employees a host of amenities and benefits to make better health highly achievable; including access to on-site fitness centers and an on-site physician, weight loss contests, health fairs, smoking cessation assistance, etc… 

While these amenities are wonderful for our current employees, a sizable cost came along with the development of such a comprehensive package.  So as a business, we could not just undertake this endeavor because it is the right thing to do; which it is.  But building these programs also had to make sense from a bottom-line business perspective.  One great and measurable benefit along those lines has been a halt in our rising insurance premiums. 

However, less measurable but equally important is the impact on recruiting.  We have been working hard to position our company as an employer of choice in the locations we operate.  It doesn’t happen overnight, but when you can tell prospective employees that you offer things like on-site fitness centers and physicians’ offices for employee use, it gives us a clear advantage over our competitors in terms of hiring talented employees.  Think about it.  Would you rather work for a company that offered just a job and a wage, or a company that offered those things along with ways to improve your health and build a healthy work/life balance? 

So the decision to implement a health and wellness program has paid real dividends in several different ways, but perhaps none more important than letting job-seekers know that InfoCision cares about the well-being of its employees. 

I want to get your thoughts as well, so please feel free to leave a comment with a thought or question.  Have you noticed similar benefits from a decision to build a healthier workplace?  What are some other ways that your company has tried to build its reputation as an employer of choice?  Have you noticed these efforts working in a positive way, as InfoCision has?

Lastly, anyone who is interested in employment with InfoCision should check out our careers page at http://careers.infocision.com.

On Wednesday, April 14 I was privileged to speak to the Commerce Club of Akron about InfoCision, and the philosophies that have made our company successful over the years.  I shared some stories about Gary Taylor from back in the early days of InfoCision when the company was just a few employees, and many of Gary’s philosophies on business, which have always been the backbone of InfoCision’s success as a company.  Things like:  “A good business deal is good for everyone involved,” and “hiring employees who have an affinity for our client organizations.”  Gary’s vision is what has made InfoCision a great place to work for more than 4,000 people, so I hope the folks in attendance learned some things they can take back to their own organizations.

Speaking in front of the Commerce Club was an outstanding experience and it is a great group of people and an outstanding organization.  Thanks to the Commerce Club for the opportunity.

 Please click on the link below to access my presentation:

Steve Brubaker’s Commerce Club Presentation

On March 22, InfoCision was featured on the Youngstown Business Journal’s Daily Buzz in a video piece that highlights many of the amenities and benefits here at InfoCision. As part of the video, I was interviewed by Kim Gonda, Vice President of Marketing & Communications with the Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Check it out by following this link to the video:

Many thanks to the Youngstown Business Journal and the Regional Chamber for putting together this news clip. It’s always great when we have an opportunity to showcase the great people of InfoCision.

We are proud of our employees!

Customer Inter@ction Solutions (CIS) magazine recently announced the winners of their 2010 MVP (Marketing Via Phone) Quality Award; and InfoCision was again among the prestigious group of recipients.  This marks the seventeenth consecutive MVP Award for InfoCision, and we remain the ONLY company to win this industry benchmark award every year since Telemarketing Magazine, now CIS starting giving it out in 1993. In addition, InfoCision was one of just two companies in 2010 to be awarded a Gold MVP Award, identifying us as the best of the best when it comes to quality teleservices.

I continue to be impressed that the dedication to quality which Gary Taylor made when he founded InfoCision more than 27 years ago has continued year after year. It’s a tribute to InfoCision’s wonderful employees for keeping that dedication at the forefront of everything we do on a daily basis. I want to sincerely thank all of our team members for their role in helping InfoCision to achieve this outstanding milestone, and reinforcing that we are indeed “THE highest quality call center company in the world!”

The MVP Quality Award is given every year to honor teleservices companies that demonstrate the strongest commitment to excellence, the highest commitment to quality and customer service, and the most stringent ethical standards. The full list of 2010 MVP winners can be found in the February 2010 issue of Customer Inter@ction Solutions