Schleuniger, Inc. Named the #3 Best Small Company to Work for in NH
You know people love where they work when they adopt it as a nickname. The employees at Schleuniger proudly call themselves “Schleunis” and rave about the Schleuni culture.
So what’s the “Schleuni secret?“ Openness, engagement and above all else, motivation, says President and Managing Director Mike Rizzo. “We are constantly challenging ourselves to come up with new ways to motivate employees and to keep it challenging for employees,“ Rizzo says. One way Schleuniger does this is with teams: Employees serve on a culture committee, community service committee, marketing strategies committee and safety committee. The company even takes a team approach to its hiring process, with a minimum of five employees from different parts of the company involved with each potential employee’s interview.
Motivation also comes from perks generally associated with large companies. Schleuniger has both a community service paid leave bank, where an employee can apply to receive up to 40 hours of paid leave in addition to the eight hours of paid community service leave they automatically receive, and a paid leave bank for employees needing extra time due to illness. Employees regularly donate time to these banks.
Rizzo says the company only succeeds if employees succeed. That’s why Schleuniger regularly thanks employees for a job well done. Managers are given access to gift certificates to give as rewards. Employees nominate and vote on Schleuniger-Cup award winners each year, a prize for employees who embody the company’s values of teamwork, customer service and interpersonal skills. Winners receive a $500 gift card with two runners up receiving $250 each. The SUSA Jr. Award is a small cow figurine given to individuals or teams (it is named after the life-sized cow sculpture in the lobby) who have performed above and beyond. All employees also receive year-end bonuses based on meeting annual sales goals.
Longevity pays at this company. On their fifth anniversary, employees receive a Swiss watch, as the parent company is Swiss, and an extra week’s pay. At the 10th anniversary, employees receive a personal gift valued at $300 and an extra week’s pay. For their 20th anniversary, employees receive a company-paid trip to Switzerland for themselves and a guest, and an extra week of vacation.
Because success for Schleuniger means success for employees, the company invests in employees. This year it doubled its training budget. It also recently implemented a three-year Personal Development Plan for each employee that lists what he or she would like to accomplish professionally and how the company can help them reach those goals. “Some people are comfortable enough to say, ‘I’m not sure if it’s here or somewhere else, but this is where I want to be professionally.’” Rizzo says. “While we absolutely prefer that the next step for each employee is with Schleuniger, we understand that we have limited advancement opportunities. With this in mind, our belief is, ‘let’s train them for the next step, wherever it is.’”
Employees have many reasons to choose Schleuniger, but Rizzo believes its retirement plan is a key recruitment tool. The company matches 401(k) contributions 100 percent up to 7 percent of salary. He says that high match is “by design.” As retirement is down the road for most employees, the company also works hard to make them happy now. A quiet room with a couch, books, toys, and TV with DVD player is available for employees looking for a short nap or kids who are sick or have a day off from school. The cafeteria has a ping-pong table, and football games are a common sight on the lawn on nice days. “We’re really trying to put things in place for retention purposes. “We’re always trying to be on pulse of the needs of the employees,” Rizzo says.
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