At Asaclean-Sun Plastech Inc., the default word is "yes."
"I like to go to sleep at night knowing that I gave [the employees] everything they need," President Glenn Kornfeld said. "For example, people started asking for a second screen at their desk. We don't even hesitate. You need a second screen? Here you go. You want more training? You've got it. … You have to find a reason for why [the answer] should be 'no.'"
Based in Parsippany, N.J., Sun Plastech has 27 employees and ranks No. 2 for the 2018 Best Places to Work. It ranked No. 3 in 2017 and No. 10 in 2016.
Established in 1996, Asaclean-Sun Plastech Inc. manufactures and distributes purging compounds.
Several times per year, a health coach comes in for one-on-one meetings with employees and for "lunch and learn" sessions, where the adviser discusses such topics as smoking cessation or stress management. The health coach is also available to employees year-round via email or phone call.
Employee education was emphasized in 2017, Kornfeld said. Administrative employees attended an advanced Excel program, and the accounting manager went to a seminar about strategic planning for women in the workplace.
"We're trying to make employees more well-rounded and give them access to disciplines that they need for their job or sometimes just to make them more well-rounded," he said. "We have two people going for a management course next week to Charlotte, N.C. I feel like that's the biggest initiative. It's challenging for a small company to keep people motivated. One of the ways we try to combat that is furthering their education."
Kornfeld said the company has created a customer service department with dedicated customer service representatives separate from the salespeople. He added that January 2018 was its best month in the company's entire history.
Sun Plastech has also added a hotline where employees can call to voice an anonymous concern or complaint.
Kornfeld said one of the best perks they offer is a flexible workweek, where employees with doctor's appointments or family priorities can come in before 10 a.m. or leave after 3 p.m., as long as they work those core five hours and work a total of seven hours that day.
But perhaps one of the most special benefits is that employees who have been with the company for at least two years are able to take a fully paid weeklong trip to the parent company, Asahi Kasei Corp., in Japan. The trips started "many, many years ago," Kornfeld said, as a way for employees to connect with the parent company and to understand a different culture.
Other employee benefits include fishing trips, baseball games, golf outings, barbecues, sunset cruises and the occasional champagne toast.
"This will probably be the greatest company you'll ever work for; I really mean that," Kornfeld said. "We have a superior product, great customer service and an unbelievable work environment. … That's why we have significant longevity at our company. I've been here 21 years. Salespeople have been here 18 years, 14 years, 12 years. We have very little turnover."
