Best Places to Work 2024: No. 2 Supplier: Progressive Components International Corp.

Wauconda, Ill.-based Progressive Components International Corp. hopes to leave the industry in a better place.

The company does this by "not only providing the best products in the industry but also strongly supporting a large variety of causes that help the industry to grow and flourish."

Those same principles are applied to both its employees and the communities in which it operates. "We take care of our employees so they can focus on taking care of our customers and giving back to the community and industry," it added.

"Behind every intricate plastic part is the injection mold that produces that part. Progressive is the leading supplier of the components that make these molds work. Progressive supplies standard mold components that allow the mold designer to focus on the critical part details and the core and cavity detail work," the company said in its Best Places to Work survey.

Progressive Components' culture is driven by a commitment to work hard, add value and support one another to meet its customers' needs while also having fun, providing for families and supporting its communities.

"Our culture is both employee- and customer-centric. We recruit and hire intelligent, driven people that share our values and demonstrate tenacity to solve problems and take care of customers' needs. We develop and invest in our employees and reward them for performing in manner consistent with our values.

"Our values are not words on the wall; they are demonstrated in the daily actions by everyone at all levels of the organization," Progressive Components added.

Team members are evaluated based on how well they illustrate "living our values" during both their midyear and year-end evaluations by their leaders and a select group of co-workers.

Top performers who live its values are acknowledged at an annual awards ceremony. The company utilizes a technology platform that rewards employees for demonstrating the values.

Milestone work anniversaries are highlighted with internal and external communication, gifts and trips, and local celebrations.

Monthly all-employee meetings have themes that employees plan, lead and participate in. The three big events each year are the spring fling, summer picnic and holiday party. Employees also have an incentive/bonus program celebration the day they are deposited into the team members' accounts.

A wellness day includes eight hours of time off, with at least one hour devoted to wellness activities required on this day.

The company has its own 501(c)(3) organization — STAR: Sharing Time and Resources — and employees are given up to 16 hours of paid time off to give back to the community.

Prior to the COVID-19 lockdowns, 11 percent of employees telecommuted. Now 83 percent of team members telecommute.

To keep the remote workforce engaged, there are monthly all-employee meetings, monthly one-on-one meetings with leaders, department meetings and outings with teams, recurring pulse surveys to gauge sentiment, three annual in-person events for all employees and their significant others at the company expense, and a recognition and reward platform.

The company offers flexible work hours, hybrid and remote work opportunities, partially paid maternity and paternity leave, no meetings on Fridays, social committees, volunteer time/programs and tuition assistance. To attract and retain a diverse workforce, Progressive Components posts on diversity job boards and uses returnships to attract individuals that may have left the workforce.

Employees also have their own development plans tailored to their current role and future career interests.

Mental health and burnout are taken seriously as well.

"Through our twice-year evaluation and ongoing pulse surveys, we identify themes and individuals that [may] be experiencing [mental distress] issues. Leaders are provided with one-on-one coaching and/or resources to work through with employees, such as our performance analysis tool that helps to identify root cause and solutions to address.

"We also review overtime by functional area and individual on a quarterly basis to identify any issues to be addressed to ensure OT is minimal," the company added.

Founded in 1987, Progressive Components has appeared on the Best Places to Work list five times.

"Being named a Best Place to Work in our industry validates what ProCompers say on our internal surveys: all overwhelmingly appreciate the culture, the comp/benefits, the work-life balance, the focus on development/career planning — and each other," the company said. "Ensuring our employees are engaged and satisfied is key to providing exceptional products and service for our customers."