For KraussMaffei Corp., being named to the Best Places to Work list is a testament to the hard work, dedication and culture that the company has built.
All of that hard work and dedication result in numerous activities both in and out of the office. Employees and their family members are invited to Family Fun Day in June with a local ice cream truck, guided tours and giveaways of logoed gear. Several food trucks are on-site in the spring and summer as well.
KraussMaffei purchased a ticket package for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team that included four club-level seats to home games, and employees could enter a drawing to win tickets.
Its Oktoberfest-themed all-employee meeting included dinner and cornhole tournament, followed by a day of learning and networking.
KraussMaffei's "Weekly Wins" companywide email highlights new orders, anniversaries, birthdays, and instances of going above and beyond for customers.
Although 50 percent of the team is fully remote and 90 percent has the capacity to work from home, KraussMaffei keeps its employees engaged with monthly town hall meetings, companywide email correspondence, and on-site team celebrations and trainings.
"Our people leaders are very engaged with our remote teams through weekly check-ins and other tools to ensure performance stays on track and have an open-door/open-contact policy for anyone to reach out with questions or concerns," the company said. "Our wellness programs offer wellness challenges that are also used by our fully remote teams to ensure they have the same ability as the local teams to participate in wellness events."
In terms of health care benefits, KraussMaffei contributes $500 for single plans or $1,000 for family plans to employees' health savings accounts. The company has also implemented paid parental leave, gym reimbursement stipend, free smoking cessation program and weight management programs, among others.
"We also offer free on-site flu shots, blood pressure checks, BMI [body mass index] checks, on-site massages, cardiovascular vans, mammography vans, etc., to encourage wellness. We also stock our breakrooms with bowls of fruit and recently changed our vending partner to one that offers greener and wellness-focused offerings," the company said. "We also offer community-supported agriculture (CSA) where KM provides a $250 voucher to use towards the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the course of the spring/summer. Employees can also have a biweekly deduction to maintain a weekly flow of fresh veggies."
The KraussMaffei team also gives back to the community. The company arranges several opportunities to volunteer time throughout the year, including at food pantries, homeless shelters and litter cleanups.
Following its review of the Best Places to Work feedback, KraussMaffei senior leadership reviews the employee recommendations and implements changes where possible, such as scheduling town halls and adding a dental plan and gym membership reimbursement.
"We are proud of the organization's development over the last several years, and the proof is in the pudding," said the maker of injection molding, reaction process and extrusion machinery. "Our annual culture and engagement survey has shown steady increases in employee satisfaction year over year, which we are very proud of."
Parsdorf, Germany-based KraussMaffei Group GmbH dates back to 1838. The 1950s marked its entry into the plastics industry, designing injection molding machines and acquiring plastics machinery manufacturer Eckert & Ziegler. A United States subsidiary was established in 1966, and since 1986, KraussMaffei Corp. has been headquartered in Florence, Ky.