Maintaining employee culture during COVID-19 pandemic
Eighteen months ago, software company Criterion, mental health care provider Autism Behavioral Health and wholesale distributor The Star Supply Co., were grappling with the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, the pandemic is far from over, but the three firms have demonstrated their ability to navigate the global health crisis by focusing on their employees’ well-being and communicating effectively with their staffs. Executives at the three companies all said they have navigated the pandemic without any workplace outbreaks of COVID-19 cases. Each of these firms is recommending, but not requiring, vaccinations for their employees. The trio make up the top three finishers in the small employers category of Hearst Connecticut Media’s 2021 Top Workplaces awards. Criterion, in Norwalk, with 52 employees, has participated in the contest for two years and finished No. 1 among small employers both years. “We think having lots of collaboration and dialogue, as opposed to telling people what to do, is working very well.” Criterion CEO Sunil Reddy said in an interview. Criterion reopened its offices at the Merritt 7 complex in Norwalk this summer. The company welcomed employees back but didn’t require that they return to the office. “As long as it works for all parties — the employees, the company and the clients — then it doesn’t matter where our employees work,” Reddy said. Danbury-based Autism Behavioral Health, founded in 2016, has also participated in the contest for two years and finished in the No. 2 position both years. The business created a six-phase reopening plan in May 2020. The roadmap included COVID-19 safety protocols for its employees and the individuals and family members affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder who receive services. “We believe strongly that our strength as a company is our ability to be thoughtfully engaged with every single employee. This means being receptive to all feedback and providing opportunities for our team to grow their careers with us,” said Jessie Wong, ABH’s founder and executive director. “At the end of the day, we are serving the common goal of providing evidence-based applied behavior analysis therapy with clinical excellence.” Star Supply, which describes itself as New England’s largest single
location HVAC and refrigeration distributor, ranked No. 3 in the category. As a source of pride, the family-owned company cited its ability to avoid any layoffs in the past 18 months. Founded in 1959, the company employs about 50 people, who are based at its headquarters at 118 Gando Drive in New Haven. Because the company was government-designated as an essential business, it has kept the facility open throughout the pandemic. Covering more than 100,000 square feet, the site includes a warehouse and offices. “Employees are always our biggest strength,” said Star Supply President Greg Cohen. “We want to make sure we treat them well and with respect and understand the challenges they face personally and in the workplace. We see how we can support them so they can perform to their best.” Criterion, ABH and Star Supply will not be affected by a new federal mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require their staffs to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly. “There’s only a handful of people who haven’t gotten it,” Cohen said, at Star Supply. While they have not mandated vaccines, ABH officials said that the organization “will be in compliance with all requirements listed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in regards to vaccination mandates.” Based on a recent anonymous survey, 82 percent of ABH employees have been vaccinated — slightly higher than the percentage for all eligible Connecticut residents
but well below the national average. Most Criterion employees are vaccinated, “based on internal conversations,” Reddy said. At the same time, the three firms are making many hires. Criterion — whose software focuses on HR services such as recruiting, talent development and payroll for mid-level companies — is planning to expand its workforce by 10 percent to 20 percent during the next year, with openings in areas such as sales and project management. “We’re excited to keep growing,” Reddy said. “I think we’re going in the right direction.” The company was founded in 1984 as Perfect Software. It rebranded to its current name in 2014, revamping its entire culture and relocating from another Norwalk office complex. Autism Behavioral Health has expanded its applicant pool. It has realized that there are many qualified professionals in “applicable and related fields” such as special education and health care, according to Wong. “The pandemic has also encouraged us to implement a more comprehensive benefits package, which includes special recognition for merit on top of our medical benefits, vacation, holiday, sick policy, 401k retirement saving plan etc.,” said Wong, who is also clinical dirctor. “This has the dual effect of both attracting more potential employees and demonstrating to our current staff that their effort and dedication is recognized.” Indicative of a labor market with many openings, the three companies are not immediately filling all of their positions. But they said they need rigorous criteria for new recruits to maintain the work environment that their employees praised in the Top Workplaces surveys. “Finding the right people for our team has definitely been a challenge,” Cohen said. “We take employment very seriously, and we want to make sure that they match that culture. Keeping the culture is very important to us.”