Hawaii’s Best Workplaces 2018: Medium-size Companies
PACIFIC BUSINESS NEWS
OCTOBER 20, 2018 ISSUE
WRITTEN BY: LYNN SHIZUMURA
No. 1 Austin Tsutsumi & Associates Inc.
Three reasons your employees love coming to work every day. Camaraderie: Staff truly have a place that they belong, with friendships that extend beyond just being coworkers. Contribution: Confidence in knowing that they are making a difference in Hawaii through the design of excellent projects and improving communities. Care: The company sincerely cares about the staff and their families, wanting the best, balanced life for everyone.
What perks do you offer to employees, beyond a standard benefits package? Compressed work week with half-days off on Friday and flexible work hours. Health and wellness focuses throughout the year — step challenges, lunch hour-yoga classes, nutritional snacks and a workout room with weights. In addition to 100 percent full medical insurance coverage, 50 percent of family coverage. As an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) company, every employee is a part owner. All-expenses paid training and conferences. Espresso machine with café-quality coffee and organic milk supplied by ATA.
How do you recognize employees for doing outstanding work? Merit bonuses and spot bonuses, annual contributions to ESOP accounts, increased frequency of salary adjustments to greater than just once a year. On big projects, end-of-project celebration to show gratitude for design team’s effort (but we need to do this more often!)
How do you plan to raise your Best Workplaces score next year? Convert our vacation and sick leave program to PTO, to provide more flexibility and to incentivize staying healthy. More financial metrics and real-time feedback to staff so they know how they are doing and to better understand the correlation between performance and profit. Greater community involvement beyond donations, through participation in volunteer events such as with the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, Community Cleanups, and serving at IHS.
Quantum Score: 94.33
Top local executive: Terrance Arashiro
Hawaii employees: 63
Business: Civil engineering and surveying
