A Spotlight on Anchor Audio's Journey to Becoming a Best Place to Work

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A Spotlight on Anchor Audio's Journey to Becoming a Best Place to Work

Learn how Anchor Audio succeeded in navigating HR Challenges and Fostering a great Culture

Anchor Audio
Anchor Audio

Since 1973, Anchor Audio has been a pioneer in manufacturing premium portable sound systems in America. Renowned for innovation, we lead the industry in all-in-one battery-powered PA systems, offering a comprehensive range of wireless technologies. Rooted in our customer-centric CARES core values, we proudly serve education, government, military, and diverse clientele seeking professional grade, robust, reliable outdoor sound solutions

  • HR Practices
  • Leadership

Anchor Audio, a pioneer in manufacturing premium portable sound systems in America, has been recently recognized as one of the best places to work for 2023. 

How do you actively engage your employees?

Anchor Audio’s Strategic People Strategy focuses on Company culture and delivering solutions that enables our team members to actively contribute to, and have a positive impact on, the overall business.  Our Human Capital Management centers on Recruiting and Retaining Talent, Employee Engagement, Performance Management, Compensation and Benefits, Development & Training, Change Management, and Legal Compliance. 

What are the most significant HR challenges faced by your industry today?

As a small manufacturing business in California, it can be challenging due to the state’s high taxes and complex regulations, which has a negative impact on the Total Compensation Portfolio available to our employees. 

We are competing with employers who offer more in way of tangible benefits, however, we offer something many larger employers can’t, a positive company culture and healthy work environment.

Michele Rayl
Michele Rayl

Executive Director, Human Resources

Could you share details about the teamwork activities offered to your employees?

In addition to our comprehensive healthcare benefits and annual holiday schedule, which includes the week of Christmas as a paid holiday, our company is dedicated to various employee-centric initiatives. We offer Pet Insurance, paid volunteer hours to support community engagement, and a flexible hybrid work schedule to promote work/life harmony. We prioritize our team members' well-being by encouraging them to leave work by 4 pm, providing a vacation cash-out option, and offering Leadership Training Programs accessible to all team members, not just management. Our collaborative culture is reinforced through All Team Meetings, incentive programs aligned with monthly goals, and team-building activities such as Foosball Tournaments. Additionally, we provide opportunities for continuous learning and development, including Lunch & Learn sessions, structured coaching programs, and access to our Reading Resource Center

Reflect on your experience with the Best Places to Work certification journey

The Best Places to Work certification journey was exceedingly positive.  As a company we had the time to reflect on how far we had come, what we were doing well, and evaluate areas for improvement.  The process helped to identify improvement opportunities and provided tools for addressing those areas.  Our team members were excited to be part of the process because we foster an environment of collaboration, and we celebrated in style after the certification was announced.  All and all, an extremely well-thought-out process by the Best Places to Work team

What advice would you give to someone looking to implement the certification process for their organization?

It is always a good place to start by asking the question: What does your organization want to achieve through this process and does it align with our Core values?  Don’t rush the process.  Schedule meetings with the BPTW team, reflect, and develop a step-by-step plan for achieving your end goal.  The BPTW team is supportive, offering sound advice, and providing all the tools necessary for your company’s success.

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  • 8 Benefits of getting certified as a Best Place to Work

8 Benefits of getting certified as a Best Place to Work

  • 31 December 2023
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  • Employee Engagement
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As we are in 2023, the future of work has become the now of work. Many of the changes which started during the pandemic were accelerated and have become permanent aspects of our working lives.

Getting certified as a Best Place to Work signals to the world that you have created a great company culture and your employees love to come to work. When you become certified, you earn more than just a shiny badge. You understand how you can improve in the short, medium and long term. 

1. Recruit top talent and strengthen your employer branding 

Great company culture is now a prerequisite for job hunters. Certification signals that your employees appreciate your employee experience and trust the leadership team. 

2. Leverage on the certification results 

Certification depends on the results from the employee survey and the HR Assessment. After we collect your employee feedback responses, you will receive an in-depth analysis of your company culture. You’ll get great insight into areas such as leadership, people practices, workplace, relationships and giving back.

3. Proudly display your certification badge 

Every certified organization earns a digital certification badge. You can use it throughout the year and even beyond to remind your employees and external candidates about your achievement.

Many companies include the badge on social profiles, print it on swag and proudly display it on their job postings and other social media platforms. 

4. Build employee pride

All employees want to be part of something special. Getting the best place to work certification builds pride among your workforce and stimulates the employees to make extra effort to see the organization succeed.

5. Reinforce your company values and culture

Raising awareness of your certification among current employees will help promote your company values, mission and culture. Certification reinforces that you are a company that cares and support the employees. A company that puts people first.
Join a community of certified organisations.

When you join our certified community, you will benefit from the numerous networking opportunities with other world certified companies. Celebrate your people, connect with like-minded companies and make your culture pride to the world!

6. Celebrate as a team

Employee recognition is proven to increase employee retention, employee engagement and perceptions of fairness in the workplace. When your organisation meets the certification criteria, it’s a great recognition. Rally your team around this win and celebrate.

7. Set goals and share your best people practices

The results of the certification program will show you what programs and practices you should continue to fund and those that are not meeting the expectations. By understanding what’s working and what’s not working, you can put resources where they’re needed most.

Additionally, we provide organizations with opportunities to benchmark their results so that you can set goals and put plans in place for improvement.

8. Reinforce the employee trust

Many companies find that asking employees to participate in a survey about their workplace experience creates goodwill. Employees appreciate being given the opportunity to voice their opinions.

When the executive team is clearly focused on creating a great workplace culture and continue to gather employee feedback on recurring basis, it signals to the employees that their happiness is a top priority for the organisation. 

Ready to become a certified Best Place to Work?

Start your certification →
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