Just recently, United Mail has been named the winner of a Best Workplace 2020 designation by Printing Industries of America, the world’s largest graphic arts trade association. The Best Workplace in the Americas award program recognizes organizations that exhibit the attributes and qualities of an ideal workplace to the highest degree and order, through rigorous judgment by human relations industry professionals.
The Criteria
Achievement as a Best Workplace was measured by the Printing Industries of America’s (PIA) panel of experts through a comprehensive number of metrics, and each one demonstrates the various ways that United Mail is committed to its employees. Employee safety, work environment, and communication are just some of the qualities evaluated by the panel human resources industry professionals. The PIA panel sought companies that not only conformed to these qualities but exemplified them to an outstanding extent.
Employee Safety
United Mail is committed to the highest standards of workplace health and safety, and this award demonstrates that not only does United Mail operate within the codes and regulations for a safe work environment, but goes above and beyond what is required. From machine safety, to inspections, to protocols and equipment, United Mail has always preserved the trust and confidence of its employees.
Work Environment
Another important factor in finding the Best Workplace in the Americas is the work environment. The physical surroundings in which employees work and operate as well as the intangible business culture both contribute to a positive work environment. Employee comfort and physical working conditions are incredibly important. From ventilation, to organization, to overall cleanliness, United Mail strives to give employees in both plants not only a safe working environment, but one that is comfortable and pleasant. United Mail is committed to updating and maintaining all facilities and physical surroundings, and ensuring that employee comfort is also a key priority in terms of protocols and practices such as air conditioning setpoints.
These ideals extend not only to physical facilities, but also to the corporate culture and working milieu. Fairness, opportunity, and purpose are just some of the qualities that make United Mail’s non-physical work environment one that is worthy of recognition. Employees aren’t just comfortable in a physical sense, but also feel comfortable knowing they will always be treated fairly and with respect, both as members of the team and as individual achievers.
Communication
Although adequate communication channels and opportunities do contribute to the work environment in general, Printing Industries of America has set aside communication as its own quality of what constitutes a Best Workplace. Businesses flourish through open communication, and the best way to gain up-to-date information on the experience of workers and their valuable insights into the working environment is through communication. With the extent to which open doors, open channels, and encouragement to communicate helps to foster a positive atmosphere for everyone, it is no wonder why proper communication is examined as its own category. For United Mail, open channels of communication are a point of pride. Effective communication also needs to work in both directions.
Clear, consistent, and concise messages are communicated at all levels of the organization, to help employees learn quickly, to resolve difficulties at their early stages, to introduce and distribute new ideas and procedures, and to uphold the respect of everyone involved. PIA wasn’t just looking for companies that met the basic requirements in these categories, but for those shown to be superlative in the field. The communication structure in place at United Mail is well-considered and effective.
Employee Resources & Benefits
United Mail employs hundreds of individual workers, and their hard work does not go unappreciated or unrewarded. It is of the utmost importance that employees are taken care of and that they have access to the resources they need not only to be effective workers but to thrive and achieve success. For United Mail employees, benefits such as medical, dental, life, and other insurance plans, 401K, paid vacation and holidays, leadership opportunities, technical training, a strong and positive culture, and social responsibility, are just some of the reasons why many team members have been with United Mail for over a decade.
The Best Workplace in the Americas award winners were evaluated on these human resources benchmarking categories of safety, work environment, communication, and employee resources and benefits, in order to recognize the companies that exemplify and embrace the most sought-after qualities and facilities for today’s worker and today’s working environment.
Recognition from an Industry Institution
Being recognized as a Best Workplace in the Americas is an achievement that means even more coming from Printing Industries of America. PIA can trace their history all the way back to 1887. With the popularization of the Linotype typecasting machine, printing was booming in the Americas, but with high competition and labor disagreements, there were some problems that needed to be addressed. Enter the PIA.
Sixty-eight delegates representing 18 Master Printers’ Associations and four individual printing firms from 22 different cities answered a call by the Chicago association to come up with a solution for these disputes. Within days of convening the 68 delegates managed to formalize a constitution and officially create the Printing Industries of America. Ever since PIA has been an institution in the field of printing and graphic arts, serving the industry with assessment, testing, consultation, and advocacy.
Today, Printing Industries of America is a non-profit organization that works with and advocates for the American printing industry. PIA consolidated with Graphic Arts Technical Foundation in 1999 and is now the world’s largest graphic arts trade association. PIA now serves more than 6,500 member companies and an industry that employs over a million individual workers.
With Printing Industries of America being such an institution in the field of printing and graphic arts, the achievement of Best Workplace is an honor twice over. Recognition from such a long-standing and well-respected institution is part of a realization of many of United Mail’s driving principles and ambitions over its 40-year history.
United Mail: 40 Years of Commitment to Employees
This award from PIA comes just in time to recognize United Mail’s 40th year in business. In 2020 United Mail will turn 40, and being recognized as one of the Best Workplaces in the Americas is one of a number of fitting achievements to mark this milestone. Even though United Mail has grown and evolved, the commitment to employees has never wavered. 40 years of experience and growth has seen the implementation of new technologies and practices, but one thing has remained consistent: treating everyone, employees, customers, and business collaborators, with the utmost care and respect.
Innovation, consistency, and excellence are driving principles for United Mail, and have been since the beginning. From humble beginnings sorting mail at 1 cent apiece, to expanding and offering clients the advantages of cutting edge technologies and digital services that include digital document archival services, web-based marketing and analytics tools and digital storefronts, United Mail has certainly seen some changes in the last forty years. But innovation is just one part of the puzzle. Consistency and excellence come in to play when it comes to the devotion, respect, and commitment extended to everyone on the United Mail team.
A Team Environment
Employees aren’t just co-workers, but teammates. At every level, employees are given the opportunities they need to collaborate for success. Teammates are part of the whole process. Some of the best ideas can come from the bottom up, and the best way to take advantage of that is a corporate culture of openness and attentiveness. United Mail is committed to being open and attentive to the needs and ideas of everyone on the United Mail team.
Fostering an environment in which employees take care of and support one another is another mark of a successful team-oriented atmosphere. This climate of teamwork evokes a sense of unity and community within the United Mail team. This community spirit exists at all levels, both within smaller groups and teams and as part of one great big United Mail team.
Individual Care
Although teamwork and collaboration are top priorities for United Mail, each employee should also feel safe, listened to, and respected on an individual level. There wouldn’t be a company without the wonderful hardworking people who comprise the United Mail team, each one playing a vital role. Now that United Mail has grown, and so has the number of employees into the hundreds, it is now more important than ever to ensure that individual care is also applied, in tandem with teamwork, to all employees. United Mail employees are teammates, but they are also afforded a level of trust and autonomy that speaks to their individual enthusiasm and care. Opportunities for individual achievement are important in communicating the value of each and every person on the team and rewarding their hard work.
In Review
Printing Industries of America, a long-standing and well-respected institution in the field of printing and graphic arts, has named United Mail as a 2020 recipient of the Best Workplace in the Americas designation. A panel of experts from PIA evaluated United Mail on categories such as safety, work environment, communication, and employee resources and benefits, and determined that United Mail exemplifies and embraces the most sought-after qualities and facilities for today’s worker and today’s working environment. This announcement comes in the same year that United Mail is turning forty and joins a number of other achievements in commemorating such a milestone. Special focus and care are given to employees who work for and with United Mail, both as teammates and as individual achievers. Recognition of the positive corporate culture and physical working environment by Printing Industries of America is an incredible achievement.
If you’re looking for a company that treats everyone, employees, customers, and business collaborators, with the utmost care and respect, look no further than United Mail. With a commitment to innovation, consistency, and excellence, as well as quality and attention, there has never been a better time to work with United Mail. Give United Mail a call today to talk about how we can be the company for you.
By Kenton Jetton
