Best Places to Work: Atmosphere helps Sur-Seal thrive

CINCINNATI—For the second year in a row, Sur-Seal has been named among the Best Places to Work in the rubber industry for creating a positive employee atmosphere, even amidst a global pandemic.

"Sur-Seal employees embody our values of caring, curious and courageous," said Meredith Rudemiller, human resources manager at Cincinnati-based Sur-Seal. "We find that when employees care about their co-workers, their work and the customers we serve, they, in-turn, are happier employees.

"We strive to provide a productive, safe and fun working environment for our employees to thrive in. By combining hard work with great benefits, a relaxed atmosphere and fun events, we create a place where employees like to come to each day."

Creating that kind of work environment turned out to be a challenge this year.

The pandemic has affected everyone in some way, Rudemiller said. Since Sur-Seal—a producer of silicone optics, sealing technology and thermal management materials—is considered an essential business, the company needed to stay open. It remained busy throughout the year and quickly adapted to a new work environment and safety regulations for its 236 employees.

"We knew the fears, and we wanted our employees to feel as safe as possible at work," Rudemiller said. "We invested in new cleaning practices and services, altered necessary policies to help support flexibility, added in new safety guidelines and ramped up our communication. We came together, and we got even stronger."

Changing processes

New processes didn't just exist in safety protocols this year, they extended to the hiring process as well.

"We had planned for some professional hires in early 2020, but we had to set that aside for a few months until we had a better handle on how the pandemic would affect our business for the rest of the year and foreseeable future," said Traci Combs, talent acquisition and compensation manager at Sur-Seal.

However, one segment of the business was performing far above expectations, so the company quickly had to hire dozens of additional hourly factory employees over two months' time to meet customer demand, she said.

All interviews in April and May were conducted via teleconference because there were no visitors allowed at the facility.

"This was a bit of a challenge because we were offering jobs, and candidates were accepting jobs, sight unseen on both parts," Combs said.

Once staffing was sufficient to meet demand, an equilibrium that was reached over the summer, the company paused the hiring.

"We are back to conducting in-person interviews after candidates pass the initial phone screen, as well as offering viable candidates a tour of the facility," Combs said.

For professional hires, Sur-Seal conducts first- and second-round interviews via video conference rather than having all interviews in-person.

The company puts a focus on employee satisfaction from day one. From the moment someone joins, they are part of the team.

"We use a self on-boarding tool that enables the candidate to complete all necessary paperwork prior to arriving on their first day," Rudemiller said. "We tailor our first-day orientations to be informative and interactive, but not overwhelming."

Family atmosphere

With so much uncertainty in the world, employees are placing more emphasis on flexibility.

"They don't want to worry about their job security if they are sick, or a family member is sick," said Mike Kasselmann, production leader at Sur-Seal.

"We try to accommodate employees' need for flexibility by offering temporary schedules to accommodate certain situations. That can include modified start and quitting times, work through lunch options, and leave and returns. Also, flexible use of PTO and smart use of the attendance policy is promoted."

Even through the pandemic, Sur-Seal is investing in its employees. It recently invested in a learning platform to provide numerous courses that allow for professional development and career advancement. It also offers tuition reimbursement for employees who wish to further their education.

Career advancement is just one area that Sur-Seal caters to the employee experience. It also focuses on the appreciation of its employees.

The company maintains a calendar with events celebrated throughout the year, such as an on-site ice cream truck on National Ice Cream Day (July 18), giving everyone free ice cream. The company recently hosted its first Truck-or-Treat this year, and traditionally gives Kroger gift cards around Thanksgiving to help with employees' holiday festivities.

"We focus on celebrating our diversity as well as the things we have in common—all in the effort to continue our tradition of being a business family," said Falicia Jeter, office administrator at Sur-Seal.