best places to work

best places to work

June 2, 2008Feature Story

Best Places to Work

Teresa DeLuca had an idea. As a brand new employee in the information technology department at Milwaukee’s Derco Aerospace, DeLuca went to her bosses to suggest they start using a software package that she liked at her previous job. They listened. And then they gave her the green light. It was an unfamiliar outcome. “At my previous company, the executives didn’t really care,” says the 35-year-old DeLuca, who joined Derco, a distributor of aircraft parts on the far northwest side, less than six months ago. For her, experiences like that have made Derco an unparalleled employer. “The executive team is…

December 19, 2007Feature Story

The New Utopians

At Arnold & O’Sheridan, a Brookfield engineering firm, management has ditched traditional performance reviews in favor of career development plans that ask employees where they want to be in five years – and how management can help them get there. InPro Corp., a Muskego manufacturer, gives new employees a chance to learn more about their company by pairing them with advisers outside their own departments. At SC Johnson, minority employees are enrolled in a mentoring program – with a twist. They are mentors to senior executives, to help them “get” diversity. InPro, SC Johnson and Arnold & O’Sheridan are among…

November 15, 2006Culture & Style Feature Story

Best Places to Work 2001

Work. On a good day, it consumes about half of our waking hours. It is in large part the justification for our schooling, the means by which we support our families, our lives and our leisure. A century ago, “a good job” was one that paid enough to put food on the table and didn’t kill us. Today, we demand more: good pay and benefits, yes, but also reasonable bosses, meaningful work and time enough for the rest of our lives. Signs seeking help fill the windows of stores and restaurants even in a time of economic softening, and anecdotal…