Page 18 - SKILLS - 2023

WHAT’S NEW IN SKILLS
adjusted the compensation to offset the cost of the family’s childcare expenses. “While we have no formal policy on subsidized childcare, we continue to have an open approach for employee assistance based on each individual’s circumstances and/or needs,” notes Bruno, echoing Summa’s belief in treating each employee as an individual.
But teamwork still plays an important role in the company’s success. Comparing his company to a sports team, Summa emphasizes that “every single position contributes to our wins and losses, from a driver to a controller. That sense of unity permeates in the office. We work hard and we play hard.”
Noting that construction is a high-stress industry with tight deadlines and large budgets, Summa and Bruno try to keep the atmosphere light and fun. “You spend more time with your work family than your home family, so we want to make sure it is a place people enjoy coming to,” says Summa.
To that end, the company recently held a ‘Smash Room’ party, which the employees loved. “Basically, you put on a hard hat, goggles and take a bat and start smashing stuff,” explains Summa. Yankees games, happy hours, holiday parties, and volunteering through the Kings Charitable Foundation as a group ensures that employees continue to enjoy working there.
Employee experience surveys underscore how much employees value the company’s flexible environment. The sales department in particular has flexible work hours. “With sales, we cover various parts of the world, so we may have calls late at night. It’s nice to know that I don’t have to be in early the next morning,” says Regional Sales Manager Jesse Sklar, who has worked at PTI for almost 15 years. Likewise,
as COVID restrictions have eased and travel has picked
up, Sklar appreciates knowing that he can do everything remotely the next day if he gets home on a late flight.
During COVID, the company looked at other ways employees could do remote work. “We even had the manufacturing department employees taking home kits initially to do small things like tooling from their garages, so we could keep everyone productive and safe,” notes Gionta.
Gionta is always challenging herself to think creatively on how to keep the workplace fun. PTI has held chili cook- offs, food truck events, and outings to Mets games. A particular success was a holiday diversity luncheon with various countries’ flags decorating the office, where employees bought food from their native country or ethnic background. “It’s really wonderful to walk out onto the manufacturing floor and be surrounded by flags of our countries. Events like this keep everyone connected and make the work experience more pleasant,” she adds.
Above: Kings Capital Construction Group keeps employees engaged with team outings like the 2022 Corporate FunRun Westchester 5k event at Westchester Community College.
PTI – Packaging Technologies & Inspection
Headquartered in Hawthorne, PTI – Packaging Technologies & Inspection is a leading equipment manufacturer of package inspection equipment for the pharmaceutical, medical device, food service, and container industries. The company has almost 60 employees working in manufacturing, sales, and R & D. “During COVID, we had to learn how to work in a remote environment,” explains Pam Gionta, HR manager.
PTI keeps the workplace fun with a flexible work environment and team activities like a game day to celebrate summer (top) and an “Ugly Sweater”-themed Christmas party (above).
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© Courtesy of PTI
© Courtesy of PTI
© Courtesy of Kings Capital Construction Group